HOLSWORTHY’S Nathan Jukes was part of the winning team at the annual Tony Whatley Memorial Shield Up and Down Doubles event at the Tarka Tennis Centre, Barnstaple last Thursday (January 2).

It is played in memory of Tony Whatley who was league secretary and player in the North Devon Table Tennis League for many years.

Twenty-four league players attended and were paired based on their rankings on the TT365 website for the league with the highest ranked being paired with the lowest, second highest with second lowest and so on.

The 12 pairs then played in three groups of four teams. The top two from each group and best performing third-placed pairs progressed to the quarter-finals.

The first quarter-final saw last year’s winner Steve Cragg (Bridgerule) paired with Christine Isaac. They took on Gerald Luscombe (Chulmleigh A) and Jill Knightley (Holsworthy B). It was a very close-run match with Luscombe and Knightley coming out winners 11-7, 4-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 to progress to the semi-final.

Jukes (Holsworthy D) and Rob Gale (Herons) took on Holsworthy duo Ian Rice (Holsworthy D) and Barry Stearman (Holsworthy B) in the second quarter-final. A very close-fought match was decided on the very last point (as the format is handicapped-based, sudden death at 10-10 was used instead of the usual two clear points needed). Gale and Jukes progressed 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 11-10.

The third quarter-final saw Peter Hedge (Smugglers) and Mike Fawcett (Dolphins) edge past Ben Taylor (Blazing Paddles) and Sue Jackson (Despicables) 11-10 in the fifth.

The final last eight tie was Blazing Paddles’ Tim Cooke and his league team-mate Steve Richardson versus Bill Tregellas (Herons) and Mike Hill (Despicables), which was comfortably won by Tregellas and Hill.

Semi-final one was Tregellas and Hill against Hedge and Fawcett. Again, Tregellas and Hill were too much for Hedge and Fawcett and they moved into the final — 11-9, 11-8, 11-6.

The other semi was decided in four games and was much closer. Gale and Jukes edged through 11-6, 9-11, 11-10, 11-9 against Luscombe and Knightley. 

This set up a final of Gale and Jukes versus Tregellas and Hill.

Despite some excellent performances along the way, Tregellas and Hill did not start well, being whitewashed the first game 11-0. The next two games were neck and neck but both were won by Gale and Jukes 11-10 and 11-9, meaning they were this year’s winners.

Although the first round of league fixtures after the Christmas break weren’t played until this week, last Friday saw Bridgerule move to within nine points of leaders Smugglers with a game in-hand after a 7-3 home victory over neighbours Holsworthy A.

Although Mark Beaumont won his first two matches of the night for the visitors to make it 2-2, the trio of Peter Freeburn, Steve Cragg and David Streak proved too good with Cragg at the double and Streak continuing from where he left off in 2019 with yet another treble.

Holsworthy did win the final match as the returning Alistair Prades got the better of Freeburn in four ends.