Tight races can be anticipated at the top of divisions two and three of the Braintree Table Tennis League this season – but the human-interest stories could be elsewhere.

A relegated team can always be looked on as potential winners and so it is this time, with Black Notley B’s squad looking to be the team to beat in division two.

Neil Freeman, 60 per cent in division one last season, and Rev Matthews, 86 per cent in division two the previous season, are a strong double act and the inclusion of former men’s singles champion Steve Kerns for around half their matches will do them no harm.

Mike Fenech, who was given the tough task of making his competitive debut in division one, should find the lower level more to his liking, while Ben Southgate moves in the other direction, after an 87 per cent season in division three.

Their likely challengers are Sudbury Strollers, second last year, who have their own double act, Dave Fiddeman, 92 per cent last season, and John Colvin 75 per cent. Their fate may depend on who backs them up and how often.

The major interest in the division will be how a new clutch of juniors fare. Twelve-year-old Ethan Collins, with three cadets’ and one junior boys’ titles under his belt already, will be in his second season at this level, but it will be a baptism for his Rayne D teammates, Sai Suresh,14, and Aryaman Singh, 13, who have been under the watchful eye of league coach Keith Martin.

They have the more than useful back-up of Ian Whiteside and Dean Andrews to help out on occasions.

Tom Verrier, 15, and James Howard, 18, have impressed at Netts over the past couple of years and will enjoy a taste of the higher level.

They are joined in Netts’ D team by current junior boys’ champion JJ Calisin, 18, whose strides have if anything been more rapid. So impressive in fact that he is scheduled to move up to division one at Christmas.

Finchingfield’s Lucien Nolan-Bradford,18, could conceivably have made the step-up last year as he strolled through division three with only one defeat – to Southgate at 16-14 in the fifth game. He lines up in the village’s A team alongside Peter Clark and John Barrett.

In division three, Finchingfield B, second last year, could be in the running again. Despite the loss of Nolan-Bradford, they have a strong line-up in Lucien’s dad Ray plus Stewart Grant, Trevor Laird, and, moving down from division two, Dave Punt.

They could be stretched by Black Notley’s new F team of Wayne and Harry Wilson, Aivars Taimins and Ricky Moriconi, who all impressed on their league debuts for different Notley teams last season.