After a team meal and a good night’s sleep, Barrow II returned to Draycott and Longeaton Table Tennis Centre for the team’s day of reckoning. The team arrived early, looked a little nervous and practiced hard in preparation for their first match – the crunch game against Elgre Nottingham II.

Barrow vs Elgre Nottingham II

After the previous day’s proceedings, Elgre Nottingham II went into the match sitting 1 point ahead of Barrow II and second from bottom in the table. Both teams faced tough opposition in the final matches to be played in the afternoon. This really was the game that would decide who would go up and who would go down. For Barrow II to stay up, a win was a must, whilst Nottingham Elgre II could make do with a draw. The two clubs previous meeting in the first half of the season had resulted in a 4 all draw.

First up for Barrow II was Scott Crawford and for Elgre Nottingham II it was Craig Feargieve. Scott throughout the season has been the team’s main man for wins, but worryingly, as the game got going, he looked lethargic. Despite this, he won the first set game 7, but then lost the next game 5. Scotty then battled through to take the next ends game 4 and 10. First blood for Barrow II.

Next up was Steve Temple against Chris Brewer. It seems like Steve likes to get his money’s worth and once again his match went all the way to 5 sets. The 5th set was a real battle, but Steve eventually won through taking the 5th end game 8. Barrow II now found themselves with a 2-0 lead. All was looking good, but in the grand scheme of things it was still early days.

Next on court was Graham Coupe for Barrow II and Robert Fearn for Elgre Nottingham II. The first two sets saw Graham edged out 8 and 9. Graham then pulled a set back game 5, but this was as far as his comeback would go as he lost the next set by the same margin. The score now sat at 2-1 to Barrow and the next game would see the intensity rise a notch or two as Tom Smith battled with Jimmy Brewster. Tom went 2 sets up, game 7 and game 8 before losing the next two sets game 9 and game 11. Once again, Tom found himself embroiled in a 5-set thriller which was to go all the way. Unfortunately, it was to be Jimmy Brewster’s day as he took the final set game 10.

At the halfway mark the score was 2 apiece, with nothing separating Barrow II and Elgre Nottingham II. For Barrow II, the margin for error had diminished as the team could only afford to loose 1 more match from the remaining 4 matches. It seemed that Elgre Nottingham II were now in the driving seat.

The next three matches were uncharacteristically won in straight sets. First for Barrow II, Scott Crawford beat Chris Brewer (6, 11, 9) and then for Elgre Nottingham II, Craig Feargrieve beat Graham Coupe (2, 5, 11). Finally, Steve Temple breezed through beating Jimmy Brewster (7, 7, 7) leaving the match 4-3 to Barrow II and setting up a must win match for Tom Smith against Robert Fearn.

From the start, it was obvious that both players were desperate to ‘save’ their respective clubs as an exhibition of determined table tennis ensued. Such was the determination that barriers went flying as desperate bids were made to retrieve balls from all sides of the court. After one incredible rally after another, the match finally entered a 5th and final set. It doesn’t get much more dramatic than this!

As the game got started, it was Tom that had the better body language and composure. This showed as he took a comfortable lead, which he held to take the set game 4. This importantly gave Barrow II the much needed victory to take them out of the relegation spot. Well done Tom!

Final Score: Barrow II 5 – 3 Elgre Nottingham II
Barrow II: Scott Crawford (2), Steve Temple (2), Graham Coupe, Tom Smith (1)
Elgre Nottingham II: Chris Brewer, Craig Feargrieve (1), Jimmy Brewster (1), Robert Fearn (1)

Barrow II vs Derwent II

With Elgre Nottingham II facing the divisions top team Burton Uxbridge I, it looked like Barrow II was safe. However, nothing can be taken for granted and complacency can be a dangerous thing. Derwent II were 5th in the division and beat Barrow II 3-5 in the teams previous meeting. Given the form and confidence been shown by Barrow II, it looked like this match was winnable.

Indeed, it is amazing how a couple of wins can transform a team. Barring a first match hiccup which saw Steve Temple narrowly loose to Richard Moss 5, 13 and 12, the team went on to destroy Derwent II 7-1 laying to bed any relegation fears in the process. Amongst the wins for the Barrow team was one noticeable one for Graham Coupe who beat the much higher ranked Mick Wilcockson 10, 10 and 10.

Final Score: Barrow II 7 – 1 Derwent II
Barrow II: Scott Crawford (2), Steve Temple (1), Graham Coupe (2), Mark Temple (2)
Derwent II: Richard Moss (1), Mick Wilcockson, Nathan Horsley, Richard Crowther