Table Tennis MARK Lillyman’s maximum was the only consistent string of results in an otherwise topsy-turvy evening as NCI and Soham Comrades shared the spoils.

NCI’s Howard Morley lost to Lillyman and then Alan Chambers before beating Kin Choi Chan. Kelvin Mitchell beat Chambers and Chan but lost to Lillyman while Colin Taylor lost to Chan and Lillyman but beat Chambers.

NCI needed the doubles to avoid defeat and were successful when Mitchell and Taylor topped Lillyman and Chambers in four.

Division 2 action saw Ed Emmerson and Ben Brown proving to be indomitable for Haddenham 2 as the home side beat Fulbourn 5 by 8-2. For Fulbourn, Dave Roitman, Phil Hague and Simon Johnson competed well, Roitman and Johnson beating Phil Emmerson but Hague failing in that respect. The Leeks of Fulbourn 4 enjoyed another exciting match, this time against Soham Comrades 4. Martyn Logan spoilt their party by winning his three singles but Mick Forman couldn’t raise his normal game. Marc Sulman battled away going down in five to both Howard and David and getting the better of Tim. Tim then finally discarded his expensive new bat and improved noticeably in his next match. The draw was forced when Logan and Forman took the doubles 13-11 in the fifth with Howard and David ruing their missed opportunities.

Brian Mitchell’s victory over Bela Szabo was Countess’ only consolation as Comrades 3 trounced them by 9-1. Szabo’s colleagues Rob Wallis and Martyn Hagon won their three singles and Wallis and Szabo took the doubles.

In Division 3, Andy Manning dented the hopes of a Fulbourn 6 whitewash against Comrades 6 when he overcame a short-of-practice Matthew Gunton, then later beat Zac Davey in five sets.

Davey had earlier been taken to 11-9 in the fifth by Janet Nicholls. Andrew Segar won his three singles for Fulbourn and shared a good doubles win with Davey against Manning and Phil Gannon to make the overall score 8-2.

In the Handicap Trophy, Fulbourn 1 played Comrades 1 who turned up with just two players. Fulbourn’s Marc Meunier beat Mark Lillyman 33-31 in the third.

Nigel Bates beat his old adversary Syd Dunster fairly comfortably and so the match was over. However, they played on with Meunier beating Dunster and Bates beating Lillyman in three. Steve Trevanion found the handicap too much, handing 19 points to Lillyman and 14 to Dunster, giving the visitors some consolation.