After a quiet Week, it was all systems go in a busy week 24 for the Club. All five of our teams were in action starting with trips on Tuesday 11th March to Haddington for Teams 3 and 5.

Team 3 v Haddington 3 – Division 2
Line-up: Kristian Skotzen, Bob Porteous, and Charlie Brindley

Team 3 are still mathematically in the hunt for promotion but know that they need to win their remaining games and hope that the second placed team in the division have a nightmare finish to the season. When in the first round of singles matches, both Kristian and Charlie suffered 4 end defeats, they were in trouble. But when matches 4 and 5 went the way of the visitors, they took the lead 3-2. A loss for Bob in Match 6, however, sent the game into the doubles fixture all square. Kristian and Charlie combined for an important win to give the visitors the advantage. Wins for Kristian and Charlie in matches 8 and 9 secured the points for the Penicuik side and Bob made the score a little more convincing with a 12-10 in the fifth win in Match 10. A 7-3 win perhaps flattered the visitors a little.

Team 5 v Haddington 5 – Division 4
Line-up: Roscoe Cairney, Mat Dyluk & Jay Jayalath

Team 5 travelled East with some trepidation, having lost the reverse fixture 10-0 at Ladywood. It was a different story on this occasion. Wins for Jay and Roscoe in matches 2 and 3 gave the visitors a 2-1 lead after the first round of singles matches. Only one of the next three singles, however, was won by the visitors as the scores were level going into the doubles. Jay and Mat took to the table (perhaps a little surprising) and when they fell to a 4-end defeat, the Penicuik side knew they were in trouble. Roscoe lost match 8 but a terrific win for Mat kept the match alive. Could Jay pull off a win to secure a draw in the final match of the night? Not quite as he fell to a four-end defeat and with that Haddington took the spoils with a 6-4 victory.

Team 1 v Haddington 1 – Premier Division – 13th March
Line-up: Colin Green, Peter Aird, and Ryan Docherty

Ryan got the visitors off to a great start with a 3-1 victory over Pete Lugton. When Colin did likewise in match 2 against Carsten Giebeler and that was followed by a win for Peter v Matt Monro, it was a perfect start for the visitors. Ryan couldn’t quite get over the line in his second match losing 11-9 in the fifth to Carsten and when Haddington’s Peter defeated Penicuik’s Peter in Match 5, the comeback was on for the hosts. Any hopes of that comeback were wiped out, however, as the Midlothian side took the next five matches for an excellent 8-2 win.

Ladywood 13th March - Penicuik 2 v Murrayfield 8 – Division 2

Team 2 welcomed back Ian Hislop from one of his many trips abroad and he was straight into the team to join James Wighton and Krzysztof Laszkiewicz at Ladywood for the visit of Murrayfield 8. Match 1 saw Ian take on Lyn Somerville and if ever there was an advert for the expedite system to come into play, this was it – no one could remember the rules though so on they went for about 50 minutes, only for Ian to lose 11-9 in the fifth! When James lost match 2, this looked like being a difficult night for the hosts. Four of the next five matches, however, went the way of the Penicuik side as they took a 4-3 lead with the last round of singles matches left to play. Match 8 proved pivotal – James v Phillipe Almichel went the distance to a fifth end, Phillipe recovering from 2-0 down – words of wisdom from Ian at the break before the final end seemed to work wonders for James – an 11-1 fifth end win saw a point secured and that became 2 points when Krzysztof won match 9. 3 wins for him, 1 each for James and Ian and a crucial doubles win saw the 6-4 specialists do it again!

Penicuik 4 v Murrayfield 9 – Division 3

Meanwhile, Rachel Petrie, Chamika Diyunugalge and Phil Daly (playing up for the absent Patrick Shanks) faced Murrayfield 9 in Division 3. Chamika had a fantastic night – two 3-1 wins and a 3-2 win were combined with a 3-1 win for him and Rachel in the doubles – 4 on the board for the hosts. Unfortunately, in a match that probably should have resulted in a win, the only other victory on the night came in match 9 for Rachel. A 5-5 draw for the understrength Penicuik side sent both teams home moderately happy.

Player of the Week
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It’s a tricky one this week. Krzysztof was undefeated in yet another exciting 6-4 victory for Team 2. Colin played some lovely stuff for Team 1 and Chamika secured 4 wins in a 5-5 draw for Team 4. Add to that solid performances from Kristian, Charlie, Bob, Peter, Jay and Ryan who all won 2 out of 3 and this really is a difficult decision.  In the end, this player’s contribution was vital to his team avoiding a defeat – 4 wins in a 5-5 draw deserves to be rewarded – well done to Chamika.

Controversy of the Week

We’ve got plenty to talk about this week! Let’s start with Team 2’s match at Ladywood. In the doubles, there were tense exchanges between Team Captain James and the umpire, his own teammate, Ian! One of the Murrayfield players, whilst serving, threw the ball up in the air, it went at a bad angle and he simply caught the ball again on its way down, presumably because he was unhappy with his throw-up. Point to Penicuik claims James. Why says the umpire – he didn’t try to strike the ball! So, what says James, you’re not umpiring a tennis match, this is table tennis. Oh dear!! It’s Ok though, the Murrayfield players must know the rule. James was staggered when all three players from the Edinburgh Club claimed not to know that what happened was a fault. Really? The League Secretary was one of the opponents – surely, he knows the rules? Apparently not! Dumfounded James was left raging and needed his partner to calm him down and tell him to carry on and forget about it! It’s a good job the doubles was fairly straightforward – imagine if it had been a deuce in the fifth loss!! Remarkably the same player did the same thing in the next end, this time apparently throwing the ball up before his partner was ready and then catching it! James just looked at umpire Ian who remained stony-faced! There are numerous different paragraphs of the rules we could look at – but lets just concentrate on this one:

"The ball shall be in play from the last moment at which it is stationary on the palm of the free hand before being intentionally projected upwards.".

Ball in play, a proper serve needs to be performed. Catching the ball is not a proper serve. Unless of course the service was interrupted, and a let was called – that wasn’t the case here – the server intentionally started his serve. Ah well, perhaps our League Head Umpire needs to role out his umpiring course to a few more people – including folk from our own Club!

In the other half of the hall on Thursday night, there was an interesting query raised by Rachel. In her first match of the night against her young opponent, she started brilliantly with an 11-4 first end win. At the end of that set, her opponent took himself out of the hall (to the toilet) and whilst he was gone, Rachel queried whether that was allowed?? Not a situation which we have come across before bizarrely – the rule which seems to apply is that "Players may not leave the playing area during a match without the permission of the umpire”. Clearly if a toilet break is needed then it’s needed, more so we would have thought for us old codgers who may have some bladder control issues! A drugs test was suggested when the youngster returned and comfortably won the next three ends!!

Away in Haddington on Tuesday night, Team 3 were involved in a very good spirited match with their East Lothian Opponents – the same could not be said for the match taking place beside Team 3 as Haddington 1 took on West Lothian 2. At one point, the noise coming from the match was so ridiculous that Kristian felt he should really go over and get involved. The youngsters of West Lothian can be exuberant, but on this occasion the complaint was about a couple of them shouting, screaming and their use of foul, vulgar language. Such behaviour is simply unacceptable and needs to be stamped out – it’s as clear as day on the back of our match cards that such conduct is a yellow card offence – no sign of any card being given. We spoke to the nicest man in table tennis, Pete Lugton, after the match and he commented that it was certainly not a pleasant match to play in. He felt that those in charge at WL need to take some control of the situation. One of the other players from Haddington who had to play against the extremely poor bahaviour found himself completely and utterly put off by the conduct, so much so, that he ended up not caring in the fifth end. He rightly pointed out that such conduct is not acceptable in school, at work, in the supermarket etc. so why is it in TT. A good question. Of course, what should happen is that the conduct is addressed on the night – we’re fairly sure that if yellow or red cards start to be given out, this type of conduct would stop. Difficult of course if it’s your own teammate that’s umpiring!!

The season is speeding towards its conclusion – only a couple of matches left for most of our teams – roll on Week 25.

Week 23 of the League was a relatively quiet one for the Club.

With Teams 2 and 5 having free weeks, only three of our teams were in action in Week 23. Team 4, however, took the opportunity to catch up on an outstanding postponed fixture as they played two matches, and in both of them they required to call up a player from the team below - not great organisational skills!


Frustration for Team 1 v North Merchiston
Line-up: Colin Green, Peter Aird, and Greig McDonell

Team 1 had a huge opportunity to leapfrog their opponents into third place in the Premier Division but were left ruing missed chances in their 6-4 defeat. The turning point of the night came early in Match 2 when Colin faced Quentin Renau. Having narrowly lost the first end to deuce, Colin took complete control, or so it seemed, with an 11-4 second end win and then led 9-3 in the third – he had won 20 of the previous 25 points played over those two ends. He was stunned as Quentin made a remarkable comeback, taking the third end 12-10 before comfortably winning the next 11-4. That shift in momentum dented Colin’s confidence, and he went on to lose in straight sets against Merchiston’s No. 1. Despite Peter’s strong showing with two wins and one each from Greig and Colin, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. A frustrating result in a match that could have made a big impact on the league standings.

Team 3 Bounce Back in Style
Line-up: Craig Linton, Bob Porteous, and Charlie Brindley

After a tough loss to University 4 last week, Team 3 faced another tricky test against University 3 in Division 2. Whilst the result suggests that this was an easy win for the hosts, nothing could be further from the truth. The match turned on some really close games - five of the ten matches played went to deciding fifth ends and three of them came right down to the wire and were won deuce in the fifth. The pivotal moments of the night came in Matches 4 and 5. Craig delivered a clutch performance to edge out the University’s top player 12-10 in the fifth. Bob then followed up with an equally dramatic victory, also winning 12-10 in the decider. With momentum on their side, Team 3 secured an 8-2 victory. Craig was the player of the match for the hosts, going undefeated in singles, while Bob and Charlie each picked up two wins. Craig and Charlie also combined to take the doubles. Although promotion remains a mathematical possibility, it would require a significant slip-up from the side currently in second place above them for that to happen.

Tough Week for Team 4 in Double-Header
Fixtures: Haddington 4 v Penicuik 4 & West Lothian 4 v Penicuik 4 – Division 3
Line-up: Rachel Petrie, Patrick Shanks, Jay Jayalath & Chamika  Diyunugalge

With Chamika on holiday for the first fixture of the Week for Team 4 on Tuesday 4th March, Jay Jayalath stepped in and produced an excellent individual performance. He won two of his three singles, showcasing some superb play. Unfortunately, the only other win of the night came from Patrick, as Penicuik struggled against a solid Haddington side, falling to a 7-3 defeat.

A couple of nights later, Team 4 travelled to Bathgate to take on West Lothian 4. With Rachel missing this time, Jay once again played up from Division 4 and continued his good form, picking up a singles win. Patrick matched that with a victory of his own, while Jay and Chamika combined to win the doubles.

This was another of those matches which was closer than the score suggests.  Three of the encounters went to a deciding fifth end, and unfortunately, all of them went the way of West Lothian. That proved to be the difference on the night, as Team 4 suffered their second 7-3 loss of the week. A frustrating week, but some strong performances to build on.

Player of the Week
Two players stood out this week. Jay Jayalath, playing up from Division 4, showed great composure in a tough week for Team 4. He stepped up brilliantly, winning three out of six singles matches across two fixtures and contributing to a doubles victory.

However, only one player remained undefeated in singles this week, and that was Craig Linton of Team 3. Craig not only won all three of his singles matches but also played a crucial role in the doubles win alongside Charlie. His battling spirit was on full display, with all three of his singles matches going the distance, and he won every single one. Well done, Craig!

Controversy of the Week – Serving Issues Strike Again!
Serving issues once again took centre stage in Week 23, with inconsistency in enforcement causing frustration across a couple of matches. In Team 4’s match against Haddington, League Head Umpire Roger Thomas was in action, so perhaps it was no surprise that there was a comment made about serving! Patrick was told he wasn’t throwing the ball up high enough on his serves, resulting in a warning. We recall a couple of seasons ago when the same umpire foul served Rachel in a match, no warning given that time and the argument of course is that a serve is either legal or it's not. If it’s not legal never mind warnings – just point to the opponent. A warning is supposedly given where the umpire might not be certain about the legality.

A similar issue arose in Team 3’s fixture against Edinburgh University, where Charlie was warned about his toss height. Having previously received a warning from the umpire, fast forward to a crucial point in the game, the umpire ruled a foul serve, awarding a point to his opponent without any further warning being given.

Both Patrick and Charlie accept that their serves aren’t perfect, but the real issue is the lack of consistency across the league. Our view? Absolutely, foul serves should be called out, but for fairness, this needs to be enforced consistently across the board. Never mind worrying about consistency across the league, let’s start by trying to get consistency throughout a single match. Charlie was quite right to point out that his own teammate, Bob, had various serves which were as “dodgy” as his serves – no points awarded against him, no warnings given. Charlie even brought into the equation our Club President who he had been watching playing in the other half of the hall – what do you mean his serves are dodgy? That’s a bit uncalled for Charlie! And it was the same story at Haddington. Patrick does have the occasional serve that’s not thrown up sufficiently but so does one of his teammates (we’re sworn to secrecy as to who that is, although it’s a regular teammate and Chamika wasn’t playing)!

We’ve said it many times before, the problem with officiating ourselves is that calling someone up for a “foul serve” is a bit like pulling out a yellow card against an opponent or indeed a teammate. The umpires need to be very strong and be confident in what they’re doing. Most of the time, we all just let things go because we don’t want to cause any animosity and ill-feeling in the matches. Some say that if the serve isn’t giving the player an advantage, then just leave it alone – but that of course is not what our Lead Umpire would tell us to do – advantage or not, if a serve is illegal, it should be called out.  Right now, that simply isn’t happening. 

Week 24 here we come!

With Team 4 having a free week, our four other teams took to the table in Week 22 of the Edinburgh & Lothians League with mixed results:

Featured Match of the Week: Team 2 v North Merchiston 4

Line-up: James Wighton, Krzysztof Laszkiewicz, and Bob Porteous (filling in for Gary McDougal)

Going into this match Team 2 knew that, following other results going their way, a point would be enough to secure promotion to Division 1. They faced a side sitting in the 2nd relegation position in the division but after a nervy and close win last week against bottom of the table Corstorphine, nothing was certain.
 
Krzysztof got the hosts off to the best possible start but when Bob lost match 2 the scores were levelled. Matches 3 and 4 both went the distance. James couldn’t find any consistency in a topsy turvy encounter v Julia Domagala. Having lost the third 11-3, he comfortably won the fourth 11-5 only to lose the decider 11-4! Meanwhile Bob’s 2-0 lead v Graham Booth was reeled in as Graham got to grips with Bob’s style – the last three ends all went in the visitor's favour. 3-1 down and the hosts were in trouble. Krzysztof steadied the ship with a 3-0 win v Julia before a crucial match 6 went the distance between James and Nick Adams. At 2-1 up James had the chance to finish off his opponent but narrowly lost out 11-9 in the fourth. Pressure on in the decider and James held his nerve for a crucial 11-8 win. 3-3 with the doubles to follow.

Krzysztof and James v Nick and Julia – the first four ends were shared - 11-7, 6-11, 13-11, 10-12. At 10-8 up in the decider the match was there for the taking for the hosts, but back came the visitors saving two match points and then having 3 match points of their own – this was tense! Krzysztof and James were over the moon when they eventually crept over the line with a 16-14 win. Match 8 saw Bob take on Julia at the same time as James faced Graham in Match 9. When Bob lost the first 2 ends 11-2, 11-4, he was in real trouble. It was even worse for James – he lost his first end 11-0 but then fought back for an 11-8 win in the second. He couldn’t keep the momentum going though as he fell to a four end defeat. 4-4! Bob kept battling and somehow managed to recover against Julia winning ends three and four 11-9, 11-8. That seemed to knock Julia’s confidence and Bob was massively relieved to get over the line 11-6 in the decider. With that, a point was secured. Krzysztof v Nick was the last match of the night and with time fast running out and the teams about to be thrown out, Krzysztof managed to secure a 3-0 win to give the hosts both points with yet another 6-4 win.

The visitors couldn’t quite believe how they got nothing from the match. Team 2 couldn’t quite believe how their opponents are struggling to avoid relegation. They certainly seem better than their league position suggests. But as the North Merchiston side fear relegation, the hosts have now mathematically guaranteed promotion. The title is still in the balance, but with a top two finish secured it’s huge congratulations to them.

Team 1 v Murrayfield 1 – Premier Division

Line-up: Colin Green, Peter Aird, and Ryan Docherty

With Club President, Greig, wanting to protect his massive 40% average, he was delighted when Ryan confirmed he could turn out again for Team 1’s visit to reigning champions and current top of the table Murrayfield 1. It was a tough challenge for the visitors, made virtually impossible by the very late call off from Team Captain, Colin. A migraine apparently – despite Peter and Ryan’s suggestion that he just pop some pills and get himself along to the match, he failed to show and because of the lateness of the call off, there was no time for a replacement to be found. Peter and Ryan battled hard but ultimately fell to a 10-0 defeat.  

Team 5 v Heriot Watt 2 – Division 4

Line-up: Jay Jayalath, Phil Daly and John Bald

The students have had a cracking season in Division 4 and are still in with a chance of promotion. They showed why they currently sit third in the table with a dominant performance against Team 5. Jay was the only winner on the night for the visitors as the Midlothian side fell to an 8-2 defeat. The goal this season for Team 5, having come up from Division 5 last season, was to survive and they can now relax as with other results going their way this week, they are mathematically safe. Well done to them.

Team 3 v Edinburgh University 4 – Division 2

Line-up: Craig Linton, Kristian Skotzen and Charlie Brindley

The final match of the week saw Team 3 travel on Friday night to take on the students in Division 2. Team 3 are mathematically still in with a chance of promotion, although in reality they’re probably fighting for third place. They knew that their slim mathematical hopes of promotion would become even more remote if a win wasn’t secured. The match was tight, summed up by Kristian’s 3 singles – each match went the distance and remarkably Kristian lost all three 11-8 in the fifth. Match 6 saw Craig lose out 11-7 in the fifth and with that the team were 5-1 down. Three of the last four matches went the way of the Midlothian side but it wasn’t enough as the students triumphed 6-4 and leapfrogged Team 3 into third place in the league.

Player of the Week

This has to be the most straightforward choice of the season, doesn’t it? Only one player was unbeaten in singles play this week. That player’s three singles wins was added to by his contribution in a crucial and exciting doubles win. Add to that the fact that his unbeaten night resulted in promotion being secured for his team then surely he’s a certainty this week for the award. But hold on, what about the efforts of other players this week? Now that would be ridiculous - our selection committee spent less time than it’s taken to write this paragraph to consider matters this week! Well done to Krzysztof – a cracking performance and well deserved.

Controversy of the Week

Not one controversial moment in Week 22 apparently! What we hear you cry! Nothing? In fairness Team 4 had a free week and they’re normally our best source for controversies! With the season racing to a close, the League committee are trying to organise awards night and identifying a date by which all matches should be played. The last scheduled week of the season is week commencing 24th March. That’s only 4 playing weeks left! In the Premier Division there is a big difference in the number of games played by various teams caused partly by Haddington's predicament. They’ve only played 13 matches and somehow need to fit 7 matches into the last four weeks! Remarkably, if Haddington manage to play a full 20 matches, and don’t postpone any more, 9 of them have been postponed/rescheduled! They’ve also just conceded one to Murrayfield. So much for the rule about being allowed one postponement each half of the season!
 
Maybe it’s an East Lothian issue – if we look into Div 1, Haddington 2 have had five postponements / rescheduled matches. They currently have two postponed fixtures still to play in the last four weeks. Drop down to Div 4 and their Team 5 have 8 rescheduled matches. The point? As with many rules in the ELTTL, what is the purpose in having this rule? Just get rid of it and various others. We seem to be able to do what we want anyway. And there’s nothing wrong with that if teams agree. And if they don’t agree, just ignore the rules anyway, and you can always ask the committee to make a random decision (well at least Murrayfield can – we’re still trying to organise our handicap cup fixture after the committee’s intervention)!
 
Four weeks to go – only really Team 2 left with anything to play for. 

Week 21 of the Edinburgh & Lothians League saw another action-packed few days for the Club, with four teams in action across the divisions. There were some tense battles, impressive performances, and crucial victories as the league season continued.

Team 2 Edge Past Corstorphine in a Thriller

Fixture: Penicuik 2 v Corstorphine 2 – Tuesday, 18th February
Line-up: James Wighton, Krzysztof Laszkiewicz, and Kristian Skotzen (filling in for Gary McDougal)

Despite sitting at opposite ends of the Division 2 table, this match proved to be far from a routine victory for the league leaders. The encounter was finely balanced throughout, with Corstorphine putting up a spirited fight.

After the doubles match went the way of the hosts, Penicuik found themselves trailing 4-3. However, showing their resilience, the visiting side dug deep to win the final three singles matches and secure a hard-fought 6-4 victory. All three players contributed equally, with James, Krzysztof, and Kristian each winning two singles matches. The win keeps Team 2’s title charge on track!

Team 1 Stay Third 

Fixture: Penicuik 1 v Edinburgh International 1 – Thursday, 20th February
Line-up: Colin Green, Peter Aird, and Ryan Docherty

Team 1 faced a tough challenge against Edinburgh International in the Premier Division but produced a strong performance to keep hold of third place in the league standings. The first four matches were shared, leaving the tie finely poised at 2-2. But a dominant spell followed as Penicuik won five matches on the bounce to put the result beyond doubt. A loss in the final match made no difference to the outcome, as Penicuik ran out 7-3 winners.

Peter was in terrific form, winning all three of his singles matches. Colin added two wins, while Ryan contributed with one singles victory. Colin and Ryan also combined well in the doubles to earn another crucial win. A great result for Team 1!

Jay Stars for Team 5

Fixture: Penicuik 5 v Gullane 1 – Thursday, 20th February
Line-up: Jay Jayalath, Roscoe Cairney, and Mat Dyluk

In Division 4, Team 5 faced a daunting challenge against top-of-the-table Gullane. Despite battling hard throughout, they ultimately fell to a 7-3 defeat. The standout performer of the night was Jay, who put in an excellent display to win all three of his singles matches. Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough to turn the tide as Roscoe and Mat found the opposition too strong on the night. Nevertheless, Jay’s individual performance was a major positive to take from the match.

Tough Night for Team 4 v Edinburgh University 5

Fixture: Edinburgh University 5 v Penicuik 4 – Friday, 21st February
Line-up: Rachel Petrie, Patrick Shanks, and Chamika Diyunugalge

Team 4 had a challenging night in Division 3 as they travelled to take on Edinburgh University. Despite their best efforts, they came up against a strong home side and suffered an 8-2 defeat. There were, however, some positives to take away from the match. A fantastic doubles performance saw Rachel and Chamika combine superbly to pick up a well-earned win. Patrick also added a singles victory to the tally, but on the night the students were just too tough for the team.

Player of the Week

Two players were unbeaten in singles play this week – Jay Jayalath for Team 5 and Peter Aird for Team 1, making the selection for this week's top performer a difficult one. Both players displayed excellent form, each winning nine out of ten ends in their three singles matches. Notably, their victories came against opponents who had defeated their teams in the first half of the season. However, Peter’s flawless night helped secure an overall team win for Penicuik 1, tipping the scales in his favour. Congratulations to Peter on earning this week’s Player of the Week award!

Controversy of the Week
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This week's controversy is a follow-up from last week and arose from our refusal to grant a postponement to Murrayfield in the Handicap Cup. Despite Murrayfield being unable to field a team, the League Committee were asked by Murrayfield to deliberate on the matter on Friday night. They decided that efforts should be made to play the match. This decision contradicts the long-standing rule that Handicap Cup matches take place in the designated Handicap Cup week and on the home night of the team drawn to host the fixture. We are bewildered by the view taken, especially given that for league matches, a recent rule change explicitly states that postponements are requests and not obligations. This principle has always been in place, yet the league deemed it necessary to reinforce it in writing. Furthermore, in previous rounds of the Handicap Cup, similar situations resulted in matches being conceded - Penicuik had to forfeit against Murrayfield in Round 1, Murrayfield forfeited against us in an earlier round, and they also conceded to Haddington when unable to field a team.

The key difference in this instance? We see none — other than the fact that Murrayfield is unhappy. The Handicap Cup week has been fixed in the schedule since September 2024, so Murrayfield’s inability to field three players should have been foreseen. Yet now, we are expected to rearrange the match, coordinate the availability of three players from different teams, and even consider playing at a neutral venue if necessary (Murrayfield can’t play when required so we lose home advantage – really??). The entire situation is absurd! But we'll bend over backwards and do the "nice" thing and try and fit in a fixture in an already full schedule! Bizarre!

Looking Ahead

With just a few weeks left in the season, every match is becoming crucial. Teams 2 and 3 are still in contention for promotion in Division 2, with Team 2 having a real shot at winning the title. Meanwhile, for the remainder of our teams, survival in their respective divisions looks to be secured, although not yet mathematically certain. The focus now is on finishing the season strongly and maintaining momentum into the final few weeks. Another week of table tennis to come – bring on Week 22!