In a weekend of relatively few shocks, the top four seeds in the open singles all made their way through to the semi-finals of the Braintree Table Tennis League’s individual tournament.

In the last four, to be played on finals night at Earls Colne Recreation Centre on Friday, eight-times champion Paul Davison, who had a tough five-game battle with Ashley Skeggs in the quarter-final, will face Luke Burridge, who knocked him out at the quarter-final stage last season.

In the final, he could face Scott Dowsett, who took away his unbeaten record in the final league match of the season – if Dowsett wins his semi-final against No 2 seed James Hicks, who he also beat in that match.

Davison & Hicks will face each other in the final of the veterans’ singles and team up against Skeggs & Dowsett in the men’s doubles final after beating Burridge & Sam Burrows in the semi-final. Skeggs & Dowsett beat Colin Moss & Ian Shrubsole in the semi-final.

The junior boys’ singles did not run according to plan after Tom Verrier beat top seed Lucien Nolan-Bradford at the group stage.

That meant that Nolan-Bradford had to face No 2 seed and holder Ethan Collins in the semi-final rather than the final as anticipated – and it was Collins who emerged successful.

Verrier met his match in the other semi-final against Netts clubmate JJ Calisin, who will face Collins on finals night.

The restricted singles final unusually features a third division player, Peter Davenport, who will pit his wits against top seed David Fiddeman. Davenport owes his place to his victory over Ben Southgate in the semi-final, while Fiddeman came through via a win over Aivars Taimins.

A number of events were decided at the weekend, as a result of which Hicks has already got his hands on two trophies. He won the over-50s singles with a victory in the final over Ian Whiteside and he and Davison took the veterans’ doubles, beating Garry Fryatt & Steve Noble in the final.

In the mixed doubles, Luke Burridge & Alesha Ellis-Austin took the title with Rev Matthews & Jacqueline Smith runners-up in a round robin.

Ethan Collins retained his cadets’ singles title with a win in the final over Tom Verrier, a repeat of last season’s final, while he and Alesha Ellis-Austin won the junior doubles with a victory over Verrier & James Howard in the final.

The under-11 singles was won by Max Chisnall. Albert Wickens was the runner-up for the second year running.