It was a makeshift Brotherhood B side which faced Walton A in Division One of the Clacton League but the Brotherhood Club’s strength in depth was fully demonstrated when the ‘B’ team fielded two reserves and still ran out 7-3 winners.

Skipper Simon Smith-Daye (pictured above, photo by Roger Hance), the only ‘B’ team regular, led from the front to win his three, while there were two for first reserve Mark Boyland and one for second reserve Fred Gallone. Only one match went the distance, Smith-Daye edging out Derek Willis 11-6 in the fifth. For Walton, there were two wins for Mark Gale and one for Willis. 

Meanwhile, at the top of the table, Brotherhood A lead by a single point ahead of Nomads Lions following their 10-0 victory over Brotherhood C. Daniel Young, Gracie Edwards and Kevin Gowlett settled matters with all matches won in three-straight.

The Lions were 8-2 winners against Windsor Eagles with Paul Hume and Adam Cuthbert both taking hat-tricks and combining to take a hard-fought doubles 11-9 in the fifth over Gavin Price and John Pattrick. Jason Lloyd took one for Lions but suffered his first reverses of the season at the hands of Price and Pattrick, Pattrick’s win a close 11-9 in the fifth.

Nomads Panthers defeated Walton B 9-1. James Denyer and Greg Green remained unbeaten while Gill Locke took two but went down 11-4 in the fifth to Walton’s Pete Burrows. Despite the win, the Panthers’ twelve-year hold on the Division One title seems to be gradually slipping away.

Trebles from Andy Vincent and Scott Campbell, plus a couple from John Barton, saw Windsor Hawks home 9-1 against bottom team Windsor Buzzards. Andy Foster picked up the Buzzards’ consolation point and took Rodriguez close before going down 11-6 in the decider.

In Division Two, leaders Brotherhood G were given a stern test by Nomads Jaguars before taking the final match of the evening to win 6-4. Mark Boyland took his maximum for the winners whilst there were a couple each for Andy Hart and Chris Petrou of the Jaguars.

But the ‘G’ team are now just one point ahead of club-mates Brotherhood F who defeated the Brotherhood J juniors 8-2 for a second time this season. Mark Salter was the ‘F’ team hero, his treble including a nail-biting 11-8 in the decider victory over Joe Sherwin in the only match which went to five. Paul Alden and Neil Chegwidden each took two for the winners whilst Sherwin took the two points for the losers.

A strong Brotherhood D line-up ensured them an 8-2 win over Lawford. Adi Kamma won three, with Kevin Pryor and Russell Stone each taking two. Pryor had a narrow 3-2 (11-5, 11-13, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7) victory over Ian Sherwood but lost out 11-7 in the fifth to Charlie Denholm. Richard Spence beat Stone for Lawford’s second point.

Nomads Tigers and Windsor Harriers are separated by just four points towards the foot of the table and so it was little surprise their encounter ended all-square, with four matches going the distance. Tom Wilkin starred for the Tigers with a hat-trick while Sam Watling produced his best form of the season to win two. Barry Allen took two of the three Harriers’ five-set victories,  beating Watling 11-6 in the decider and Alex Baldock 11-7 in the decider.

Three for Kelvin Olano-Harper, two for Paul Woolnough and one for Paul Stanton were enough to give the Penguins a 7-3 win in the all-Windsor tie against the relegation-threatened Kestrels. Peter Aumord’s two wins for the Kestrels were both close affairs, beating Woolnough 11-9 in the decider and Stanton 11-8 in the decider.

In Division Three, Brotherhood H were comfortable 10-0 winners over a Nomads Ocelots’ side fielding two guest players, the victory maintaining their 14-point lead at the top.

In an all-Holland encounter, second-placed Hurricanes, who have a match in hand over Brotherhood H, were 9-1 victors against the Vulcans. Gerry Widnell and Gary Stallwood were unbeaten, and Ian Gwillim won two. Derek Foxley was the Vulcans’ sole points-scorer, beating Gwillim 11-4 in the fifth but losing out 11-9 in the fifth to Widnell.

Three each for Matt Thomas and Gary Barnes, plus a shared 11-9 in the decider doubles win against Adrian Sexton and Deborah Pallett, saw Windsor Falcons to a 7-3 success against Walton C. There was one each for Walton’s Sexton, Pallett and Maggie Earle, Pallett defeating Nikki Hayes 11-9 in the decider.

Holland Lancasters won 7-3 against Windsor Magpies, who were playing with a guest. Peter Evans remained unbeaten for the Lancasters. Alan Rutledge and John Plummer picked up a point each for the Magpies, and shared an 11-6 in the fifth doubles win over Evans and Tony Aresti. Rutledge was also involved in two other matches which went all the way, beating Dave Wright 11-8 in the fifth but losing out to Aresti 14-12 in the fifth.

Finally, Nomads Leopards were 9-1 winners against an injury-hit Brotherhood E side forced to field a guest player. Dominic Joannou and Doug Green remained unbeaten while Anne Bonny had two tight matches, beating Joe Hillier 11-9 in the fifth but losing by the same score to Rodney Betts.

* The draw for the quarter-finals of the Handicap Knock-Out Cup sees Brotherhood A drawn against Windsor Hawks in the only all-Division One tie. First Division title challengers Nomads Lions face Division Two Brotherhood J, a repeat of a Group stage match which Brotherhood won 5-1. In an all-Brotherhood clash, the top-flight ‘C’ team faces the second-tier ‘’D’ side, while a Division Two side is guaranteed a place in the semi-finals with Nomads Tigers drawn against Brotherhood F. Matches are to be played during week commencing 9 March.

* Entry forms for the League’s Closed Championships have been sent to all players. The tournament is being held over the weekend of 11thand 12th April at the Lift Clacton (formerly Clacton Coastal Academy) Sports Hall. Entries can be made online or by post to Tony Oswick. To qualify, players need to have played four League matches by the closing date of entry (Friday 20 March).

The tournament is the League’s premier event of the season and, as well as being highly competitive with 13 titles up for grabs, is always a highly sociable and friendly occasion for players of all standards.

RESULTS
Division 1
Brotherhood B 7 Walton A 3
Windsor Eagles 2 Nomads Lions 8
Walton B 1 Nomads Panthers 9
Brotherhood A 10 Brotherhood C 0
Windsor Buzzards 1 Windsor Hawks 9
Division 2
Brotherhood F 8 Brotherhood J 2
Nomads Tigers 5 Windsor Harriers 5
Lawford 2 Brotherhood D 8
Windsor Penguins 7 Windsor Kestrels 3
Brotherhood G 6 Nomads Jaguars 4
Division 3
Windsor Magpies 3 Holland Lancasters 7
Walton C 3 Windsor Falcons 7
Holland Vulcans 1 Holland Hurricanes 9
Nomads Ocelots 0 Brotherhood H 10
Nomads Leopards 9 Brotherhood E 1