Division One South
Relegated Fusion I are the clear leaders with a maximum eight points and after beating their three closest challengers - DHS Greenhouse Progress I, Woolwell I and Pavillion Brighton all by 5-3 margins they look to be in a commanding position. Mark Smith was very much the “top-man” against DHS Greenhouse Progress powering his way to a 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 win over Koji Hirota and a 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 victory against Henry Medellin. No mean performance as Hirota beat Tommy Cutler 3-1 in his second singles.
Mark Smith was again on fine form as Fusion beat Woolwell, defeating both Darren Reed (11-6, 11-7, 11-2) and the still improving Chris Smith (11-9, 11-9, 11-9) with another fine display. It was Marketa Myskova who caused the South Londoners the most problems. She used all her experience and tenacity to beat both Remigius Petrosius (12-10, 13-11, 8-11, 6-11, 11-9) and Thomas Hughes (11-9, 9-11, 14-12, 7-11, 11-6). On an entirely different note, full marks are extended to the Devon team for fielding a 100 % local side - something of a rarity in the higher Divisions. It is also very pleasing to see Chris Smith graduating to their first team after competing so well in the second division for the last two years.
Elsewhere, two players to catch the eye were former England international Sean Gibson (BATTS Team Paniel) and Cris Sladden (Pavilion Brighton), an integral member of the dominant London Progress teams of seven /eight years ago. Gibson was a class apart as BATTS lost 6-2 against DHS Greenhouse Progress. His wins against Jerome Jonah (11-2, 11-5, 11-6) and Koji Hirota (11-6, 11-4, 11-3) need little further comment whilst Gibson also came out on top in a real thriller against Urban Progress’ Tibor Kadar. Sean won this one: 8-11, 6-11, 15-13, 11-9, 12-10 in a match which finished level.
Sean won another hum-dinger in the match against Pavilion Brighton, beating Ashley Stokes
11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10. Gibson’s one defeat came in the match BATTS won, when he succumbed to Generation 2’s Adam Proszko (13-11, 11-6, 10-12, 8-11, 8-11). His team-mates helped console him and Oscar Selfridge‘s wins against Roger Hookey (3-2) and Daniel Lucking (3-1) ensured that the Essex side took both points. Proszko acquitted himself very well, also seeing off Martin Kubrt 13-15, 12-10, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9.
After a six year break from Table Tennis and a tentative return to League Table Tennis last Season Cris Sladden must have approached this weekend with some trepidation. It didn’t show. He won seven of his eight singles with wins over the BATTS Team Peniel pairing of Oscar Selfridge and Martin Kubrt, Urban Progress’s Anthony Constantinou and Gergely Urban, the Cippenham duo of Cedric Brion and Robert Hansell and most impressive of all Fusion’s Tommy Cutler. His one defeat came against Fusion’s hard-hitting Remigius Petrosius.
Urban Progress I with a mere two points look a pale imitation of the team of last year, surprising when you consider their squad includes the likes of Tibor Kadar, Gergely Urban and Zoltan Hosszu. They managed to draw against Cippenham, in a match where Tibor Kadar was easily the best player on view. He beat both Martin Adams (11-5, 11-6, 11-8) and newcomer Cedric Brion (14-1 5-11, 11-8, 11-4).
Cippenham just missed out 5-3 against Woolwell II despite both Robert Hansell and Lee Dredge managing to drill some holes in Marketa Myskova’s usually impregnable defence. Lee Dredge appears to have hardly put a foot wrong as he won 11-7, 11-5, 13-11. Darren Reed and Richard Marshall were both unbeaten for Woolwell with Reed in particular playing very well. Reed beat both Martin Adams (11-7, 11-3, 11-6) and Cedric Brion (11-5, 13-11, 11-7).
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