The previously re-arranged clash between the leading Whistlers sides in the top flight of the Doric Insurance sponsored senior allowed some of the other teams to gain some ground.
Division 1
Lions B and Lions C were the victorious sides this week, with a 5-5 stalemate the outcome of the other scheduled fixture.
The Lions B side recorded a comfortable 7-3 win over Ravenscroft Panthers B, a result which has seen them move into 4th position. Alex Robinson and Jamie Ferbrache showed strong form throughout the clash and were unbeaten. They each defeated Micah Cohen, Marli Barker and 2nd Division reserve Brandon Ferbrache in singles action, with just a single end dropped in the process during Jamie’s 4-set win over Brandon. The duo also combined strongly to dispatch Cohen and Barker in straight sets in the doubles match. Each of the Panthers players picked up consolation wins over Ollie Sparkes.
The Lions C side’s second consecutive victory saw them move into joint 6th position in the table. Their win was much tougher and saw them narrowly edge past bottom placed side Ravenscroft Panthers A. Paul Hainsworth led the way strongly with an unbeaten evening. His toughest match came against the in-form Nye Matthew in a match which looked to be heading towards a comfortable straight sets win for the Lions player, when he led 2-0 and held 2 match points at 10-8. Matthew however turned the match on it’s head and was looking in a strong position when leading the deciding end 6-4. Hainsworth however bounced back well, taking it 11-7 after a strong run of points. His other wins came over Barney Groves and 2nd Division reserve Ben Foote in straight sets. The doubles was another key match and it saw Hainsworth and Caden Brouard emerge as 4 set winners over Matthew and Groves. Brouard played a further significant part in the result as he was the player responsible for securing the final rubber when he battled past Groves in 4 sets in the last match of the night. The final win for the Lions side came during 2nd Division reserve Andy Ferbrache’s tight straight sets win over fellow reserve Foote. For the Panthers side, Matthew defeated Brouard in 4 sets and Ferbrache in 5 sets, Groves edged past Ferbrache in 5 sets, having trailed 2-1, and Foote produced an incredible comeback to earn a surprise 5 sets win over Brouard.
The final match of the week saw 3rd placed side Lions D held to a 5-5 draw by 5th placed side Lions E. Averages leader Phil Ogier was the player of the match as he was unbeaten. He defeated Jez Powell, Steve Ozanne and Mark Fenwick in singles action, dropping a single set to Ozanne in the process. He also combined well with Mark Fallaize, where they defeated Powell and Fenwick comfortably in straight sets in the doubles encounter. Fallaize, making his season debut, was the player to secure the 5th win, which was obtained over Ozanne in 4 sets, despite him having dropped the opening set. For the E side, all players picked up wins over Cameron Powell, albeit Ozanne needed the full 5 sets to do so. Powell and Fenwick added further singles wins over Fallaize in straight sets.
Division 3
The top of the table clash between Ravenscroft Panthers E and Ravenscroft Panthers G ended in a heavy 8-2 win for the E side, a result which sees them level on points. Shaun Mosley and Steve Martin both had impressive evenings, each going unbeaten. They earned singles wins over Phil Harris, Thea Cummins and reserve Jack Dorey as well as combining to win the doubles over Harris and Cummins in straight sets. The wins over Harris were the pick of the bunch as he was leading the averages heading into the matches. Martin edged through 13-11 in the deciding end, whilst Mosley was a ruthless straight sets winner in the final match of the night. Olivia Gilbert extended the margin of victory due to her straight sets win over Dorey. For the defeated side, Harris and Cummins each defeated Gilbert, with Cummins win over her fellow junior coming from a 2-0 deficit, the final set claimed 12-10.
Division 4
A convincing 9-1 win for Lions I sees them joint top of the table with Lions K, but officially top due to their superior games ratio difference. The victory in question came over Lions L and saw unbeaten evenings for Fred McLellan and reserve Mike Corbin. These players defeated Keil Butt, Andrew Butt and Sam Bewey in singles action. Rose Powell added wins over Andrew and Bewey, however she was edged out in 5 sets by Keil in the match opener. The doubles was won by Powell and McLellan over Andrew and Bewey in straight sets.