If not exactly nailed on, Netts A’s hold on the Braintree Table Tennis League championship title is pretty firmly attached at the league’s halfway point.

With nine wins out of nine, the league champions entered the new year 20 points ahead of the pack, on 57 points to second-placed Black Notley A on 37.

Having combined their A and B teams of last season, Netts have husbanded their resources successfully to ensure they were never found wanting.

Paul Davison, still unbeaten, James Hicks and Andy Holmes, the nucleus of last season’s title-winning team, have again formed the basis, with at least two of them turning out in every match.

The exception was against Rayne B where Joe Meleschko, who has played in six of the nine matches, Szczepan Ziobro, making his only appearance of the season, and Charles Calisin, playing up from division two, comfortably secured an 8-2 victory.

Davison had identified Sudbury Nomads as their most likely challengers pre-season and took no chances when the teams faced each other by turning out his top team, who responded by taking all 10 sets.

Nomads are in the pack of four teams covered by four points from second to fifth and will jump up to second if they gain four points from their match in hand, but that is against Rayne A, who will join the chasing pack if they pick up expected points in their two outstanding matches.

The foot of the table has the not unexpected look of two of the promoted teams in the bottom three places.

Sudbury Wanderers, the division two champions, are two places up from the bottom, having secured some strong results for a newly promoted side.

Notley B, unexpectedly promoted from second place, have found life tougher but have picked up a couple of draws and are only just behind Liberal B, a combination of last season’s B and C teams.

Individual averages (qualification one-third of team’s matches): 1 Paul Davison 15 wins in 15 sets, average 100; 2 James Hicks 20-21, 95,2; 3 Aron Jordan 13-15, 86.7; 4= Alistair Hill, James Mullane, Ian Whiteside 7-9, 77.8; 7 Luke Burridge 18-24, 75; 8 Andy Holmes 8-11, 72.7; 9 Richard Fifield 16-24, 66.7; 10 Sean Clift 17-27, 62.9; 11 Zach Harrington 13-21, 61.9; 12 Steve Noble 11-18, 61.1; 13 Chris Parr 16-27, 59.3; 14= Steve Pennell 10-18, David Razzell 5-9, 55.6; 16 Joe Meleschko 9-17, 52.9; 17= Karl Baldwin, Neil Freeman 11-21, 52.4; 19 Adam Clift 12-24, 50; 20 Sam Burrows 10-21, 47.6.