by Ray Brown

THE West Essex Table Tennis League tournament was held at the Woodford Wells club on 13th May.

Matt Spero became the West Essex league’s Open Singles champion when he defeated Andzelika Dorau 7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7. After taking a game to get up to speed, Matt was never troubled as he dominated the other three games.

The Men’s Doubles was the most interesting match of the evening as John Tendler and Graham Weinberg played the Wells pairing of Martin Marcus and Dennis Sweeney.

The former won games one and three, taking a 3-0 points lead in each game. The key factor was that Weinberg seemed unable to return Marcus’s service, which enabled the Wells pairing to win games two and four, also after taking a 3-0 lead.

In the deciding fifth game, the advantage was expected to be with Tendler and Weinberg in the first half but it was their opponents who took a 5-2 lead at the change of ends.

Marcus and Sweeney were now favourites, but at 3-5 down, Tendler played a once-in-a-season smash to make it 4-5, then Weinberg, having won a point for 5-5, at last found a way to return Marcus’s services.

At 8-8, it was anybody’s match and it was the Tendler/Weinberg pairing who ended victorious with a 11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8 win.

Other results: Over 40 Singles John Tendler beat Paul Pells 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9

Over 60 Singles: John Tendler beat Mike Rebbeck 2-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6

Restricted Singles: Adrian Joseph beat David Penrose 12-10, 11-6, 11-6