Home

26 May - Cliff's final report

Ryedale Table Tennis League Presentation Evening.  50^th Anniversary of the League

Over 90 people attended the 50^th Anniversary Presentation Evening of the Ryedale Table Tennis League, last Friday, which was arranged with meticulous precision by Jean Wardman .  Top of the bill was former England International and National Team Coach, Donald Parker who gave a very amusing and absorbing after dinner speech.  Accompanying Don was his wife, Jill Hammersley-Parker M BE, a former England player, Coach and European Champion.    Andy Seed was the master of ceremonies for the evening, assisted by the League Chairman, John Gascoyne .  M ost of the awards were presented by the League’s President, Geoff Cawthorn.  Jill Adams presented trophies in memory of her late husband, Terry, to the M ost Sporting Teams in the League.  Rosemary Wass presented a new trophy to the League; The Howard Wass Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to Table Tennis in memory of her late husband, Howard who died in October.  Everyone agreed that it was a very entertaining evening and thanks go to all who assisted in making it run smoothly at the Kirkbymoorside Golf Club.  The winners of all events are as follows.

Division 1 Champions: Ryedale A  

Runners up: Amotherby A

Division 2 Champions: Ryedale C

Runners up: Helmsley B

Division 3 Champions: Helmsley C

Runners up: Scarborians 

Averages winners:

Division 1: Ian Stansfield (runner up Dave Burnham)

Division 2: Gareth Bryning (runner up Chris Londesbrough)

Division 3: James M ayne (runner up M ick Carter)

Bower Trophy winners: Hutton B

Runners up: Helmsley A

President's Pairs winners: Andrew & M ary Chappell

Runners up: Adrian Voicu & Andrei Lozinca

M ost Sporting Team

Div 1: Amotherby A

Div 2: Ryedale D

Div 3:  Hutton le Hole B

M ost Sporting Player

Div 1: Paul Cuthbertson

Div 2: Jean Wardman and Ken M ills

Div 3:  Ian Dawson

M ost Improved Player

Joe Newton

Handicap League

Div 1: Coneysthorpe

Div 2: Amotherby C

Div 3: Westow

Summer League (2007) Winners: Ryedale Laundry A

Runners up: Helmsley A

Averages winner: Andy Grayson (runner up Paul Young)

2008 RTTL Closed Tournament Winners:

Division 1 -  M ain Event: Winner - Ed Fambely, Runner Up - Joel Wright

Division 1 - Plate: Winner - Neil Raine, Runner Up - Gareth Olney

Division 2 - M ain Event: Winner - Chris Londesborough, Runner Up - Jan Bryan

Division 2 - Plate: Winner Gerald Cosens , Runner Up - Roger Wang

Division 3 - M ain Event: Winner - Adam Ridley , Runner Up - M ick Carter

Division 3 - Plate: Winner - Nick Knight, Runner Up - Stuart Ellis

Handicap Singles - Winner - Cliff Edens, Runner Up - Stephen Temple

Doubles - winners - Cliff Edens & Ed Fambely, Runners up - Gerald Cosens & Alec Hodgson

Selected Doubles - Winners - Ed Fambely & Steve M iller, Runners Up - Ruth Purseglove & Katharina Heinrich

The Howard Wass Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to Table Tennis

Cliff Edens

Footnote:-

“This is my final report for the Ryedale Table Tennis League.  It is with a heavy heart that I leave Ryedale for the other side of the Country.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, since 1995, and I hope everyone has a happy and stress free life. I would like to thank the many people I have had the pleasure of working with in the Table Tennis world and I wish you all the best.”

Cliff Edens

Amotherby A are awarded Most Sporting Team Div 1 by Jill Adams

[Many thanks Cliff for doing an excellent job as Press Sec - Ed.]

12 May

Hutton Le Hole B Bower Trophy Champions        

In a tight final, Hutton Le Hole B pipped Helmsley A in the final of the Bower Trophy.  With hugely contrasting handicaps, it was bound to be a close affair but ‘Player of the Match’ award and in fact, the ‘Player of the Competition’ award must go to Mary Chappell who put in a great performance all through the rounds.  Cliff Edens started with a win for Helmsley and this was followed by a focussed performance by Charlie Allott to put the Division 1 side 2-0 up.   Mary then played Ruth Purseglove and won comfortably to make the match score, 2-1.  Cliff then beat Mary’s husband, Andrew to stretch the lead to 3-1 but another masterful performance by Mary, beating Charlie in the closest game of the night made it 3-2.  Charlie showed fantastic determination and commitment through out the night and was unlucky not to win all 3.  Doug Annan then played some excellent counter attacks against Ruth to make the match score 3-3.  Mary beat Cliff with some ease and Charlie beat Doug in a similar fashion. 4-4. All pressure was on the last two players, Ruth and Andrew.  Andrew played with great composure to take the match and the title for Hutton Le Hole B.  A deserved victory for the enthusiasts from the Moors.

The Victors: Andrew Chappell, Mary Chappell and Doug Annan of Hutton B

Helmsley Duo have success at National Competition

James M ayne and Adam Ridley of Helmsley Table Tennis Club got to the finals of the Under 13 and Under 15 competitions at the ‘Northfield 2 Star’ table tennis tournament.  This was a tournament which saw teams from Scotland and Wales ; it was a truly International affair.  James played in the morning and comfortably won through to the knockout stages of the Under 13 competition.  Guy Harris aged 10 also got through which was a great achievement for him.  Andrew Cavanagh and Ellie Ramsey both played very well and learnt from the experience of such a large event.  James kept winning and got into the final where he beat Ross M acniven from Hertfordshire to take his first major tournament title.  James’ attitude, skill and dedication to table tennis is the reason for his success and he is a great example of a true sportsman.  In the Under 15’s, James lost in the 3rd round to Neil M acDonald from Dumfries in Scotland .  Eyes then fell onto Adam who, round after round, wore his opponents down with excellent backhand defending followed by fast topspin forehand attacks.  He made the final and met his team mate’s conqueror, Neil M acDonald.  In the first two sets, Adam lost 14-12 and 13-11 after some tremendous rallies watched by an enthralled crowd.  In set 3, Neil forced an early lead and Adam couldn’t quite claw back the deficit as the Scot took the title.  Adam was really happy to have got to the final and his runners up trophy is a reminder to him of how well he did in a National Tournament.  James, Adam, Guy, Andrew and Ellie all play at Helmsley Table Tennis Club.  If you or your child wants to try table tennis or improve your game through qualified coaches, contact Ruth Purseglove on 01439 771095.  

Adam Ridley and James Mayne

Cliff Edens

28 April

English Schools National Individual Championships.

Ryedale District sends four to the Nationals.

In the Under 11 category, in his first major tournament, Russell Quinn of Amotherby Primary School started with a win over Julian Wood from South Yorkshire .  After the next two losses, he came good in his fourth game to beat Thomas Fox from Norfolk and end up third in his group.  Unfortunately this did not qualify him for the next round but it was a great experience for Russell and he is a very promising player for the future.  

In the Under 16s, Ryedale School ’s Edward Fambely started with a tough match against England ranked 37 junior Alistair Smith.  Edward struggled in his opener and Smith cruised to victory.  In the second match, Edward increased his momentum and won through easily against Adam Tompkins from East Yorkshire .  He then faced the highly ranked number 13, Garth Kinlocke from Hampshire.  Ed stepped up to the line and played really well, losing 3-1 but having moments of brilliance against this very tough challenger.  He completed his group by coming from 2-0 down to win 2-3 in a thrilling match managing 3rd in his group but not qualifying for the knockout rounds.  

In the Under 19s, Charlie Allott also of Ryedale School , and only 15 years old, was playing some much older players.  He gained some tremendous experience against high quality opposition and was unlucky to lose all of his games.  

In the Under 13s, James M ayne also of Ryedale School , had a great start in the group stages, winning his first four games before playing the Tournaments number 3 seed, M ichael Ho.  M ichael played with vast experience to win through as group winner, but James took the runners up place.  In the first round of the knockout section, James played Igor M orais of M iddlesex.  Igor had won a major National competition 2 weeks previously and was going to be a tough opponent.  James was prepared and focussed and twice came from behind to level the match at 2-2.  In the fifth set, Igor got into a lead and maintained it but not without a valiant effort from James.  Igor took the final game 11-7.  James’ attitude to table tennis is exemplary and this also showed on Sunday when he represented Yorkshire Region in the National Regional Championships.  Unfortunately, Yorkshire did not do so well but James was the only player not to lose a game.  Currently ranked at 17th in England at Under 13 level, James has a very bright future in the sport.

Cliff Edens

Russell Quinn

7 April

In a nail biting finale, Ryedale C won the Division 2 title after their closest rivals, Helmsley B, only managed a 6-4 victory over them when a 7-3 would have given Helmsley the title.  Chris Londesbrough won all 3 for Helmsley and Luke Lunn added 2 then paired up with Chris for the doubles which they won too.  Stepping up a Division, for Helmsley, Howard Mayne ’s closest set was against the veteran coach, Gerald Cosens .  Gerald used his experience and his wicked left handed sidespin loop to win the last game 11-9 and clinch the title.  Mick Temple and Alec Hodgson made up the trio of Ryedale SC players and their 4th squad member is Jill Adams.  Congratulations to them.  

Division One awaits them but Helmsley B will have to play off against Coneysthorpe, who entertained the Helmsley A team this week and pulled off a good 5-5 draw.  Cliff Edens won all three for Helmsley but Malc Haswell and Tim Smith managed 2 each and the doubles to clinch the draw for Coneysthorpe.  

In the Bower Trophy cup competition, Hutton B marched in to the semi final after dispatching Ryedale B, 7-2.  Doug Annan and Mary Chappell were unbeaten as Ryedale’s experience, tactics and skill could not break down their resolve. 

In the Presidents pairs, Andy Seed and Barry Todd snuck through into the last four after winning their doubles by just one point on aggregate for a 3-2 win over Andy Grayson and Mike Shepherdson. The Swinton pair both beat an off-colour Barry but Andy Seed hit a purpl e patch winning 19 consecutive points against a bemused Andy Grayson at one stage.  That takes some doing!  

The one match left in Division 1 will not affect the final promotion or relegation positions.

Division 1 Champions: Ryedale A

Runners up: Amotherby A

Relegated to Division 2: M alton B

Play off for Division 1: Coneysthorpe v Helmsley B

Division 2 Champions: Ryedale C

Runners up: Helmsley B

Relegated from Division 2: Ryedale E

Play off for Division 2: Amotherby C v Scarborians

Division 3 Champions: Helmsley C

Runners up: Scarborians

Averages winners:

Division 1: Ian Stansfield

Division 2: Gareth Bryning

Division 3: James Mayne

The Ryedale Closed Junior and Senior Tournaments are on this weekend, the 12th and 13th April at Lady Lumleys School and the Northern Ryedale Leisure Centre respectively.

Cliff Edens

Edward Fambely who will be defending his Division One singles title this weekend

31st March

Top of the Averages of division 2 and division 3 were decided this week.  Gareth Bryning of CSL was handed his title as his main rival, Chris Londesbrough of Helmsley B lost to Jan Bryan of Ryedale D leaving it mathematically impossible for the CSL scientist to be caught.  

In division 3, 12 year old James Mayne of Helmsley C took the title with an amazing record of only 1 set loss and having only been taken to 5 games on that occasion.  Congratulations to both Gareth and James.  

In the match between Helmsley B and Ryedale D, Helmsley moved themselves within two points of leaders Ryedale C with an impressive 3-7 away win over the division's third-placed team. This leaves the outcome of the championship beautifully poised with the top two meeting next week in a title decider. Jan Bryan played a stormer to beat Chris Londesbrough3-0 and hand the averages title to Gareth.  Helmsley's bad start was soon rectified by form-player Luke Lunn who was unbeaten. Chris won his other two and John Toll one to give them five precious points. So, a mixed night for Helmsley but the title race is still on.  

Ryedale F and Amotherby B completed their fixtures with the latter coming out on top, 7-3. League stalwart Ron Florey enjoyed a rare outing but found the 'Brown brothers' (2 each) and Andy Seed (3) a bit too energetic.  

In Division 3, Helmsley C won their final match of the season 9-1 against Hutton A, James Mayne comfortably won all three sets to confirm his title.  The squad of Howard Mayne, James, Adam Ridley and Joe Newton deserve particular mention as they have only dropped 2 point all season.  There are 6 points up for grabs in each game so this is a fantastic achievement.  

Hutton B hit top form in beating Amotherby E 8-2 for their best victory yet in the league. Douglas Annan again won all 3, Andrew Chappell won 2 and Mary Chappell showed a complete transformation of form to win 2 and very nearly made it 3 with a 5 game set against Ian Dawson. For Amotherby E, Kris Waluk beat Andrew in 4 but the doubles win of Andrew and Doug over Kris and Ian sealed an excellent night for Hutton B.  

Westow had a thumping 9-1 win over Hutton A to boost their final league position. Colin Payne and John Clayton were unbeaten, with Dawn Hopkins winning two and nearly completing a whitewash before being overturned 3-2 by the handy Angela Parker.  

In Division 1, Whitby have almost certainly assured themselves of a first division place next season after a comprehensive 7-3 over a weakened Swinton A team for whom York player Steve Milner was a replacement for Steve Oldfield. Bernie Welford notched 3 and John Hanson 2 for the home team.  Coneysthorpe had a good 6-4 win over Malton A.  They need to win their last match 10-0 and Swinton A need to lose 10-0 for Coneysthorpe to stay out of the play off place.

Cliff Edens

23rd March

In a week when teams tried to complete their quota of matches, Ian Stansfield won the averages of Division 1.  This was a major achievement for the Veteran Amotherby player who last won this coveted title in 1984.  He has played some blistering attacking table tennis this season, losing just twice, and must be delighted to triumph in such a tough division. Ian secured his title by winning all three sets in Amotherby A's 5-5 draw with Whitby , a result which assures Amotherby runners-up spot in Division 1, the club's highest ever finish.

There was a significant match played in Division 2 between Helmsley B and CSL which saw the eagerly-awaited meeting of the division's top two players, Gareth Bryning and Chris Londesbrough. Gareth was on 100% up to this point, having won all 39 of his previous sets, but he needed to play this game with his team requiring a point to avoid the possibility of relegation to the third division. Chris had lost just one and was breathing down Gareth's neck.  The match finished 6-4 to Helmsley. In the set of the night, Gareth started well, winning the first game 11-7 before Chris hit back taking the second by the same margin. Gareth's retrieving is by some distance the best in the division and he once more used it to edge ahead by winning the third game 11-5. 2-1 to Gareth. Chris then called on his experience and power to square the contest at 2-2 with an 11-6 fourth-game victory before finally defeating the athletic scientist 11-8 in a set which had some outstanding rallies.  Helmsley are now 7 points behind Ryedale C with a game in hand after dropping two points against CSL. Ryedale C are thus clear favourites to become champions but the two contenders still have to meet in what should be a very close affair.  

The Ryedale Junior Closed and the Ryedale Senior Closed Tournaments are on the 12th and 13th of April respectively.  Entry forms need to be in soon so please make every effort to complete and send them in for this 'new format' event.  For more details contact Paul Stansfield on 01944 738714.

Cliff Edens

Luke Lunn about to serve to Giles Budge in the Div 2 clash between Helmlsey B and CSL

19th March

National Cadet League

The fourth and final round of the North East Region National Cadet (U15) League, took place last Sunday at Billingham. Helmsley TTC were represented by two teams. The A side consisting of 3 RTTL regular junior players: Adam Ridley, James Mayne and Andrew Cavanagh. The B side was made up of 3 younger players (potential future RTTL players): Guy Harris, Gareth Skelton and Ellie Ramsay, whose ages are about 6 years below the maximum for this league. Obviously 6 years is a massive gap for youngsters of this age, but valuable tournament experience and several individual match victories were gained.
 
Helmsley A, began the last round in 3rd place, but after very creditable performances from the whole team, managed to move into a final placing of second and collect runners up medals for their efforts, behind eventual winners Scarborough A.
 
12 year old James Mayne won individual honours, topping the league averages, with a 95% win return over his 46 matches played in the season. A great achievement for the Ryedale junior, who collected some notable victories against some of the best U15 players in the North East.
 
Ellie Ramsay was given the special award for the best girl player showing the combined attributes of performance, attitude and sportsmanship. Nine years old Ellie is won to watch for in the future.

Howard Mayne

 

 Helmsley A: Adam Ridley, James Mayne, and Andrew Cavanagh

2 Coach Ruth Purseglove and Ellie Ramsay

Three Helmsley sides: back L to R, Adam Ridley, James Mayne, coach Howard Mayne
                        front l to r, coach Ruth Purseglove, Ellie Ramsay, Andrew Cavanagh, Guy Harris, Gareth Skelton

11th March 2008

In the closing part of the season, Division 2’s battle for the title is still ongoing.  Helmsley B were too good for an off-colour Amotherby B, taking the match 7-3 with Chris Londesbrough giving a fine performance. Luke Lunn (3) was also on great form.  They maintain their push on Ryedale C who had a comfortable 7-3 victory over Ryedale F.   Ryedale E kept alive some hope of avoiding relegation by beating 2-player CSL 7-3 with Jean Wardman their ace on the night.  

In Division 3, Ryedale G had a shock 6-4 win over promotion-chasing Laundry, giving their rivals Scarborians a great chance of promotion. M ick Carter (3) did the damage with Stephen Temple (2) once more in top form.  Amotherby E turned the tables on neighbours Amotherby D with a surprise 6-4 win. Emerging junior Cameron Walker had a sensational match, winning two and pushing unbeaten Nick Knight very close in a 5-gamer. Three quickfire wins for Jonny Banks set Hutton B on the road to a 6-4 victory against Helmsley D. Helmsley came back into the picture with successive wins for Andrew Cavanagh, 16-14 in the fifth against M ary Chappell, Tony Harrison who won in 5 against Andrew Chappell, and Julie Cavanagh who beat M ary in 3. Tony Harrison played well on the night for his two wins.  

In Division 1, there were relegation battles this week.  M alton B’s fate was sealed at Coneysthorpe, where M alc Haswell lead the charge for the home team as he picked up victories in all his sets including an impressive 3-0 victory over the in-form Rebecca George.  Both Rebecca and Tom Harrington fought back for M alton to pick up wins against Wendy Prest. Wendy though stamped her authority on Stuart Chadwick, beating him in straight sets. Danny Foxton had to make a rare appearance in the second half of the season but managed to hold together long enough to collect two victories before Rebecca just squeezed past him in the last singles of the night. M alc and Danny then claimed the doubles to secure a 7-3 victory.  M alton are now relegated to Division 2.  

Amotherby A picked up two useful wins in their quest for the runners-up spot, beating M alton B 8-2 and Swinton 7-3. Ian Stansfield was unbeaten in both matches and Pat Swindell picked up an impressive 5, only going down to M alton junior Tom Harrington.  Whitby pushed Coneysthorpe towards the dreaded drop zone with a decisive 7-3 win. Bernie Welford and John Hanson were unbeaten although John had a memorable tussle with M alc Haswell, sensationally pinching the fifth game 22-20.  The last few weeks are going to be very interesting.

Cliff Edens

25th February 2008

In Division 3, Helmsley C visited Ryedale Laundry in a top of the table clash.  With Andrei Lozinca on top form, Helmsley players knew they had to work hard to maintain their lead.  However, the father and son pairing of Howard and James M ayne are improving their match play weekly and James made short work of Andrei and his team mates, David Grayson and Adrian Voicu, winning all 3 sets without dropping a game.  Howard also won all three but Andrei fought hard, taking a game and pushing to deuce in the 4th.  Fired up, Andrei went on to come from 2-0 down to beat Adam Ridley in a fine display of aggressive play.  The Laundry took the doubles but Helmsley’s lead looks healthy and they are tipped for the title.  Scarborians kept in touch by beating Helmsley’s team mates, the ‘D’ team, 8-2.  

Division 1 saw a clash of the two best attackers in the League, Ian Stansfield and Edward Fambely, as Amotherby A travelled to Helmsley A.  ‘Stan’ had comprehensively beaten Ruth Purseglove and Cliff Edens before facing the youngster.  Edward is a class act and raced to a two game lead before being pegged back by Ian’s dogged determination, but at 9-8 up, a fantastic rally of forehand loops saw Edward gain a set point followed by the winning point.  M ungo Arney beat his former coach, Ruth but lost to his other former coach, Cliff, and John Gascoyne found the power of the three Helmsley players too much. The final score was 8-2 to Helmsley A.  Ryedale A made short work of their match this week, whitewashing Coneysthorpe 10-0 and they are dominating the Division. Ryedale B stay in fourth place after their 7-3 victory over M alton B.  Rebecca George was on form, duly beating all three Ryedale players to earn M alton their point.  

Division 2 saw Gareth Bryning's 100% record put under threat this week by Jan Bryan as Ryedale D beat CSL 6-4. Jan took Gareth to five before losing 11-7 in the decider.  Amotherby C picked up three vital points in their battle to avoid relegation, holding Swinton B to a 5-5 draw. Roger Wang showed his worth once more, beating Ian Johnson and M ike Shepherdson. Andy Grayson (3) was Swinton's mainstay.  

In the Presidents Pairs competition, last year’s winners, the M aynes of Helmsley went out to the Scarborough pairing of Rebecca George and Neil Raine 4-1.  Laundry's Andrei Lozinca beat RTTL Chairman John Gascoyne, 50-42 then stumped Jean Wardman 50-29 to help brother-in-law Adrian Voicu and himself to a 4-1 over the Ryedale SC pair.  Andy Seed and Barry Todd spluttered and scraped through their first round tie 3-2 against opposition Westow duo John Clayton and Colin Payne.  

The Ryedale Closed Table Tennis Tournament has been arranged for the 13th April 2008 .  

An ‘Introduction to Table Tennis Coaching’ course is to take place on the 1st M arch, 1pm – 5pm at Helmsley School .  Anyone wishing to get and insight into how to improve their game and help others improve, should contact Cliff Edens on 01543 628385.

Cliff Edens

Ed Fambely

18 February 2008

Second division leaders Ryedale C maintained their push for a return to the top flight with a comfortable win over neighbours Ryedale E, who are now hovering perilously close to the dreaded drop zone. Titch Temple and Alec Hodgson bagged three wins apiece although the latter was given a nasty scare by the half-volley rapidity of Jean Wardman as she took him to five.  Jill Adams lost 3-1 to both Jean and Paul Morse but enabled her side to claim full points for the match by outplaying John Ellis over five extended ends, clinching the last one 11-7. The final score was 8-2.  

Ryedale F were in action again this week, edging out Amotherby C 6-4. Roger Wang won all three for the losers, coming back from two match points down against Johann Voigt.  Amotherby B beat CSL 6-4 with Finn Needham, Andy Seed and Kenny Brown each scoring a brace. Andy threatened Gareth Bryning's unbeaten record with some fierce hitting but the 100% man fought back with superhuman reach to maintain his record. Swinton B took the majority of the points in their 6-4 victory away to Ryedale F.  Ian Johnson was unbeaten for Swinton but was supported by Andy Grayson with 2 sets.  

In Division 3, Steve Miller surprisingly lost two, going down to Linda Clarke and Tom Thorp as Scarborians took all the points with an 8-2 win at Amotherby D. Ryedale G beat Hutton B 7-3 with Hutton captain Andrew Chappell declaring, 'Stephen Temple played 3 fantastic games all of which he won and is very clearly a rising star'.  Helmsley C's Adam Ridley finally lost his magnificent 100% league record, succumbing to the ancient bat and guile of RTTL's longest serving player, Mick Carter of Ryedale G. Howard Mayne then extracted some revenge by defeating Mick and securing Helmsley a 7-3 win.  

In Division 1, Ryedale A maintained their relentless push for the title with an 8-2 demolition of clubmates Ryedale B. Dave Burnham (3) was on great form whilst for the B-team John Eastwood picked up the impressive scalp of Fred Yeung and John Flintoft beat Paul Young. Scarborough junior Tom Harrington beat both Neil Raine and Tom Wright before giving Joel Wright a nasty fright in a narrow 3-2 loss as Malton B went down 7-3 to the club's A-team.  The President's Pairs saw Andrew and Mary Chappell beat the Helmsley ladies side of Ruth Purseglove and Julie Cavanagh 3½ to 1½.  Jill Adams and Gerald Cosens lost a very close match 3-2 to Paul Morse and Alan Kirkwood where two of the sets were drawn.

Cliff Edens

Ryedale A's Fred Yeung

11 February 2008

Division 1 leaders Ryedale A dropped a rare point at Malton A with unbeaten Joel Wright proving too strong.  The third place was hotly contested in Helmsley where the A team played Ryedale B and the sets were sportingly shared 5-5.  Hero of the night was Ryedale’s John Flintoft.  Having lost a close encounter with Cliff Edens, he comprehensively beat the Helmsley number 1, Edward Fambely.  Fambely redeemed himself when, pairing up with Charlie Allott, they took the doubles for the draw.  Charles Allenby (2) and Ed Wardman (1) completed the Ryedale line up proving that experience can overcome youth... and Cliff.  

Swinton A beat Coneysthorpe 7-3 with Paul Cuthbertson winning all three. His spectacular defensive play from seemingly impossible positions was breathtaking, a Swinton spokesman said.  

In Division 2, Mick Carter was drafted into Ryedale Sports Club's D team for their derby with the E team. He won all three, as did Barry Todd, breaking their side's losing streak with a comfortable 8-2 victory. Strugglers Amotherby C received a welcome boost with a 6-4 win over CSL . Gill Thorp, playing her first match of the season, won two although Gareth Bryning once more could not be overcome. 

In Div 3 Hutton B completed a league and Cup double over Westow in an excellent league match, Doug Annan again winning his 3 games with some terrific performances and Jonny Banks making his debut with a very useful 2 wins against Roger Dunning and Colin Payne. For Westow, Roger, Colin and John Clayton all won against Mary Chappell but Hutton B's 6-4 victory was secured by Doug and Jonny winning the doubles.  Scarborians maintained their push for promotion with a narrow 6-4 win over Amotherby E.  Kris Waluk won two for Amotherby but another solid performance from Steve M iller kept the home team at second place in the table.  Helmsley C dropped a rare point to Ryedale G when Mick Carter beat former 100% player Adam Ridley .  Howard Mayne then beat Mick to ensure that only one point was lost by the runaway leaders. 

Howard Mayne who had a great win over Mick Carter this week

National Cadet League

Helmsley A lost two of their four matches at week three of the National Cadet League in Billingham, Cleveland.  James M ayne was unbeaten and had exceptional wins over Ryan Richardson from Northumbria and M acauley Youngson from Scarborough .  Adam Ridley also beat Youngson in their second encounter of the day.  Andrew Cavanagh played well and had some narrow defeats. The Helmsley B team of Andrew Howe, Gareth Skelton and Ellie Ramsey all played very well.  Andrew had some fine wins including victory over his club mate, Andrew Cavanagh.  Ellie Ramsey, aged 9 and Gareth Skelton, 10, showed great promise and are improving rapidly.  The final day is on the 16th March.

Cliff Edens

4 February 2008

Bower Trophy

The Bower Trophy of the Ryedale Table Tennis League took place last week with some extremely close contests.  Closest of them all was the Whitby v Scarborians.  At the end of the match the score was tied at 4 ½  and 4 ½ .  The rules depict that there will be a winner on the night and so the points from all of the games were added up.  Amazingly, Whitby won by 378 to Scarborians 377 to progress through to the second round.  

Swinton's Ian Johnson was in indomitable mood this week, putting Andy Paton and co out of the cup with three admirable wins. Ron Florey's +20 handicap might have daunted some but Ian blew Ryedale's super veteran out of the water 46-13 before outclassing Barry Rudd and Andy Paton himself, the latter set somewhat closer. Barry kept his side in the match by beating Andy Grayson and John Smith comfortably with Paton also edging out Smith 42-39 on aggregate.  The final score was Ryedale F 3 Swinton B 5. 

Hutton B won a tightly fought encounter against Westow. Doug Annan won all his matches and M ary Chappell won two. Youngsters M atthew Shipley and William Pile produced some excellent performances, M atthew beating Andrew Chappell convincingly and William sharing the point with the same opponent. The final score was Westow 3 ½, Hutton B 5 ½.  Amotherby E knocked out Div 2 Ryedale D 7-2 courtesy of youngsters Cameron Walker and Ollie Grimshaw. Chet Butler scored two but his team suffered their third consecutive defeat.  

Amotherby C had no answer to the might of Division 1’s Ryedale B.  Ed Wardman was undefeated and with back up form John Flintoft (2) and Charles Allenby (1), the team are a formidable trio.  The top 2 Helmsley sides met in Round 2.  Even though Chris Londesbrough was undefeated for the B team, the A team came through fighting to take the tie 6-3.  The Ryedale League Committee would like to thank all who supported the Quiz night which raised £130 for the League Funds.

Ryedale Boys take ALL North Yorkshire Schools titles and Under 16 team just pipped from top 4.

Players from around the county attended Scarborough Table Tennis Centre on Tuesday 29th to play for the North Yorkshire Schools Individual Table Tennis Championship.  In the girls event at Under 11 level, Ellie Ramsay from Hovingham School got to the semi final while Faye Nicholson of Gillamoor got to the final where she just lost to a Gladstone Road , Scarborough pupil.  Chloe M arwood and Poppy German from Helmsley school and Leah Preston from Gillamoor also played in the Under 11s and Bethany Windwood from Ryedale School , entered the Under 16 event and played really well against some strong opposition.  

In the boys events, Helmsley School ’s Guy Harris and Callum Smith from Amotherby got to the quarter finals of the Under 11’s. Gareth Skelton, Helmsley,  Jack Hall from Nawton School and Harrison Holt and M athew Hellowell from Gillamoor School all played well in their groups but did not progress past the group stage.  Russell Quinn of Amotherby School won through his group and met some tough players in the quarter, semi and final but brushed them all aside to become the North Yorkshire Champion at Under 11s - a great achievement.  

In the Under 13 boys, James M ayne and James Ellis represented Ryedale School .  M ayne got off to a bad start, losing 11-9 in the fifth to Scarborough youngster, M acauley Youngson.  Ellis had moments of brilliance against Keegan Barstow from Graham School , then Youngson and M ayne, but couldn’t compete with the 3 England Ranked Under 13s.  M ayne beat Barstow 3-0 but Barstow redeemed himself and narrowly beat Youngson 13-11 in the fifth.  The title decision went on set countback and M ayne was declared the Champion because he lost fewer sets.  

In the Under 16 boys, hot favourite Ryedale School ’s Edward Fambely cruised through his three matches but was put under pressure each time.  Stuart Chadwick and Tom Harrington from Scarborough and Charlie Allott from Ryedale all took sets off him but it didn’t stop Fambely taking the title in style.  Allott will represent North Yorkshire at Under 19 level and along with all of the winners, will now travel to the Doncaster Dome for the National Schools Finals on the 26th April.

Ryedale representatives:-

U.11 Girls:

Faye Nicholson – Gillamoor

Leah Preston – Gillamoor

Chloe M arwood – Helmsley

Poppy German – Helmsley

Ellie Ramsay – Hovingham

 

U.11 Boys

Russell Quinn – Amotherby

????  - Amotherby

Guy Harris – Helmsley

Gareth Skelton – Helmsley

Jack Hall – Nawton

Harrison Holt - Gillamoor

M atthew Hellowell - Gillamoor

 

U. 13 Boys                                            

James Ellis – Ryedale                                                   

James M ayne – Ryedale

 

U. 16 Boys

Edward Fambely - Ryedale

Charlie Allott – Ryedale

U.16 Girls                                                                               

Bethany Windwood – Ryedale

Russell Quinn

Team Event 

On Sunday, Ryedale School ’s Under 16 team travelled to Blackburn to play in the English Schools Team Regional final.   By getting this far, they are one of the top 16 teams in the country.  Their first opponents were Bedford Modern School .  Charlie Allott played exceptionally well to beat their number 1 player, the last point being a spectacular counter topspin from wide on Charlie’s forehand.  Edward Fambely, Luke Lunn and Adam Ridley all had wins to take the match 6-2.  The second opponents were Wolfreton High School from Hull .  Adam had some dreadful bad luck with nets and edges going against him in both his games.  The match score ended 4-4 but the four games lost all went to 5 sets.  

The toughest opponents were going to be Dowdales School from Cumbria .  With two top Junior players, they were a formidable team.  Edward beat the Tom Smith, their number 2 with some amazing ‘double winged’ attack.  Charlie had a great game against Scott Crawford, ranked 46 in England but lost in 3.  Edward's game against Crawford was at a phenomenally high standard and Edward had his chances but narrowly lost in 4. Adam’s luck continued against the Smith and Matthew Bruce where he lost but put up a good fight.  

Luke Lunn had a good win over the number 3 as did Charlie, however the final match score was 5-3 to Dowdales. This meant that they came second in the region putting them in the top 8 teams in the Country.  Ryedale School can be proud of the fact that they have a Nationally Ranked School at the sport of Table Tennis.

Cliff Edens

Back row- L to R – Edward Fambely, Charlie Allott, Bethany Windwood,

Centre row- James Ellis, James Mayne, Gareth Skelton, Poppy German.

Front Row – Ellie Ramsey, Guy Harris, Jack Hall, Chloe Marwood.

28 January 2008

Division 2, Helmsley B outplayed struggling Amotherby C with Chris Londesbrough and Luke Lunn undefeated. John Toll picked up a win over Paul Stansfield to give the Helmsley team max points. Gareth Bryning maintained his 100% average as CSL held Swinton B 5-5. Andy Grayson and Ian Johnson won two each for Swinton.  The showdown between Gareth and Chris Londesbrough at the end of February is eagerly awaited.  

In Division 3, the Helmsley derby’s result was as predicted; however, Stuart Ellis of the ‘D’ team nearly beat M r 100%, Adam Ridley .  The youngster struggled with Stuart’s flat hitting, but Adam’s strong character knuckled down at the tight points to tip the fifth game in his favour.  10 – 0 to the ‘C’ team.  Their lead now looks unassailable.  Roger Dunning was looking nimble for Westow against Ryedale G. He beat both Silvio Rusu and on-form Steve Temple before hitting the brick wall that is mighty veteran M ick Carter. The match finished level.  

Linda Clarke and Nick Knight were unassailable as Amotherby D walloped Hutton A 9-1. M alton schoolboy Josh Garcia-Hall picked up two wins too.  Scarborians travelled to Hutton le Hole B and came away with a maximum point, 8-2 win. Douglas Annan and Andrew Chappell picked up the wins for Hutton le Hole but the formidable pair of Henry Peak and Steve M iller are keeping the seasiders hopes of promotion alive.  Liz Chadwick just got the better of M ary Chappell who seemed to improve as the evening wore on.  

In Division 1 the Amotherby A versus Coneysthorpe match was graced by the comeback of one of Ryedale League's great stalwarts, Eddie Prest, returning after illness for his side Coneysthorpe. The division leaders Amotherby A were not in a charitable mood, however, even without their star performer Ian Stansfield, and both Eddie and Wendy Prest found the going tough. M alcolm Haswell was unbeaten for Coneysthorpe.  Amotherby secured the doubles for a 7-3 match result but dropped another point.  

Helmsley ‘A’ s title hopes appear to have disappeared with a 6-4 defeat at the hands of M alton A.  Brian Quinn (2), Joel Wright (2) and Tom Wright (1) did the damage and with a fine doubles win, they took the majority of the points.  None of the M alton players could stop Helmsley’s Edward Fambely from winning his three in style.  Ryedale A maintained their seemingly unstoppable drive for the title with a 9-1 mauling of Whitby , although Paul Young admitted that he was 'thrashed by Bernie'.  The Bower Trophy starts this week and Helmsley C will have to play exceptionally well to retain their title because their improved performances have been reflected in the handicaps.  

The closing date for the Presidents Pairs competition is the 1st February.  Entry forms to be sent to Andy Seed .

Veteran's League: Helmsley team snatch promotion.

Team manager, Cliff Edens praised their performance. “The step from League Table tennis to National League level is huge and the opposition are getting tougher every year.  They’ve played exceptional table tennis this weekend to achieve 2nd place.”   Helmsley Table Tennis Club is seeking sponsorship to assist with developing their young players.  If you would like more details about the Club’s success and the plan for the future, contact Cliff Edens on 01653 628385.

Cliff Edens

Helmsley Veterans team: Brian Quinn, Steve Barnes, Tom Needham

21 January 2008

In Division 3, the Scarborians had a tough match against Westow 6-4. All three Westow players were on top form with John Clayton just getting the better of Henry Peak  over five ends whilst he, Dawn Hopkins and M atthew Shipley all beat Graham Izzard.  John and Dawn also made Henry and Steve M illar work hard for Scarborians' doubles victory. Steve remained unbeaten for the seasiders.  He said “ M atthew is another fine example of an improving youngster who plays for every point yet retains an impeccable sporting attitude.”  

Hutton A scored an impressive 6-4 victory over improved Amotherby E with Chris Parker bagging a treble while Angela Parker and Sara Winn-Darley picked up one apiece. Kris Waluk won two sets for the away side. The two Hutton teams met last week. Chris topher Parker was unbeaten on the night including in the doubles where with his wife, Angela, they beat Douglas Annan and Andrew Chappell who had previously been unbeaten in doubles this season. The A team edged the win, 6-4.  

In Division 2, Amotherby played Ryedale D in this rearranged match with just Barry Todd and Ken Pidgeon managing to arrive after Chet Butler’s car broke down. Andy Seed returned for the home side and won both his sets. Result of the night was Richard Brown's 3-0 victory over Ryedale's top man Barry Todd. Richard, defending and attacking with solid purpose, never looked in trouble and Barry had no answer to the big man's ping pong. Richard also made a great start against Ken Pidgeon but still hasn't mastered his combination bat and style and so lost 3-1 in the end. Kenny Brown was suffering from a mystery lurgy and coughed his way to two defeats, still playing well in both close matches. Amotherby finished off the game with a 3-2 doubles win.  

Helmsley B maintained their promotion campaign with a narrow 6-4 defeat of Swinton B. Chris Londesbrough won three for the home side then paired up with Luke Lunn to beat Ian Johnson and Andy Grayson in the doubles.  

In Division 1, a hard fought battle saw leaders Amotherby A overcome a feisty fourth-placed Ryedale B side 6-4. Once more, the home team had form man Ian Stansfield to thank for the victory as he again won all three without conceding a game. John Flintoft outfought Pat Swindell in five as did Charles Allenby , although Pat did win his third 5-gamer against John Freeman . M ungo Arney beat Charles in five but lost to the two Johns. Amotherby edged the doubles 12-10 in yet another marathon 3-2 set.  

Helmsley A’s title hopes were dashed as Whitby held them to a 5-5 draw.  Top man for Whitby was Dave Hildreth who won all three but not before a battle with 12 year old James M ayne who was stepping up from division 3.  Please support the League by entering the Quiz to be held at Ryedale Sports Club on the 2nd February; entry forms to Jean Wardman .

Helmsley B's former Hull player Chris Londesbrough

English Schools Table Tennis Association, Team Event. 

Ryedale School Under 16 boys team are through to the Regional finals of the English Schools Table Tennis Association, Team Event.  They beat St M ichael's RC School from Billingham to progress through as ‘Zone winners’ to the last 16 in England .  Edward Fambely, Adam Ridley , Luke Lunn and Joe Newton won 6-2 with Fambely and Lunn unbeaten.  The final match score did not reflect the tough games played.  M any went to 5 sets but the determination, concentration and tactical awareness of the Ryedale players brought them through some of the tougher encounters.  The under 13 side of James M ayne, James Ellis, Andrew Howe and Andrew Cavanagh came up against two strong sides from M iddlesbrough and lost 3-5 to Northfield School then drew 4-4 with St M ichaels RC School.  This was not enough to qualify them for the next round but the whole team played to the best of their ability. 

Ryedale boys teams who got to through to the Zone finals as North Yorkshire Champions. L to R:- Edward Fambely, James Mayne (front), Joe Newton (back),  James Ellis, Luke Lunn, Andrew Cavanagh, Adam Ridley and Andrew Howe.

Cliff Edens

14th January 2008

In Division 1, Amotherby A maintained their good form with an 8-2 win over a M alton A side for whom Ross Dransfield was on good form. He beat both Pat Swindell and John Gascoyne in style but found 100% man Ian Stansfield a bit too good. M alton B didn’t do any better against Helmsley A, losing 9-1.  Cliff Edens and Chris Londesbrough were unbeaten for Helmsley but M alton’s young Tom Harrington pipped Ruth Purseglove for M alton’s only win.  Stuart Chadwick had his debut for M alton and showed good potential.  Ryedale SC B fought out a draw with Coneysthorpe.  John Foxton was Coneysthorpe's star, gaining victory over John Flintoft after finding himself two games down. Foxton also comprehensively defeated Ed Wardman, whilst Daniel Foxton and M alcolm Haswell won a set each. Charles Allenby remained undefeated for Ryedale.  

In Division 2, Ian Johnson and Andy Grayson were both unbeaten as Swinton B scored a 7-3 home win over Ryedale E. Jean Wardman , Alan Kirkwood and Paul M orse each defeated M ike Shepherdson as consolation. Amotherby C pushed a very capable Ryedale SC C trio hard for little reward, losing 1-9. One player who was class above was Alec Hodgson, who dispatched Roger Wang, Russ Grimshaw and Paul Stansfield in straight games. Titch Temple also played cannily to go unbeaten but veteran Gerald Cosens twice came back from behind to win in five before being stung 3-0 by Russ Grimshaw.    

Ryedale F lost 4-6 to Helmsley B in a closely fought match. Chris Londesbrough won all three for Helmsley. Ron Florey looked odds on to claim Adam Ridley ’s scalp at 9-4 up and 2-1 in front, but a relieved Adam took the 4th and then the 5th. John Toll played well and picked up one win. In the doubles Andy Paton and Barry Rudd chipped in with two each and came from two down in the doubles to lead 5-1 in the deciding game before a spirited comeback from Chris and Adam saw them take the set and the match.  

In Division 3, M ick Carter remained unbeaten for Ryedale SC G as they drew 5-5 with Scarborians.  Steve Temple picked up the other win for Ryedale and then teamed up with his grandfather, M ick, to take the doubles.  Set of the night was Steve against Henry Peak . Henry came back for 2-0 to win 11-9 in the fifth.  Helmsley C marched on to the title, thrashing Amotherby E 10-0.  However the Amotherby D team had revenge on Helmsley, beating their ‘D’ team 7-3.  M ike Addison was undefeated for Helmsley but Nick Knight, Linda Clarke and Tom Thorp were too strong for the young Helmsley players.  

Andrei Lozinca and Adrian Voicu had too much muscle for Westow, with the former unbeaten in a 6-4 victory. John Clayton did, however, come back heroically from two games down to beat Adrian , and improving junior William Pile notched up his first RTTL set with an impressive 3-0 win over David Grayson.

Cliff Edens

TT veteran and Legend, Mick Carter.  The League celebrates its 50th birthday this year and Mick was around at its formation.

17th December 2007

League Report

The bottom two in the second division fought out a tense affair with Amotherby C just squeaking through by the closest of margins after winning the doubles 11-3 in the fifth end to beat Swinton B.  The victory was built on the foundation of two wins each for Roger Wang and Paul Stansfield, with another unbeaten Andy Grayson performance once more holding Swinton together.   M ike Shepherdson also rescued a point for the away team with his first win of the season, outpointing Russ Grimshaw in five. Set of the evening, however, was another five-gamer between Roger and Andy. The former Laundry man came from 2-1 down to win the last two games 11-7, 11-5 to check Swinton's slide down the table.

It's getting very interesting at the foot of the division now, with just a few points separating the bottom four.  Helmsley B sprang to the top of the table with another impressive result. Chris Londesbrough has strengthened the team's squad considerably and they were given another boost for this match as player of the moment James M ayne was drafted in once more in the absence of Jon Parkinson.  Both Chris and James won all three comfortably against a strong Ryedale F team featuring the experienced Andy Paton and Barry Rudd, with attack-minded junior Luke Lunn also pitching in with a brace of sets. Andy managed to rescue Ryedale from the humiliation of a whitewash by edging out Luke in five.  

In Division 1, impressive Ryedale A handed out a right mauling to Swinton A, winning 9-1 and taking all the singles in the process. Only Steve Oldfield offered any resistance, taking Fred Yeung to five and Paul Young to four. Dave Burnham won his three sets without dropping a game.  Helmsley A had a similar victory 10-0 over struggling M alton B.  All sets were won 3-0 with the exception of a 3-1 win for Edward Fambely over Tom Harringhton.  Cliff Edens and Ruth Purseglove ’s ‘old heads’ were too tactical for youngsters Tom, Rebecca George and not so young Ken Darby.  

In Division 3, Ryedale G completed their pre- Chris tmas fixtures on a high with a 6-4 win over Hutton B.  The Ryedale Table Tennis League has now reached it’s 50th year and M atch Secretary Andy Seed would like to hear from anyone who used to play in the League to help us celebrate this milestone.  You can contact him on 01653 696704.

National Cadet League

The ‘B’ team of Andrew Howe, Guy Harris and Gareth Skelton, much less experienced than the ‘A’ team, played with spirit and determination.  Gareth played in his first major competition and gained more and more confidence throughout the day.  He quickly learnt from his earlier games and he has a bright future in the sport.  Andrew Howe led the team and won a tough set against a strong opponent from M iddlesbrough .  His backhand blocking troubled many players and his forehand topspin won him many points.  

Guy Harris also won a set but his best was kept for last.  Playing against a strong player from Sunderland , he came back from two games down to tie the set as 2-2 and 10-10 in the fifth.  The Sunderland youth played some strong counter attacks against Guy’s brilliant ‘no fear’ forehands to take the set 14-12 but the Helmsley player earned credibility and praise from his coaches.  “Guy is one of our strongest prospects and with Gareth and Andrew pushing him on, I can see this team becoming one of our best Cadet sides. They have great camaraderie,” said Cliff Edens at the end of this long and tiring day.  “I am grateful to all of the player’s parents because without their encouragement, these lads would not be achieving these results.”  The next round is on February 10th. 

Cliff Edens

Helmsley B Cadets: Gareth Skelton, Guy Harris, Coach Ruth Purseglove and Andrew Howe

Helmsley A Cadets: Coach Howard Mayne, James Mayne, Andrew Cavanagh and Adam Ridley

10th December 2007

JAMES SELECTED FOR YORKSHIRE  

James M ayne of Helmsley Table Tennis Club has been selected to represent Yorkshire Region in the National Regional Table Tennis Championships. In order to win this honour, James, who became the Yorkshire Champion in September this year, went forward to the Regional finals where the top 10 players in North, South, East and West Yorkshire , battled it out over a day to find the top two.  

James lost one of his opening matches to Eric Wan, the England ranked number 9 at Under 13s.  However, this did not deter him as he then went on to beat the other players to come second in the competition and now he, along with Eric, will represent Yorkshire Region in the National Regional Finals.  

James, age 12 attends Ryedale School and started playing when he was 10 at Helmsley School ’s After School Club.  He soon developed a style of play that many players find difficult to compete against.  Only this week, he played three experienced players in the Ryedale League Division 2 and beat them.  He has an excellent attitude for table tennis and dedicates himself to at least three practice sessions per week.  His coaches, Ruth Purseglove and Cliff Edens are extremely proud.  “He has the right temperament for table tennis and trains hard.  He corrects himself and that is the secret to success in our sport“, said Cliff.  “He’s a credit to his parents and a joy to coach”.   

James has recently found out that the English Table Tennis Association has given him a ranking of 19th in the Under 13 boys, the highest ranking of any Helmsley youngster.  Along with some of his club mates, James travels to Billingham next Sunday to represent Helmsley Under 15s in the National Cadet League.  He is a fantastic advert for the Sport of Table Tennis.

Cliff Edens

James Mayne

League report

Helmsley C team, led by Howard M ayne , have taken Division Three by storm and have only dropped one point to date.  This week they saw off Westow, 9-1 and Hutton le Hole B by the same score.  The squad of Howard, his son James, Joe Newton and Adam Ridley are formidable.  James and Howard played up a Division for Helmsley B against Ryedale D.  James won all three of his sets, and with Chris Londesbrough also winning three and Howard’s one, plus the doubles, the B team came away with an 8-2 victory.  

Back in 3, Scarborians and Laundry met, with the seasiders winning 7-3.  Steve M iller beat Adrian Voicu but lost to Andrei Lozinca who also beat Henry Peak .  Tim Penrose won all three for the seasiders, cementing their position in second place.   Hutton le Hole B suffered their second defeat on successive nights to a Helmsley team, this time going down to the D team. Colin Humpleby made his debut but recorded 3 losses as the opposition stamped on his deft backspin. M ary Chappell was unable to show the form she had threatened the night before.  For Helmsley there were two wins each for James Ellis, Stuart Ellis and Andrew Cavanagh, the youngsters relishing the moment and rightly so.  The Helmsley players were unable to take any games off Andrew Chappell but the father and son team of Stuart and James beat Andrew and M ary in the doubles.  Janet Bailey was on awesome form for Amotherby E, outplaying all three Hutton le Hole A players in an 8-2 win. Angela Parker picked up two for the visitors. 

In Division 2, Ryedale E racked up a precious five points from their rearranged game with Swinton B.  Alan Kirkwood, Jean Wardman and Paul M orse each beat M ike Shepherdson and John Smith in a match where all nine singles games finished 3-0.  Andy Grayson was man of the match, however, comfortably dismissing all three Ryedale players.  Hardbat defenders Kirkwood and M orse then won the doubles to give their team a boost before the Chris tmas break. Andy Paton and Barry Rudd won three apiece as Ryedale F notched up a convincing 7-3 win over an Amotherby B side. Kenny Brown bravely turned out despite ongoing vision problems and pulled off a smart win over Johann Voigt as did Richard Brown and Ryan Hood. Helmsley' B’s new signing, ex-Hull Premier League man Chris Londesbrough, who was too good on the night for all of Amotherby B’s players. For Amotherby Andy Seed won two as did Richard Brown.  Amotherby s doubles combination clinched the match 6-4.  

In Division 1, Helmsley A travelled to Ryedale B and met the experienced trio of Charles Allenby , John Eastwood and John Freeman who won the match 6-4.  Ruth Purseglove had an excellent win over Charles for the first time in her career but the B team pulled through taking the 5th game in the doubles to record Helmsley’s second defeat of the season.

Cliff Edens

The gallant Hutton le Hole B team. Left to right, Colin Humpleby, Andrew Chappell and Mary Chappell.

3rd December 2007

League report

In a week riddled with postponements, one match was played where the result was eagerly awaited.  Helmsley A travelled to Ryedale Sports Club A in the battle for the top place of Division 1.  Cliff Edens and Charlie Allott both beat John Flintoft but lost out to Fred Yeung and Paul Young, both men ‘out attacking’ the Helmsley duo.  However, the Ryedale Singles Champion, Ed Fambely was on fire as he demolished the Ryedale team, losing only one game all night.  With Ed’s three sets, and one each from Cliff and Charlie, the doubles was to prove vital for a win for Helmsley or a draw for Ryedale.  Cliff and Ed’s heavy topspin combination proved too much for Fred and Paul as they won the bout 3-0, taking the match 6-4.  

Ian Stansfield maintained his unbeaten start to the season but only just as Amotherby A beat a strong Whitby side 8-2. Ian was pushed to five games by Dave Hildreth, edging the decider 13-11. Each of Pat Swindell's sets went to five but he won all three thanks to his dogged defence and fitness. M ungo Arney lost to John Hanson and Dave Hildreth but beat Bernie Welford convincingly. Amotherby retain their top spot as we near the end of the first part of the season.  

With M alton B struggling to find players for their match against Swinton A, team secretary Carole Harrington picked up a bat 'for the first time ever'. Steve Oldfield was undefeated for Swinton but Becky George won two sets for M alton as they went down 7-3.  

In Division 2, Ryedale D eased themselves to the top of the table this week, seeing off an Amotherby C team. Nick Knight stepped up from Div 3 for the home team but had no answer to the consistency and ability of Ken Pidgeon, Barry Todd and Jan Bryan.  Paul Stansfield beat Ken Pidgeon in five to record Amotherby's sole set. Ryedale F outplayed the Ryedale E team to win, 7-3.  Andy Paton, Johann Voight and Barry Rudd all lost a set each to the experienced E team of Jean Wardman , Paul M orse and Alan Kirkwood but clinched the closer games to ease themselves off the bottom of the table.  

A CSL team lost 8-2 at home to Helmsley B. Chris Londesbrough and Luke Lunn were undefeated while John Toll picked up one win for Helmsley. Katha Heinrich and Giles Budge scored a game apiece for CSL .  Leaders Ryedale C faced a tough match at Swinton but won due to the excellent form of Alec Hodgson. Alec defeated Andy Grayson, Ian Johnson and John Smith in style to enable the team to win 6-4.  

In Division 3, Amotherby E beat Helmsley D 7-3.  Debutant James Stansfield played well in his first match but lost out to Helmsley’s M ike Addison, Richard Addison and Andrew Cavanagh.  Amotherby’s Kris Waluk and Ian Dawson were too strong for everyone, winning all of Amotherby’s sets. 

Cliff Edens

26th November 2007

League Report

Barry Todd won all three sets as Ryedale D kept themselves in the Division 2 promotion race with this tidy 7-3 triumph over Swinton B.  Barry was ably supported by Ken Pidgeon and Chet Butler.  Ian Johnson won his other two sets and then combined with John Smith to take the doubles and rescue a point.  Leaders Ryedale C had an easy 8-2 win over clubmates Ryedale F, who were once again without their top player Andy Paton. Deputy Ron Florey did pull off a surprise 3-0 win over Jill Adams, however.

Titch Temple and Gerald Cosens were unbeaten for the C-team.  Ryedale E could make no headway against the metronomic consistency of 100% man Gareth Bryning as they went down 6-4 at home to CSL . Paul M orse (2) beat Ken M ills and is coming back to form after missing the start of the campaign.  Struggling Amotherby C claimed a valuable 7-3 victory over Ryedale F in a rearranged game this week. Roger Wang, Russ Grimshaw and Paul Stansfield shared the honours, winning two a piece. Amotherby B outplayed their Club rivals, Amotherby C, to win 7-3.  Andy Seed did the damage for the B team, winning his 3 sets and he was assisted by Ryan Hood (2) and Richard Brown (1) with the doubles also going their way. 

In Division 1, two teams finding points difficult to come by this season met at the Fridge this week but it was the visitors who left the happier after a narrow 6-4 victory. Whitby ’s new addition, Dave Hildreth, alongside regulars John Hanson and Bernie Welford won two sets each, while in a rare occurrence of symmetry, M alc Haswell, John Foxton and John Stokes each won one for Coneysthorpe.   M alton B took a hard-earned point off Amotherby A in a 7-3 defeat with improving junior Tom Harrington proving a handful once more as he picked up wins over M ungo Arney and John Gascoyne. Rebecca George also beat M ungo while Ian Stansfield (3) was untroubled for Amotherby.  

Ryedale SC B took maximum points over M alton A. John Flintoft experienced little trouble in his three set victories. Ed Wardman played well to defeat Ross Dransfield, but lost out to Neil Raine.  Charles Allenby won two sets, like Wardman, but was defeated by Dransfield. 

In Division 3, Scarborians won 8-2 at Hutton le Hole A.  Only Chris Parker troubled the seasiders by winning two.  Steve M iller (3), Henry Peak (2) and an ever improving Liz Chadwick (2) remain in second place in the table. In the second Amotherby derby of the week, the club's D team squeaked past the E team 6-4 with Nick Knight unbeaten.  Linda Clarke won two for the 'D's and Kris Waluk two for the 'E's. 

Cliff Edens

Ryedale C's Titch Temple

English Schools Table Tennis Tournament, North Yorkshire Qualification: Team event.

Teams from Ryedale travelled to Graham School Scarborough for the English Schools Table Tennis Teams Championship.  This is the first step of a lengthy competition which could lead to National Finals.  Teams from Helmsley CP School, Gillamoor, Lady Lumley’s and Ryedale School s made the journey in their quest to become the North Yorkshire Schools Champions. 

In the Under-11 event, Helmsley School ’s Guy Harris was unbeaten but the team unfortunately came third in their group and missed a place in the semi final.  The Under-11 girls for Helmsley beat Gillamoor School but lost out to Scarborough’s Gladstone Road School .  Gillamoor school's players looked particularly smart in team shirts designed by themselves and printed by their team manager, Graham Slater.   

In the Under-13 boys event, Ryedale School faced Lady Lumleys in a straight knockout for the title.  The strong Ryedale side of James M ayne, James Ellis, Andrew Howe and Andrew Cavanagh won comfortably, 7-1 to become the champions, with Steve Temple of Lumleys beating Ellis for their solitary win.  

In the Under-16 boys, the Ryedale School team who at Under-13 level, came third in the country, won all of their matches 8-0 to qualify as North Yorkshire Champions.  There were some very close games against Graham School but Edward Fambely, Charlie Allott, Adam Ridley and Luke Lunn showed their experience to ease past the winning post.  The two Ryedale School sides now travel to Billingham in Cleveland on the 20th January to play the other Northern County winners.  

Cliff Edens

Helmsley CP School U-11 girls, L to R: Chelsea Herlingshaw, Poppy German, Chloe Marwood and Augusta Fullerton-Smith.

18th November 2007

League report

In Division 3 this week, there was the eagerly awaited clash of the titans as Helmsley C travelled to the Seaside to play Scarborians.  Three players started the match on 100% records but only one went home with his intact.  Adam Ridley won all three against M r 100% - Steve M iller, Henry Peak and Tim Penrose of Scarborians but was pushed to the limit by each player. 14 year old Adam deserves his place at the top of the averages.  Steve M iller also lost to James M ayne but James then narrowly lost his 100% to Tim Penrose at 11-9 in the fifth.  

12 year old James also played extremely well at the weekend in a National Tournament, losing to the England Under 13 ranked 4th by the narrowest of margins.  Back to the match, Steve M iller beat Howard M ayne for Scarborians' other set but the Helmsley team seem untouchable at the top of the table.  

Hutton B have now drawn their last 3 matches, coming back in this one from 4-2 down against Amotherby D. Andrew Chappell won all his sets which all went to 5 games. Douglas Annan chipped in with one and Andrew and Doug took the doubles in 4.  For Amotherby, youngsters Thomas Thorp and Josh Garcia Hall each proved a credit to their team and Club, displaying a good range of splendid shots and excellent temperament. Josh won two games including a superb win against Douglas in 5 games and Thomas was unlucky just to win the one set. 

Ryedale G picked up their second win of the season, 6-4 over Amotherby E, with M ick Carter (3) and Silvio Rusu (2) starring. Kris Waluk (2) played well for Amotherby, and promising junior Cameron Walker beat Steve Temple 3-1 on his debut.  

In Division 2, Luke Lunn and Chris Londesbrough won 3 each for Helmsley B to beat Ryedale E 6-4.  Swinton won the local derby against rivals Amotherby this week as the clubs' two B teams clashed in another close match. Andy Grayson and Ian Johnson both defeated Finn Needham who was struggling with an arm injury. Andy Seed was unbeaten for Amotherby but Swinton won the doubles to take the match 6-4. 

Division 1 saw another top of the table clash as Ryedale A played Amotherby A.  Ian Stansfield was the only Amotherby player to win sets and he did this in style, by taking all 3, keeping his 100% record.  However, the strength in depth of the Ryedale team is apparent and Fred Yeung, Paul Young and Dave Burnham are the team on form and will be hard to beat.  M aintaining third spot, Helmsley A bounced back strongly after last week's first defeat by trouncing Swinton A 9-1. Cliff Edens and Peter Fambely were both unbeaten, with the visitors' sole set coming as Steve Oldfield beat Ruth Purseglove 3-1.  A League committee meeting takes place on the 2nd December, 7pm at Ryedale Sports Club.  All Clubs are to send a representative. 

Cliff Edens

Adam Ridley

12 November 2007

League report:

Amotherby A and Helmsley A clashed at the top of the Div 1 table with the home side romping home 8-2.  Ian Stansfield demolished Cliff Edens, Ruth Purseglove and Charlie Allott as the Stansfield ‘feet and forehand’ were on exceptionally good form.  M ungo Arney , a former pupil of Purseglove and Edens at Helmsley, showed fantastic composure to win his three games.  Pat Swindell made Allott look very ordinary, winning comfortably in three but lost his other two.  Arney and Stansfield took the doubles with ease to record a rare maximum points win over Helmsley.  

Ryedale A travelled to The Fridge and whitewashed Coneysthorpe 0-10.  No-one can remember when this last happened.  Ryedale B had an excellent win over M alton B with Ryedale, to some extent, flattered by the margin of their 9-1 victory. Rebecca George gained M alton B's only success at the expense of Ed Wardman, coming back to win after being two games down, and Tom Harrington had chances to take the initiative but failed to take them against John Freeman and Charles Allenby whose greater experience in relatively tight situations proved the deciding factor.

M alton A recorded their second win of the season and picked up maximum points in the process against a struggling Whitby side for whom John Hanson played with an injured hand.  Scarborough player Gareth Olney made an impressive debut for M alton, winning all three, as did Ross Dransfield, with Neil Raine picking up a win over John Hanson. The M alton A team is now settling into some form after a tricky start and are showing that they have some strong players to call on.  

Division 2 were hit by postponements; only two matches being completed. Ryedale C are back on the winning trail after a 6-4 win over Helmsley B.  Ryedale D had a good win over CSL 7-3 too.  

In Division 3, leaders, Helmsley C had a fantastic 9-1 win over rivals, Ryedale Laundry with all three players winning their singles but losing the doubles.  Howard and James M ayne and Adam Ridley are all on fine form but next week they face Scarborians who are hot on their heels.  Scarborians continued their run of success with an 8-2 win over the Helmsley D team.  In what turned out to be an even match, Hutton B fought back from a 4-1 interval deficit to earn a draw against Amotherby E. There were 2 wins each for Ian Dawson and Kris Waluk for Amotherby and for Doug Annan and Andrew Chappell for Hutton. Doug and Andrew then won the doubles to level the scores at the end of the evening. 

Nick Knight came back from two games down against Colin Payne and win 13-11 in the final game as Amotherby D beat Westow 7-3.   Silvio Rusu and Stephen Temple bagged two wins each as Ryedale G came away from Hutton A with an impressive 8-2 win. M ick Carter was also unbeaten for the Pickering team while Angela Parker secured two sets for Hutton.

Cliff Edens

Ian 'Stan' Stansfield warming up

29 October 2007

League report:

In Division 3, three teams already look like contenders for the title.  Scarborians whitewashed Amotherby E with a fine team performance.  Steve M iller, Henry Peak and Tim Penrose were just too good for Ian Dawson, Janet Bailey and Kris Waluk.  Fellow contenders, Ryedale Laundry made it a bad week for Amotherby by defeating their ‘D’ team 8-2.  Adrian Voicu maintained his 100% record, Andrei Lozinca won three and Lisa Rivis one to take maximum points. Last of the contenders, Helmsley C, dropped their first point of the season but still managed a convincing 7-3 win over Ryedale G. Adam Ridley maintained his impressive 100% record beating veteran, M ick Carter 3-0.  

Hutton B drew 5-5 with Westow.   Dawn Hopkins starred with three wins. Will Pile put up a creditable performance and Colin Payne won two of his sets, his defeat coming against Hutton B's newcomer, Douglas Annan, who made an impressive debut.  M ary Chappell won her first set of the season; her husband Andrew and Douglas won the doubles. 

Hutton A had a maximum-points win away to Helmsley D with Chris and Angela Parker taking three wins each and a convincing doubles performance. Tony Harrison was unlucky for the home team, twice losing close 5-game sets before beating Sarah Winn-Darley who had previously seen off youngster James Ellis. Stuart Ellis also picked up a win for Helmsley.  

In Division 2, Irish veteran Andy Paton stunned Swinton B with a terrific unbeaten performance. Swinton's Ian Johnson edged out Barry Rudd in five then beat Johann Voigt comfortably but had no answer to Paton's power, nor did Andy Grayson who also lost to the consistent Rudd. The improving Johann Voigt saw off John Smith to give Ryedale the win, Swinton rounding off the evening by winning the doubles. 

Another close Div 2 match saw CSL overcome Amotherby C 6-4. Gareth Bryning (3) proved too good for the opposition whilst Russ Grimshaw (2) and Roger Wang (2) put in creditable performances for Amotherby. Ken M ills and Katha Heinrich both edged out a battling Paul Stansfield in five game sets.  Amotherby C were thrashed 8-2 at Helmsley B last week in which star junior Luke Lunn (3) was on fire, along with new signing Chris Londesbrough (3), an ex-Hull League player making his debut in Ryedale.   

In Division 1, Ryedale A stated their intention to win the league with a fine 7-3 win over M alton A.  Joel Wright was the only stumbling block as he won his three for M alton.  Fred Yeung, Paul Young and Dave Burnham are a formidable team and will be tough to beat.  M alton B played their first match of the season at Whitby and came away with two points in a 6-4 defeat thanks to a superb three-win performance from junior Tom Harrington, who beat John Hanson and Bernie Welford 3-0 before dispatching Stuart Brown as well. Rebecca George also beat Stuart and narrowly lost to Bernie in five.

Cliff Edens

Joel at the point of contact

21 October 2007

League Report:

In division 1, M ungo Arney returned to winning ways with a fine unbeaten performance for Amotherby A against Coneysthorpe as his side won 7-3 to go top of the table with Helmsley A hot on their heels.  Helmsley had a 9-1 win over M alton A.  Edward Fambely (3), Charlie Allott (2) and Cliff Edens (3) did the damage but many of the games were close.  

In division 2, neighbours and rivals for promotion Ryedale Sports Club C and D clashed this week in a hard fought encounter. The former Div 1 side came out on top, with quickfire maestro Titch Temple once more showing that he is going to be tough to beat in this division. In addition to Titch's three wins, Gerald Cosens bagged two and the evergreen Jill Adams one, with a surprise win over Barry Todd in five games. Jan Bryan waved an early goodbye to her 100% record, picking up just one victory, and Ken Pidgeon (1) also found the going tough. 

Amotherby B continued their good form with a 7-3 win at Ryedale E. Andy Seed (3), Kenny Brown (2) and Richard Brown (1) were instrumental in moving the team to second in the table, with Alan Kirkwood (2) and Jean Wardman (1) replying for the home team. New team Swinton B made a winning start to their campaign with a 7-3 win over Helmsley B. Ian Johnson (3) and Andy Grayson (3) held sway while team-mate John Smith was unlucky, losing all three sets in five close games. Ken M ills provided a solid performance to see off Andy Paton and Johann Voigt, though new signing Barry Rudd eventually wore him down as CSL beat Ryedale F 6-4. Gareth Bryning had little difficulty winning all three with a combination of steady returns and quick reflexes to spot the chance of a winner. CSL 's Richard Budgey is on a learning curve and while offering some good shots did not trouble the Ryedale players. Johann Voigt was unlucky against Ken and gave Gareth the best competition. 

In division 3, Helmsley C picked up maximum points for the third consecutive week after defeating clubmates Helmsley D 9-1. Adam Ridley , Joe Newton and Howard M ayne were too good for their opponents, winning three apiece.  Ryedale League stalwart Liz Chadwick returned to the table this week after a long absence. The Scarborough veteran was chopping her way back to a hard-fought singles win over M ary Chappell with those familiar long range backspinners. Henry Peak once more showed his unhindered enthusiasm for the sport with three wins while Andrew Chappell and Angela Parker pitched in with a brace each for the 'le-Holers'. Graham Izzard had to battle to overcome M ary for his one set, taking it 11-8 in the fifth. Steve M iller popped off the bench to join Henry for the doubles and ensure four points for the seaside side. 

There was an extra whitewash at Ryedale Laundry this week as visitors Amotherby E were scrubbed, tumbled and put through the mangle by another side who have made a great start to the season. Adrian Voicu, Andrei Lozinca and Lisa Rivis cleaned up during a 10-0 win. Another new team, Helmsley D recorded their first win, beating Ryedale G 6-4. Debutants M ike and Richard Addison won two apiece with Stephen Temple (3) keeping Ryedale in the match. 

Steve Temple

Cliff Edens

15 October 2007

Helmsley Juniors have busy weekend

Helmsley Juniors and Cadet players had a busy weekend playing in two National Competitions.  Ryedale number 1, Edward Fambely, and Charlie Allott both represented Ormesby Table Tennis Club in the Junior British League.  Playing in Division 1, Edward had a good win against Jake Collins of London Progress, a player ranked 34 in England Juniors.  Charlie, playing in Division 4, came away with 4 out of 8 wins and some valuable experiences against top level players.  

Helmsley Cadet (under 15) teams travelled to Billingham for round 1 of the National Cadet League.  The ‘A’ team had a great start to the competition, winning 3 out of 4 matches and just losing to a strong Scarborough team, 5-4.  Adam Ridley , James M ayne and Andrew Cavanagh all played very well.   The ‘B’ team experienced their first National Cadet League.  Playing some much older players, Andrew Howe , 12, Katie Howe, 11 and Guy Harris, 10, faced some strong opposition.  Guy won one of his games and came very close in a number of others.  Ruth Purseglove coached the teams.  “They all put in a lot of effort and I am very proud of them.”  Ruth also thanked all of the parents who travelled and supported the children.  

Cliff Edens

9 October 2007

The 50th season of the Ryedale Table Tennis League got underway this week.  Division 3 completed all of their fixtures. Taking an early lead at the top of the table was Helmsley C.  James M ayne, Howard M ayne and Adam Ridley had little trouble against Amotherby E but there will be tougher tests to come.  Amotherby D had a good start, 9-1, against newcomers, Helmsley D.  Following along respectively with wins were Ryedale Laundry against Westow, 8-2; Scarborians with a 7 -3 victory over Ryedale G and Hutton le Hole B pipping their A team 6-4.  

In his first season in the League, Andrei Lozinca had two wins for Laundry. This match was dominated by edges and nets including an edged serve to win a game.  Westow were praised for their sportsmanship by the Laundry captain, Adrian Voicu.  Tim Penrose, Terry Eames and Henry Peak of Scarborians proved too strong for Ryedale G who fielded Veteran hard bat player, M ick Carter.  M ick won all 3 and will be a hot contender for the averages top spot.  

Steve Temple and Silvo Rosso both showed great promise hitting some fine winners but found the seasiders too experienced.  Howard Wass and Andrew Chappell each won their 3 singles as Hutton B beat their fellow Club members. Howard showed much of his old skill in seeing off Angela Parker, Sara Winn-Darley and Paul Hampson and Andrew showed improved form in his three wins.  M ary Chappell didn’t get on the score sheet but her time will come.  

Division 2 saw two matches played with wins for Ryedale C and D teams over Amotherby C and B teams.  Ryedale C had a comfortable victory 9-1 over Amotherby C. Jan Bryan was on strong form in this entertaining match as her Ryedale D team pipped Amotherby B by taking the doubles. Ken Pidgeon baffled Richard Brown with his quickfire returns before edging out Ken Brown 11-9 in the fifth.  Andy Seed beat Ken and Chet Butler but narrowly lost 3-1 to Jan Bryan.  Richard Brown then beat Chet, 3-0 in the game of the night.  Kenny and Andy started well in the doubles but Ken Pidgeon used his experience to draw a series of mistakes from the Amotherby duo.  

Division 1 saw a very strong Amotherby A beat an under strength M alton A 9-1.  M ungo Arney and Ian Stansfield, two of the spinniest players in the League won all three for the victors.  Swinton were thankful to Steve Oldfield who won his three in a close 6-4 contest with Whitby .  In the final match, Ryedale B travelled to Coneysthorpe and came away with a 7-3 victory.  Four players out of the 6 were named ‘John’.  The Ryedale trio, John Flintoft, John Freeman and John Eastwood beat John Foxton and Wendy Prest but all lost to Danny Foxton who played extremely well to keep his team off the bottom of the League.  

Players are reminded to complete the ‘ M ost Sporting Team and Player’ section of the scorecard.

Cliff Edens

10 Sept 2007

Helmsley Table Tennis Club start with a ‘bang’.

The Ryedale League has not started yet, but that hasn’t stopped Helmsley Table Tennis Club making a great start to the season.  Over the Summer, Edward Fambely received the ‘Yorkshire M ost Improved Player award’ in recognition of his fantastic improvement over the past year. He and the Club also gained a sponsorship deal with TeesSport Table Tennis of M iddlesbrough.   

Over the last weekend, Edward played in the British League Division One.  Only the Premier Division is above this level.  He played some extremely high ranking players and won two of his games which is an amazing achievement for the 15 year old Ryedale School pupil.  Whilst Edward played in British League, 14 year old Charlie Allott played in the Under 18 category of the Yorkshire Junior Trials and came a very creditable 8th which he will surely improve upon as he has 3 years left in this age group.  Adam Ridley , also 14, played in the Under 15 competition and played outstandingly well coming 13th overall.  However, in his opening game, he beat the player who eventually came 4th showing that he has the ability to compete with the very best.  

On the Sunday, James M ayne, recently 12 years old, played in the Under 13 competition.  In his second game, he beat the England under 13 ranked number 22 player, Keegan Barstow by 3 -0 and then played better and better to win, firstly his group and then the final three games to win the competition without dropping a set, gaining the Yorkshire number 1 ranking. Organiser, Barry Snowden said, “It’s refreshing to see a player like James at this tournament.”  Some of James’ opponents would not agree.  James now qualifies for the Regional Championships to be held in December.  

Apart from his players doing so well, their coach, Cliff Edens had another pleasant surprise at the Yorkshire Trials when he was awarded the “L.E. Forrest M emorial Award for Outstanding services to Table Tennis in Yorkshire”, a Trophy first presented in 1961, ironically his year of birth.  “I’m flattered to have won this but really proud of the lads who played their hearts out this weekend.”  Helmsley Table Tennis Club training sessions are back in full swing on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.  All players are welcome.

Cliff Edens

New Yorkshire U-13 number 1 James Mayne

30th August 2007

HALF a century of smashes, chops, nets and edges will be remembered when Ryedale Table Tennis League celebrates its 50th anniversary season.

The league began in 1958 with just five teams and has recently undergone a remarkable revival with 30 teams now representing 13 clubs across the area, plus a thriving junior league and representative teams.

The league will be holding a special celebratory dinner in May 2008 and is calling on former players to get in touch to join in the event and bring along photos and other memorabilia from the past. The event will include the showing of a video made up of film clips from tournaments played over the past 30 years, something that's bound to evoke plenty of laughter and memories.

The league owes its current popularity to the hard work and dedication of a small number of highly motivated volunteers.

These include nationally-recognised coach and local police sergeant Cliff Edens, who was one of the founder members of Helmsley Table Tennis Club in 2000, along with Ruth Purseglove and others. With work in local schools and five weekly coaching sessions in winter, Cliff and other local coaches have introduced a great many youngsters to the sport, a number of whom have gone on to achieve success at both regional and national levels. Notable amongst these is 14-year-old Edward Fambely from Kirkbymoorside who is Yorkshire junior champion and rising up the national rankings.

In total, Ryedale table tennis volunteers have been awarded grants of over £20,000 to provide new equipment for local clubs and schools and to fund community coaching sessions in village halls around Ryedale. The league is also sponsored by a number of local companies and new sponsors are always welcome.

Norton College is the venue for the Ryedale Junior League which is open to all secondary-age students in the area and is run by coach Paul Stansfield (contact details below). The league runs on Wednesday evenings from October to March and holds an annual tournament. New players are always welcome and coaching is provided for those just starting out.

The very friendly senior league is also keen to attract new players and everyone is welcome. All standards are catered for in the three divisions from beginners to county level and there are teams right across the area, many based in villages.

One of the great strengths of table tennis is that it is one of the few fast athletic sports that can be played by older participants; Ryedale league has many excellent players in their 60s and even 70s as well as two teams in the Yorkshire Veterans (over-40s) League. The sport is a fun way to stay fit and enjoy competition, whatever your age.

If you are interested in playing table tennis contact Ryedale League match secretary Andy Seed on 01653 696704 or email andy@cannybooks. com.

To find out about the junior league contact Paul Stansfield on 01944 738714 or email paulstansfield@btinternet.com

Practice at Amotherby TT Club

News Archive

Local newspaper articles

Helmsley win northern crown 9 March 2005

Emily proves she's a `Glass' apart 5 May 2004

Helmsley club hope for sponsors after success 14 May 2003

Double triumph for Mungo 27 Mar 2003

Promotion for Amotherby A 5 Mar 2003

Ryedale's table-toppers 11 Dec 2002

Inaugural tournament a great success as Helmsley CPS gain clean sweep 25 Apr 2002

Budding stars taste first league action 24 Jan 2002

Archive

Press Reports 05-06

Press

reports 06-07

 Results

 League tables

 Averages

 Teams

 Press reports

 Events

 Newsletters

 Junior League

 Rules

 Bower Trophy (Team KO)

 Coaching

 RTTL Closed Tournament

 Links  

 More...

 Contact us