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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: