Braintree League: Tie at the top of the averages

There was an unusually close spread at the top of the division one individual averages in this season’s Braintree Table Tennis League where the top five were within 4.2 percentage points of each other.

Michael Andrews, second last year, moved up to the top spot, which he shares with Paul Lucas, in his first season back in the league after a number of years’ absence.

It is the first tie at the top since 1981, when it was shared by Mick Borshell and Robin Lang.

Men’s singles champion Paul Davison, first last year, drops to third, just 0.4 per cent behind the top two.

James Hicks is the third Netts A player in the top four and maintains his fourth place of last season, while Liberal A’s Brandon Crouchman, top of the averages three years running from 2017 to 2019, is fifth.

Dan Anderson, who has spent the last few years in division two, proved that the top division is where he belongs by holding a strong sixth place.

Just how dominant Sudbury Nomads were in division two is emphasised by having three of their players in the first three places in division two.

Ken Lewis tops the pile despite suffering his first defeat for three-and-a-half years. Fourth-placed Sean Clift beat him in November, as did Gareth Davies, who finished fifth, in February.

The best average in all three divisions belonged to Oliver Hicks, who led Rayne E’s charge to the division three title.

Sudbury Wanderers’ Ian Shrubsole was second and the all-round strength of the eventual runners-up was evident in placing three players in the top seven.

Final individual averages (qualification one-third of team’s matches):

Division 1 (last season’s position in brackets): 1 (2) Michael Andrews, (-) Paul Lucas, both 33 wins in 26 sets, average 91.7 per cent; 3 (1) Paul Davison 42-26, 91.3; 4 (4) James Hicks 26-29, 89.7; 5 (-) Brandon Crouchman 28-32, 87.5; 6 (-) Dan Anderson 37-45 82.2; 7 (-) Scott Dowsett 24-32, 75; 8 (8) Steve Pennell 31-44, 70.5; 9 (12) Andy Holmes 15-23, 65.2; 10 (-) Adam Buxton 23-38, 60.5; 11 (-) Alistair Hill 15-27, 57.7; 12 (-) Victor Chan 21-38, 55.3; 13 (6) Maria Boulton 18-33, 54.6; 14 (10) Nikki Kennard 14-27, 51.9; 15 (7) Steve Kerns 9-19, 47.4; 16 (-) Ashley Skeggs 27-60, 45; 17 (19) Chris Parr 24-54, 44; 18 (-) Mike Johnston 14-32, 43.8; 19 (16) Ian Whiteside 13-30, 43.3; 20 (-) Takunda Nerutanga 18-42, 42.9.

Division 2: 1 Ken Lewis 33-35, 94.3; 2 Karl Baldwin 50-56, 89.3; 3 Richard Kemp 20-23, 86.9; 4 Sean Clift 43-53, 81.1; 5 Gareth Davies 32-42, 76.2; 6 Dean Andrews 20-28, 71.4; 7 Richard Jennings 17-24, 70.8; 8 Neil Freeman 30-43, 69.8; 9 Szczepan Ziobro 35-51, 68.6.

Division 3: 1 Oliver Hicks 62-63, 98.4; 2 Ian Shrubsole 54-60, 90; 3 Kierlan Richards 21-24, 87.5; 4 Graham Chinnery 39-45, 86.7; 5 Jamie Brooks 44-54, 81.5; 6 Louise Hartshorn 41-51, 80.4; 7 Peter Abbott 38-48, 79.2; 8 Adam Pitt 24-33, 72.7; 9 Alex Morgan 39-54, 72.2; 10 Matt Brooks 39-56, 69.6.

Braintree League: Tie at the top of the averages Table Tennis England.