Half-term Junior Course 18/01/08  Linda Rapacioli is organising  a course for 7 - 18 year olds during February half-term.  The course will run from Monday to Friday at Costello Technology College for three hours (10.00am - 1.00pm).  The cost will be £12.00 per session.  Book before 31st January with Linda on 07891 305179 or E-mail carlo.rapacioli@virgin.net

Ladies Matches 18/01/08  Viking Ladies in the Ladies division of 6 beat Beechdown 6/3 at Everest College.  Each of their three pairs, Diane Cooper/Alison Crawford, Linda/Sophia Rapacioli and Julie Shawley/Emma Day won two rubbers to complete this win.  In reply each of the visiting pairs, Hayley Kopp/Kate Appleton, Karen Southwell/Sandra Smith and Madge Cummings/Tracy King won one rubber.  In their efforts to chase leaders Viking BH Pegasus were held to a close 5/4 victory by Andover Sports.  Sandra McDonald/Pauline Prior won all three of their rubbers for the visiting losers supported by one rubber from Ellen Dennett/Val Wheeler.  Sally Holmes/Kim Street and Sue Lorrain/Lesley Acheson both won two rubbers for BH Pegasus complimented by one from Jenny Skilton/Amanda Marsden. 

In the Ladies Division of 4, Beechdown and Waverley played out a 3/3 draw at Winchester Road.  For the home side Leanne Francis took part in three winning rubbers, Sandra Smith took part in two and Alex Nagle in one. Gill Trimmer and Heather Mountford played in two successful rubbers for Waverley with Caroline Fowler and Jo Berry playing in one each.

Mens Matches 18/01/08  Although they had only two pairs Andover managed a 5/4 victory over Phoenix A in Mens Division 2 at Sherfield School.  Alan Dixon and Geoff Lewis won their three rubbers for the visitors assisted by two from Steve Trussel/Peter Roberts.  Greg Sudell/Jon Thomson won one rubber for the home side.  Elsewhere in the division a two pair Beechdown A managed a 5/4 away win over Waverley to maintain their top position in the table. Daniel Sheppard/Martin Webb led the way by winning all three of their rubbers followed by two from Mark Bayliss/Simon Johnson.  Ian Aherne/Peter Bevell won the solitary home rubber. Kevin Harris/Veera Arunachalam and Ramsey Dumloge/Dale Turpin won two rubbers each when BH Pegasus B beat Andover Sports B 5/4 at Andover.  The fifth rubber was won by Andrew Bosworth/Alex Groom.  Peter Cowmeadow/Paul Williams  won two of the home rubbers as did Geriant Griffiths/Nick Gladwin.  

Aldermaston beat Hurst 6/3 at the Hurst to maintain top position in the Division 3 table.  Steve Gaunt/Lawrence Sutton won three rubbers for Aldermaston, Glynn Libberton/Michael Ling won two and Nick Jasper/David Lowe one in this victory.  Mark Payne/David Ord won two of the home side’s rubbers with the other coming from Barry Eggington/Nigel Appleton.  Another match in the division saw current leaders Beechdown B beat Whitchurch 7/2 at Whitchurch.  Neil Marie/Bruce Scott won a maximum for the winners supported by two rubbers each from Tim Williams/Nick Jones and Simon Johnston/Keith Dawson.  Dave Cooley, in his first outing for the team this season helped Stuart Gordon to win the two home rubbers.

 Mixed Matches 18/01/08   Most of the recently reported action in the Mixed Section was in Division 1 where Andover Sports A lost 6/3 at home to Viking A in Mixed Division 1 and then later beat Viking B 8/1 at the same venue.  Shaun McDonald/Liz Roberts won two of the home rubbers in the match against Viking A with Emerson Cumberbatch/Sandra McDonald getting the third.  Husband and wife pairing of Carlo/Linda Rapacioli obtained a maximum for the winners supported by two rubbers from Tim Cooper/Alison Crawford and one from Tony Coombes/Juliet MacAskill.  When they played Viking B both Shaun/Liz and Emerson/Sandra recorded maxima with Damien Roberts/Pauline Prior supplying the other two rubbers.  Carlo and Linda Rapacioli won the consolation rubbers for the visiting losers. Viking A kept the pressure on leaders BH Pegasus A when they defeated their rival’s B team 7/2 at Everest College.  Scott Wilkins/Alison Crawford won their three rubbers for the home side complimented by two rubbers each from Tim/Diane Cooper and Simon Williamson/Juliet MacAskill.  Richard O’Kelly/Jenny Skilton and Kevin Harris/Kim Street won a rubber each for the losers.  BH Pegasus A had a fine home victory over last season’s champions St Marys, beating them 7/2 at the Basingstoke Sports Centre.   Philip Desbois/Andrea Farmer and Peter Braithwaite/Rebecca Meagron each won one rubber for the losing visitors.  David Gough/Sue Lorrain kept a clean sheet for the home side as did David Burrell/Anu Davies  augmented by one rubber from Martin Hill/Kim Street. 

Beechdown A continue to dominate Division 2.  In their first match of this new year Neil Marie/Sandra Smith, Martin Webb/Hayley Kopp and Daniel Sheppard/Karen Southwell all won maxima when they beat visiting BH Pegasus C 9/0. 

Knock-Out Cup 18/01/08   LoddonSherpas (+2) reached the second round of the Knock-Out Cup, in which they are at home to Beechdown (Scr) following a 290/271 victory over BH Pegasus (-3), The latter team were quickly at a disadvantage when Anu Davies was injured in the second game of her first Ladies Doubles match and was forced to concede that match and the other two in which she would have been playing.  BH Pegasus men won their three matches and also the two Mixed Doubles which were played but not by sufficient margins to overcome the losses in the Ladies matches.   In the one Ladies match which was played LoddonSherpas, Cheryl Matthews/Sue Evans were successful.