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Just a single point now separates the leading four sides in the top flight of the Doric Insurance leagues.
Whistlers A were fancied to do well prior to the start of the season, but had only led the division after a heavy victory in the opening match of the season against the bottom placed Ravenscroft Panthers A side.
They went through a tough spell which saw four drawn matches and a loss.
They have, however, bounced back and their third consecutive win of the season over prior leaders Whistlers B, has seen them move back to the summit, with a single ahead of their closest challengers.
Whistlers A edged the clash 6-4, despite an unbeaten evening of singles action from Lawrence Stacey for the B side.
Josh Stacey and Matt Casey each fell to Lawrence in four and five sets respectively, but they each won their other two singles matches and combined strongly in the doubles.
Josh defeated Dawn Morgan and Oskar Cleal comfortably in straight sets, while Casey ensured he had an evening filled with five setters, due to another two against both of the same players. His first came against Morgan and despite leading the decider strongly, Morgan fought back to well to 9-10 to ramp up the pressure. It was to Casey's relief at this stage that an unreturnable edge ball saw him over the line.
His match against Cleal was another tense affair, but once more he held strong and won the deciding end by the same narrow 11-9 score. The doubles was also a tight affair and was crucial to the outcome of the match. Lawrence and Morgan led 2-1, before Josh and Casey battled through the remaining ends 11-8, 11-7. The final win for the new league leaders came from Joseph Bourgaize, as he saved his best performance for last, defeating Cleal in the final game of the night, over four sets, sealing the win in the process.
Of the following three sides all level on points, Lions C and the defeated Whistlers B side are next in line, with each having an identical games ratio. The other side is Lions D, who are a few games weaker on the games ratio front.
Lions C had lost in the previous two weeks, but they bounced back emphatically with a 9-1 win over bottom of the table side Ravenscroft Panthers A. Ryan Bichard and Dan Collenette were unbeaten, with each defeating Barnaby Groves, Nye Matthew and reserve Brandon Ferbrache in singles action. Connor Powell added wins over Matthew in straight sets and Ferbrache in five sets, whilst he also combined with Bichard in a four set doubles win against Groves and Matthew. The whitewash was prevented by Groves, as he defeated Powell in foursets.
Lions D on the other hand had a tough clash with fifth placed Lions B and it all came down to the final match, with the D side pinching it 6-4, making it four wins in a row in the process.
The final match in question saw Paul Hainsworth from the victorious side trailing Phil Ogier 2-0. Hainsworth battled hard and overturned a few points deficit to edge a tight third set 12-10, before he increased his level further to win the final sets 11-8, 11-4. Hainsworth had earlier defeated Jamie Ferbrache in four sets and Steve Ozanne in straight sets.
Jez Powell added a crucial five set win over Ferbrache in a match where Ferbrache had held match points in the fourth set and he also defeated Ozanne in four. The final victory for the winning side came from Craig Dunning, who saw off Ozanne in straight sets. For the defeated B side, Ogier defeated both Powell and Dunning, Ferbrache defeated Dunning, and the team of Ogier and Ferbrache defeated Hainsworth and Dunning in the doubles rubber, al in four sets.
Sixth placed Lions A continue to rise up the table and are only five points off the league leaders. They picked up a strong 7-3 victory over a seventh placed Lions E side missing Matthew Stubbington this time out.
Joshua Butler continued his strong form for the season with a superb unbeaten evening, which saw him impressively clinch the scalp of Ben Foss. Foss had won all 26 of his singles matches heading into his game with Butler, and he looked set to maintain this 100% record, when he opened up a 2-1 lead. Butler though showed excellent quality in overturning this deficit, winning the last two sets 11-8, 11-9. He had earlier defeated both Charlotte Casey and reserve James Crocker in straight sets.
Liam Robilliard and Sam Clark added wins over Casey and Crocker. Foss won his singles matches over Robilliard and Clark in straight sets, whilst he also combined well with Casey in the doubles, where they dispatched Robilliard and Clark in four sets.
Whistlers D have dropped off the top spot after they fell to a surprise 6-4 defeat to fourth placed Lions G.
The G side had the luxury of calling upon a very strong reserve in the form of Ellis Tomlin, who proved to be the deciding factor on the night. Tomlin was unbeaten thanks to his singles wins over Kay Chivers in five sets, Henri Whitehorne in four sets and Keith Opie in straight sets. He also combined with Andy Ferbrache well in the doubles match, where they ousted Chivers and Opie in straight sets.
Ferbrache was the player to pick up the other wins, taking out Opie in straight sets and Whitehorne in four sets, while he was narrowly beaten 11-9 in the deciding set by Chivers, in the final match of the night. Each of the Whistlers players picked up further consolation singles wins over junior Ollie Sparkes.
Whistlers C are now level at the top alongside Lions F, although they have played an extra match. They were ruthless 10-0 winners over Ravenscroft Panthers C, with Paula Le Ber, Tim Le Page and reserve Martin Sarre all beating Peter Vivian and reserves Andy Lihou and Richard Wellfair in singles action. The closest match saw Sarre fight back from 2-0 down in the opener to overcome Vivian. The doubles was won by Sarre and Le Page against Vivian and Wellfair in straight sets.
Lions F were 7-3 winners over Ravenscroft Panthers B. Joint averages leader Caden Brouard continues to show impressive form and he defeated Brandon Ferbrache as well as junior reserves Micah Cohen and Xavier Ingrouille, dropping just a single set to Ingrouille in the process.
James Crocker beat Ferbrache in five sets and Ingrouille in four, while Joe Ingrouille added a victory over namesake Xavier in straight sets. The doubles was won by Brouard and Crocker against Ferbrache and Cohen in straight sets. Cohen stepped up well and earned impressive wins over Crocker in four sets and Ingrouille in straight sets, while Ferbrache beat Ingrouille in straight sets.
Ravenscroft Panthers D are still seven points clear and continue to romp towards the title, despite Shaun Mosley being absent again. They were 8-2 winners over Whistlers H this week in a match where Micah Cohen and Steve Martin were unbeaten. They each earned wins over Maija Hansen, Sekao Nwako and Sabato Folmi in singles action and also combined to beat Hansen and Nwako in straight sets in the doubles match. Reserve Olivia Gilbert added a further win over Folmi in straight sets, but she lost to both Hansen and Nwako.
Lions K remain top by a single point after they edged past third placed Ravenscroft Panthers G 6-4. The score may have been close, however it was in fact concluded by the seventh match, with the leaders dominating the earlier stages of the match and opening up an unassailable 6-1 lead.
Val Guilbert was directly involved in three of these wins as she beat Olivia Gilbert in straight sets and Isla Bretel in four sets. She also teamed with Diane Le Page where they beat Bretel and Thea Cummins in a close four set encounter.
Le Page picked up an important win of her own over Cummins in four sets, whilst Rolands Tracums beat Cummins in straight sets and Gilbert in four sets. Bretel was the sole victory over the first seven matches due to her four set win over Le Page and she picked up another when she impressively dispatched Tracums in straight sets. Guilbert battled hard to edge Le Page in five sets, whilst Cummins ended the match with an impressive five sets win over Guilbert.
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