Table tennis: Bury create history
4:37pm Wednesday 7th May 2008
BURY won the Lancashire and Cheshire Table Tennis League Premier Division title for the first time in the history of the league.
The team won eight of the nine matches played, and drew the other match to win the division by three points.
The second team also had a good season and finished third in the Second Division.
Unfortunately, neither Manchester A nor East Lancs played the last weekend of the season, so results against those teams ultimately did not count.
Had Bury managed a draw against Blackpool rather than the narrow loss, they would have finished top.
Their results and players were as follows: Blackpool A 1 Bury A 5 (Mick Dore 2, Kim Barnard 1, Andy Kaye 2); Bury A 6 Trafford A 0 (MD 2, KB 2, AK 2); Blackpool 4 Bury A 2 (MD 0, KB 2, AK0); Bury A 5 Preston 1 (MD 2, Tim Ternent 2, AK 1); East Lancs. 1 Bury A 5 (MD 2, TT 1, AK 2); Bury A 6 Manchester A 0 (MD 2, TT2 AK2 ); Bolton A 0 Bury A 6 (Harry Brennand 2, George Brennand 2, AK2); Warrington 6 Bury A 0 (HB 0, GB 0, AK 0); Bury A 6 Preston A 0 (HB 2, GB 2, AK 2).
In the League, Division One Ramsbottom Town A were unbeaten all season and won by 26 points from second placed Radcliffe CC.
The Top Ten title was between Andy Jackson and Michael Moir of Ramsbottom Town A.
Both had played 48 sets, but Michael lost just the one all season, to Mick Dore of Radcliffe, to take the title for a record seventh time.
Adelphi and Wardle A were the two teams in the relegation spots.
Prestwich TTC A had the lead for most of the season in Division Two, and despite a couple of losses late in the season, ran out winners by 11 points.
Ramsbottom Town D came second despite a strong showing most of the season from St Philips B. At the bottom of the table it was always Prestwich C, Elton Vale and Maccabi A who held the bottom positions.
Prestwich C finished bottom on 80 points and Elton Vale eventually tied on 82 points with Maccabi A.
A play-off was required to decide the other relegation spot and, unfortunately, Maccabi A lost by the narrowest of margins, 4-5.
The Top Ten was won by David Poytress of Seedfield Methodists, who lost only 10 sets all season and finished four ahead of Mark Reading of Carlton Club.
In Division Three, Seedfield B and C contested the top places for most of the season, but the C team had an inexplicable 1-9 loss in their penultimate match that allowed Claybank to sneak past them into the promotion position.
Graham Daniels, of Claybank, won the Top Ten losing only four matches all season.
At the foot of the table, St Sebastian's, in their first season in the league, found Division Three hard going without a win all year.
Maccabi C joined them in relegation, being nine points away from safety.
Shawfield A were always on top of Division Four and it was a close tussle for runner up spot, which was eventually won by ELPM C by two points from Carlton C.
Wayne Ellis won the Top Ten with only four losses all season. Seedfield E struggled this season after promotion last season and go back down to Division Five with Shawfield C.
Winners of the Dwyer Cup, Maccabi E, were also the winners of Division Five by 18 points from Wardle Conservatives B, who finished just three points ahead of BGSOB B.
Dave Watts of Wardle won the Top Ten, losing only two matches all season.
All clubs and players are reminded the annual meeting is on Monday, May 19, at Seedfield Methodists Church Hall.
There is a full agenda with a number of interesting items for discussion so everyone is welcome.