Barrow I vs TTK Greenhouse

Barrow vs Elgre Nottingham I

Fusion I vs Barrow I

Barrow I vs Pavilion Brighton I

OLOP Impact vs Barrow I

Click here to see the 2009-2010 British League Play-Off Table, Results and Player Averages.

British League Play-Off Table

Click here to see Barrow’s 2009-2010 British League Play-Off Match Cards.

British League Play-Off Results

Click here to see Barrow’s 2009-2010 British League Play-Off Match Cards.

British League Play-Off Barrow Player Averages

Two young Furness table tennis stars grabbed the chance to play for England with vigour at the Schools International 2010.

Former Dowdales pupil Scott Crawford and current pupil Emily Bolton showed their worth at the event in Limerick, Ireland.

Taking on teams from the rest of the UK and Ireland, Scott came away with a gold medal from the team event and a bronze in the singles at under-18s level.

Emily, meanwhile, was playing her first international tournament at the age of 12, coming up against opponents up to two years her senior in the under-14s event.

She also came home with a medal, taking a bronze in the team event, having been eliminated from the individual competition at the quarter-final stage.

Playing at the National Arena, at the University of Limerick, Crawford teamed up to great effect with fellow Bristol Academy of Sport student Tom Maynard in the team event to make up England A.

The format of the competition saw both team members play singles matches and then team up for a doubles contest.

They came through a tough final against favourites and hosts Ireland 3-1 to claim the crown.

In the individuals, Scott won bronze, losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner Paul McCreery, from Ireland.

The medal haul for Scott followed two silvers for his elder brother Jonathan at the same event six years ago.

Dad Duncan, a coach at the Barrow Table Tennis Centre, where both Scott and Emily have honed their skills, said: “It’s fantastic. The whole family went to watch and it was a really fantastic weekend.

“They played really well together in the doubles, they beat Ireland 3-1 together, which was a good result.

“It’s another gold medal for Barrow, and isn’t that fantastic?”

Emily came up against players from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man and Jersey in the team competition.

Her team were knocked out in the semi-finals to earn her a bronze medal, while she reached the last-eight of the individual event.

On Emily, Duncan said: “She played under-14s and she’s only 12.

“Every player at that tournament will have been ranked above, so for her to be picked is great.

“We are all chuffed to bits that she was selected to take part and she will certainly go on to play for England again. With the right guidance she will definitely keep performing at this level.”

Last year’s Barrow Junior Sportsperson of the Year Emily – who is coached by former Parkview pupil Tristran Swan at Barrow Table Tennis Centre, as well as ex-England coach Denis Neale – has also been selected to play for the North West of England in the UK School Games in Sunderland at the start of September.

She impressed while playing in the National Championships in Doncaster in the under-12s, under-13s and under-14s events, and has had trials to represent England in the Euro Mini Championship later this year in France.

As of yet the team has not been selected.

Paddle-Powered Dalton table tennis teen Scott Crawford has completed a family hat-trick by being selected to play for his country.

The talented 18-year-old has been picked in the England Schools Under-18s team for the Schools International 2010 tournament in Ireland.

He will take on players from teams from across the UK in the event, held at the Irish National Arena, in Limerick, between June 25 and 27.

The selection means Scott becomes the third of the Crawford siblings to be selected to represent England at table tennis, with elder brother Jonathan playing for them at under-16s level and sister Helen at under-14s.

Proud dad Duncan, himself a coach at the Barrow Table Tennis Centre and manager of the Barrow team – including Scott – that recently won promotion to the British League Premier Division, said it was a great feat for his youngest son to be selected.

“We are as proud as punch,” he said. “I’m sure when people who know Scott from the table tennis centre in Barrow, find out, they will be proud as well. All three of them have played for England now – I’ve got the hat-trick now and I can down tools!

“Scott really deserves this. He’s the youngest of the three and he is fighting all the time to keep up with numbers one and two. He thinks number one and two get a better deal all the time – and they don’t – and he has fought all the time.

“I’m sure he will overtake Jonathan. He hasn’t at the moment, Jonathan is in the top 50 in the country, but Scott Crawford will carry on improving and getting better.”

To progress his game, former Dowdales pupil Scott Crawford lives with brother Jonathan in Bristol, where he is studying for his A-Levels at the Bristol Academy of Sport at Filton College. The college is a renowned hotbed for table tennis talent, with those admitted having to be in the top 30 in their age group.

He trains twice a day at the college, as well as working in the gym, and Scott has benefited from playing alongside Croatian number two Jakov Krivić – also a part of the promotion-winning Barrow team – who has been brought in as a practice partner.

“He’s practising with him and Jakov has brought Scott’s game on by a mile,” added dad Duncan.

As well as playing for Barrow, Scott also turns out for Filton in the Bristol League and was part of their side which has won the English Schools title for the last two years.

His recent performances have seen him beat England senior number 12 player Will Maybanks – a professional in Hungary – and take a game off Great Britain number one Gavin Rumgay at the Wolverhampton Grand Prix, who went on to win the tournament overall.

These achievements have seen him ranked 89th in the senior rankings, while he is 15th in the under-18s – a standing which would be higher had he played more under-18s tournaments rather than senior competitions. Straight after the tournament in Ireland, Scott will head to Croatia with the rest of the Barrow team – hopefully including new recruit Rumgay – to train with Krivic in preparation for their outings in the British Premier League.

Duncan added: “If he gets in the top 20 players, he will probably look at a semi-professional career with a team abroad on a small salary.”

Barrow (Jakov Krivić, Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford and Scott Crawford) are the 2010 British League Play-Off Champions. They excelled at Cippenham Table Tennis Club in May, by winning four of their matches and drawing with closest rivals Fusion who are also promoted to the British League Premier Division.

Barrow’s campaign began with a 5-3 victory over TTK Greenhouse. Predictably Gareth Herbert caused them the most problems and he beat both world-ranked Croatian player Jakov Krivić and Bradley Evans, 3-1whilst Jide Owolabi also impressed. Jide beat Scott Crawford 11-7, 13-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-5. Jonathan Crawford’s two victories over Fatlum Sadiku and Chris Lewis ensured that Barrow got off to a winning start.

Barrow were able to build on this by beating ELGRE Nottingham 7-1 in round two. England no. six Veteran Chris Rogers scored a fine win over Bradley Evans, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5 although he found all-action Jakov Krivić a trickier proposition. Krivić never looked in trouble winning 11-4, 11-1, 7-11, 11-5.

The two sides with unbeaten records came face to face in round three and it looked as if Fusion might take both points when they surged into a 4-2 lead. Former Olympian Sule Olaleye played his part by beating Jakov Krivić after all had looked lost when he trailed 9-7 in the fifth end. Sule kept his nerve superbly to win 10-12, 11-2, 14-12, 4-11, 11-9 and Fusion’s Mark Smith scored his second win by beating Bradley Evans, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6. It was left to brothers Jonathan and Scott Crawford to keep Barrow’s hopes alive. And didn’t they play well. England no. 59 Jonathan scored a magnificent 11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 victory over England no. 42 Tommy Cutler and England no. 109 Scott managed to repel the challenge of a pumped up John Dennison 11-7, 7-11, 23-21, 11-7 after a truly spell-binding encounter.

Barrow now had the bit between their teeth and they did well to beat third- placed Pavilion Brighton 6-2 in round four, killing off any hopes Brighton had of gaining promotion. Jakov Krivić and Jonathan Crawford were both undefeated, with Jonathan’s quick-fire victory over Ashley Stokes (11-5, 11-7, 11-9) standing out. This match also unearthed another player to look out for. 16 year old Da Shuai “Dash” Zhang looks way under-ranked as England no. 88 and he scored two fine five game wins over Scott Crawford and Bradley Evans,.

Going into the last round of matches Fusion and Barrow were tied on seven points and 22 games won. It really could not have been closer. Four players went into the last round with 100 % records – Fusion’s Sule Olaleye and Mark Smith, Barrow’s Jonathan Crawford and TTK Greenhouse’s Gareth Herbert. Who would hold onto their undefeated records ?. Hands up if you would have said Gareth Herbert ! . It didn’t work out that way. Fusion looked as if they might be in the ascendancy when rally player supreme Tommy Cutler, playing with his customer composure and returning Gareth’s serves superbly beat the former England no. two 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8 to give themselves a 2-0 lead. But, Gareth fought back to beat Sule 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-4 and TTK’s Jide Owolabi scored a fine 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 victory over John Dennison which left Fusion as 6-2 winners. Mark Smith retained his 100 % record by beating both Fatlum Sadiku and Chris Lewis. He powered his way past Chris Lewis 11-5, 11-5, 11-8.

Barrow turned in an even better performance and they beat OLOP Impact 8-0. All four Barrow players played their part. Jakov Krivić made it eight wins out of ten for the weekend by beating both Chris Bush and David Barr 3-0 whilst Bradley Evans, had to pull out all the stops to get the better of Hari Gehlot 11- 7, 13-11, 7-11, 10-12, 12-10. Jonathan Crawford retained his 100 % record with 3-0 wins over Liam McTiernan and Chris Bush and Scott Crawford was equally impressive, beating both McTiernan and Hari Gehlot 3-0. Barrow took the title by virtue of having won two more games than their South London rivals – a magnificent performance.

This past weekend (8th and 9th May 2010) Barrow played in the British League play-offs at Cippenham Table Tennis Centre, Berkshire. The award for the top two teams in the round-robin event would be a place in the coveted British League Premier Division where the top 8 British table tennis teams compete.

Like every other sports team going into a major event, Barrow had analysed the opposition and identified the dangers. On paper, it looked like three teams would be vying for the two places available: Fusion, Pavilion Brighton and Barrow (in that order).

On the Saturday, Barrow played three teams: TTK Greenhouse (London), Elgre Nottingham and Fusion (London).

On the Sunday, Barrow would play two teams: Pavilion Brighton and OLOP Impact (Reading).

Barrow I vs TTK Greenhouse I

Despite not making it onto Barrow’s pre-drawn list of threats, with England number 12 playing for them, TTK Greenhouse weren’t going to be a pushover. Indeed, Barrow knew they had a fight on their hands as they went 3-2 down.

As expected, two of TTK Greenhouse’s wins came from Herbert, the former England Number 2 who was once considered to be blessed with the ‘best serves in the world’. He beat, or should that be ‘served off’, Barrow players Jakov Krivić and Bradley Evans. TTK Greenhouse’s other win came in the form of a five-set thriller with Jide Owalabi edging out Barrow player Scott Crawford. For Barrow, the wins came from Krivić over Chris Lewis and Jonathan Crawford over Fatium Sadiku.

The next three games were straight-forward three-set affairs all going Barrow’s way. Jonathan Crawford comfortably beat Lewis to level the score. He was backed up by Evans who beat Owalabi and younger brother Scott Crawford who beat Sadiku.

Given the strength of TTK Greenhouse’s number 1 Gareth Herbert, in Barrow’s eyes this was a satisfactory result and a solid start. Each Barrow team member, without exception, played well and showed good form.

Final Score: Barrow I 5 – 3 TTK Greenhouse I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (1), Bradley Evans (1), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (1)
TTK Greenhouse I: Gareth Herbert (2), Chris Lewis (0), Jide Owalabi (1), Fatium Sadiku (0)

Barrow I vs Elgre Nottingham I

Elgre Nottingham are well known to Barrow as they are the other team from Division 1 North to make the play-offs. Indeed, they finished above Barrow. However, with world ranked Croatian Krivić on display for Barrow, Elgre Nottingham were more of a ‘banana skin’ than a real threat.

Thankfully, this ‘banana skin’ didn’t find its way under Barrow’s feet as they won comfortably 7-1. Jonathan Crawford maintained his 100% record beating Sophie Neil and David Arrowsmith. Krivić beat Arrowsmith and Chris Rogers while Scott Crawford beat Sophie Neil and Emma Vickers – a player who had been a thorn in Barrow’s side in the two teams’ last encounter. Evans on the other hand had mixed fortunes as he suffered a five-set defeat to Rogers, but beat Vickers.

Barrow’s 7-1 victory over Elgre Nottingham was deserved and pushed them to joined first place with Fusion, the team they were to face next.

Final Score: Barrow I 7 – 1 Elgre Nottingham I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (2), Bradley Evans (1), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (2)
Elgre Nottingham I: Chris Rogers (1), David Arrowsmith (0), Emma Vickers (1), Sophie Neil (0)

Barrow I vs Fusion I

This was a big match for Barrow; any points picked up would be a big bonus and put the team on track for a dream British League Premier Division place.

The danger presented by Fusion doesn’t lie with any one individual, but the strength and depth of the team. That said, the team does boast former Olympian and Nigerian International Sule Olaleye as its number 1.

The first match saw Evans line up against Olaleye, but despite Evans just losing the first set in deuce game 11, Olaleye was just too strong taking the next two sets comfortably.

For the next few games Barrow were always playing catch-up. Firstly Krivić comfortably beat Tom Cutler before Mark Smith beat Scott Crawford in an intense match to give Fusion the lead once more. Jonathan Crawford then beat John Dennison to draw the match 2-2 at the halfway point.

In a truly world class match that caught the attention and imagination of everyone in the room, Krivić faced Olaleye. After some incredible off-the-table attacking rallies interspersed with delicate touch play, it looked like Krivić was going to take the match as he led 9-7 in the deciding fifth set. However, Olaleye managed to tighten his game over the last crucial points and used his immense experience to edge out Krivić and sneak a win.

Fusion’s ever dependable Smith then went on to beat Evans to give Fusion a 4-2 lead with 2 games remaining.

It was now up to the two Crawford brother’s backed up by former England Team Coach Denis Neale and travelling supporters to pull something out of the bag and gain Barrow a valuable point. On the Barrow supporters side things were tense, but on the Fusion side there was an air of contemplation.

First up England number 59 Jonathan Crawford played superbly to beat England number 42 Tom Cutler. Jonathan then passed on the baton to younger brother Scott Crawford who faced Dennison.

The first set went Scott Crawford’s way as he won game 7. This was then matched by Dennison to bring the match to 1 set apiece.

The next set was to be decisive. It was a marathon containing long attacking rallies as both players chased the ball and gave nothing away. At crucial points both players used their time-outs before the set was eventually settled 23-21 in the favour of Barrow player Scott Crawford.

Dennison found it hard to recover from the disappointment of losing the set and Scott Crawford went on to win the match taking the fourth set game 7, thus earning Barrow a valuable draw.

Going into the match, Barrow would have been delighted with a draw. However, as is so often the case, after achieving what would have been a dream result you can’t help look back and think what could have been had Krivić managed to finish off Olaleye.

At the end of day 1, Barrow had won 2 and drawn 1 against Fusion, the team they shared the top spot with in the play-off table. On top of that, Jonathan Crawford had managed to maintain a 100% record.

Final Score: Barrow I 4 – 4 Fusion I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (1), Bradley Evans (0), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (1)
Fusion I: Sule Olaleye (2), Tom Cutler (0), Mark Smith (2), John Dennison (0)

Barrow I vs Pavilion Brighton I

Beating Pavilion Brighton would guarantee Barrow promotion to the British League Premier Division with one game to spare. Barrow approached the game with respect for Pavilion Brighton and knew it would take a good performance by everyone to dispose of them.

The match started out like a dream for Barrow as they stormed ahead to a 3-0 lead. Krivić easily beat Ashley Stokes, Evans easily beat Hans Pillards finishing off with what has to be the shot of the weekend and Jonathan Crawford scraped through against Eli Baraty. Scott Crawford then lost a hugely entertaining match against fellow junior Da Shuai Zhang to leave the match 3-1 to Barrow at the halfway mark.

Going into the second half of the match Barrow were brimming with confidence, whilst with the exception of Zhang, Pavilion Brighton looked to have lost confidence and fight.

Krivić took the next game comfortably beating Pillards to guarantee Barrow at least a draw. However, to guarantee promotion, Barrow needed one more win.

Barrow didn’t have to wait long as Jonathan Crawford continued his unbeaten run beating Stokes. Evans then lost to inform Zhang before Scott Crawford beat Baraty to earn Barrow a 6-2 victory and a place in the British League Premier Division.

After 4 games, Barrow alongside Fusion had gained promotion to the British League Premier Division. However, with both teams tied on seven points and twenty two games won, there was still the honour of been champions to fight for.

Final Score: Barrow I 6 – 2 Pavilion Brighton I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (2), Bradley Evans (1), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (1)
Fusion I: Hans Pillards (0), Ashley Stokes (0), Da Shuai Zhang (2), Eli Baraty (0)

Barrow I vs OLOP Impact I

Barrow, buoyed by the morning’s performance wanted to finish the weekend on a high and win the competition out right. As Barrow were on equal points and game difference with Fusion, this meant trying to beat OLOP Impact (who sat at the foot of the table) by as big a margin as possible. At the same time, Barrow had to rely on Gareth Herbert’s TTK Greenhouse to inflict some damage on Fusion.

Maintaining the morning’s momentum, Barrow were fast out of the blocks. They steam rolled a startled OLOP Impact taking the match score to 4-0 at the halfway mark. Evans beat David Barr, Krivić beat Chris Bush, Scott Crawford beat Hari Gehlot and Jonathan Crawford beat Liam McTiernan.

Meanwhile, on the other table, Fusion had dropped a game against TTK Greenhouse, but still held a convincing 3-1 lead.

It would be nice to be able to write that there was a dramatic conclusion as to who the winners of the British League Play-Offs would be, but Barrow were simply coasting. The next four games went the same as the first four and with the exception of Brad’s very tired victory over Gehlot, each victory was easily obtained. Krivić comfortably beat Barr, Jonathan Crawford finished the weekend with a 100% record easily beating Bush and Scott Crawford proved that he could hold his own at this level by beating McTiernan.

With the final score 8–0 to Barrow and Fusion only beating TTK Greenhouse 6–2, Barrow had not only gained promotion to the British Premier League, but had done so in style by been crowned the 2010 British League Play-Off Champions. This is truly a great result and arguably the best result of any Cumbrian table tennis team ever!

Final Score: Barrow I 8 – 0 OLOP Impact I
Barrow I: Jakov Krivić (2), Bradley Evans (2), Jonathan Crawford (2), Scott Crawford (2)
Fusion I: David Barr (0), Chris Bush (0), Hari Gehlot (0), Liam McTiernan (0)

This weekend, Barrow I will compete against Elgre Nottingham, TTK Greenhouse, OLOP Impact I, Fusion I and Pavilion Brighton in the British League Play-Offs. The round-robin style event is to be played at Cippenham Table Tennis Centre and the award for the top two teams is a place in the British League Premier Division.

Barrow I qualified for last season’s British League Play-Offs and finished in fourth position. The team could have done better had then team number 1 Gavin Rumgay been available to play (Gavin was playing in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships).

This time around, despite the loss of current team number 1 Darius Knight (Spanish League commitments), the team hopes to do better. With the addition of top Croatian Jakov Krivić to the team and Jonathan and Scott Crawford improving vastly over the last year, promotion is a strong possibility.

Over the weekend, the team will be coached by former England team coach Denis Neale.

Team: Jakov Krivić, Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford, Scott Crawford

British League Division 1 North Final Table

British League Division 1 North Results

British League Division 1 North Barrow Player Averages

Despite the first day’s results not going Barrow I’s way with two 5-3 defeats, results elsewhere meant a play-off place was secure. With little to play for, and the distraction of the 2nd team’s battle for survival, it seemed a win for Barrow I was going to be hard to come by.

Barrow I vs Sheffield

Barrow I’s first game was against Sheffield; the division’s ‘whipping boys’ and a team that Barrow I had beaten 6-2 in the first half of the season. The match saw the return of Tristran Swan as Scott Crawford returned to play for the 2nd team in their crunch match against Elgre Nottingham II.

Barrow I got off to a fast start with wins for Jonathan Crawford over Simon Pugh (6, 5, 9) and Brad Evans over Paul Johnson (8, 7, 9). However, once again it was the teams lower end that failed to perform as Steve Dixon lost to Jack Grant (-6, 5, -9, -6) and Tristran Swan suffered a disappointing defeat to Liam Carson (-6, 2, -9, -9).

Going into the second half of the match with the score tied two a-piece, the ever dependable Brad Evans stepped up and beat Simon Pugh (9, 10, 5) and was backed up by Jonathan Crawford who comfortably beat Jack Grant (6, 9, 8). This gave Barrow I a 4-2 lead and needing only one more win to take 2 points. Next up was Tristran Swan who should have beat Paul Johnson after leading the 5th and final set 10-8, however, it wasn’t to be as he lost it game 10 (6, -6, -3, 8, -10). So, it was up to Steve Dixon to secure victory for the team as he easily beat Liam Carson (8, 7, 5).

Final Score: Barrow I 5 – 3 Sheffield
Barrow I: Brad Evans (2), Jonathan Crawford (2), Tristran Swan, Steve Dixon (1)
Sheffield: Simon Pugh , Paul Johnson (1), Jack Grant (1), Liam Carson (1)

Barrow I vs Halton I

Barrow I’s final game of the season saw them face Halton I, the closest team Barrow I have to arch-rivals and a team they beat 5-3 at the start of the season. The match saw Tom Smith stepping up into the team, making his debut, in reward for his morning’s performance for the second team.

First up Brad Evans scored a comfortable three straight set victory against Chris Ford (7, 2, 6). This was followed up by a less comfortable affair as Jonathan Crawford faced the ever-entertaining Richard Lightowler. Jonathan went two sets up, but took his foot of the gas and ended up losing to the seasoned veteran in the fifth set (8, 9, -8, -9, -6). Tristran Swan then lost to Pawel Orzechowski (-8, -8, -6) before the stage was set for England Number 409 Tom Smith to face his biggest challenge of the weekend in the form of England Number 88, Michael Moir. On paper, this should have been a breeze for Michael, however, from the start he was under pressure and it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Tom never let him get into the game as he won comfortably in three straight sets (8, 10, 6).

With the matched tied two all at the halfway point, Bradley Evans faced Richard Lightowler. Given previous confrontations, it is obvious Brads scalp is one that Richard wants, but he’ll have to wait for now. Like his earlier match, Brad cruised through winning 8, 1 and 3. After a nervous start, Tristran Swan furthered Barrow I’s lead to 4-2 with a good win over higher ranked Chris Ford (-5, 7, 9, 3). Jonathan Crawford then failed to keep Mick Moir’s swinging attacking style at bay as he suffered a disappointing, but tight defeat (-12, -12, 7, 9, -10). So, with the match 4-3 in Barrow I’s favour, it was up to Tom Smith to conjure up some of the magic he’d shown over the weekend to secure a victory for Barrow I. However, it wasn’t to be as Pawel Orzechowski evaded his wizardry skills (-9, 10, -10, -10) to earn a draw for Halton I.

Final Score: Barrow I 4 – 4 Halton I
Barrow I: Brad Evans (2), Jonathan Crawford, Tristran Swan (1), Tom Smith (1)
Sheffield: Richard Lightowler (1), Chris Ford , Michael Moir (1), Pawel Orzechowski (2)

Going into the final weekend of Division 1 North of the British League, Barrow I sat comfortably in joint 2nd position; only needing a couple of points to guarantee the target of a Premiership play-off position.

Barrow I vs Elgre Nottingham I

Barrow I’s first match saw them face Elgre Nottingham I, the team they shared second position with and likely future play-off competitors. The previous meeting between the two clubs in the first half of the season saw Barrow I win 5-3.

The first two matches went Barrow I’s way as Jonathan Crawford beat Mark Green (5, -5, 5, 7) and Brad Evans beat David Arrowsmith (4, 9, -6, 9). As easy as the first two games were won, the next two were lost as Steve Dixon lost to Stewart Mudie (-6, -5, -5) and Tristran Swan lost to in-form and newly crowned Under 21 Womens’ Singles National Champion Emma Vickers (-9, -7, 7, -5). With the match poised at two apiece, there was all to play for.

Next up saw Brad Evans against Mark Green. Going against all expectations, Mark won the first two sets easily game 4 and game 5. Brad was under serious pressure and forced to fight for and win every point. Eventually he overcame Mark winning the crucial 3rd set game 14 followed by easier wins in the 4th and 5th sets, 5 and 9 respectively. Barrow I then went on to lose the next three matches and therefore the tie 5-3. Jonathan Crawford suffered a disappointing loss to Stewart Mudie (10, -3, -8, -10), Tristran Swan lost to David Arrowsmith (-8, -7, -9) and Steve Dixon was taught a lesson or two by Emma Vickers (-7, -2, -6).

Final Score: Barrow I 3 – 5 Elgre Nottingham I
Barrow I: Bradley Evans (2), Jonathan Crawford (1), Tristran Swan, Steve Dixon
Elgre Nottingham I: Mark Green, David Arrowsmith (1), Stewart Mudie (2), Emma Vickers (2)

Barrow I vs Northfield I

Next for Barrow I were Northfield I, a team that looked impressive in the morning’s session and that certainly boasts a squad that belies there 6th position in the division. The two teams’ previous meeting had resulted in a 4-4 draw. For this match, Scott Crawford moved up into the team as Tristran Swan had other commitments.

The match got under way with Bradley Evans beating Keith Rodger (-10, 7, 4, 4). Next up was a big match for Jonathan Crawford (England 60) as he faced higher ranked Bryn Drinkhall (England 29). Typically, it is against stronger opposition that Jonathan produces his best table tennis. On this occasion, despite some quality open play and killer shots from Jonathan, Bryn was to strong winning -7, 4, 5 and 11.

The next two games went the way of Northfield I with wins for Tony Wilson over Scott Crawford (4, -10, -7, -5) and Dan Welsh over Steve Dixon (8, -9, -3, 8, -6).

With the match score 3-1 to Northfield I, Bradley Evans entered the court to play the highly anticipated match of the weekend against England Number 1 Paul Drinkhall’s older brother Bryn. The match met the all expectations, with table tennis of a caliber unmatched by any other that day. It was Bryn that took the initiative winning the 1st set game 3. The following sets were traded with Brad taking the next game 5, Bryn the 3rd game 3 and Brad the 4th game 8. In an entertaining 5th set, Brad showed experience, skill and composure as he took it game 7 to claim an excellent win.

Barrow I were now trailing 2-3 and, with a subsequent loss for Scott Crawford against Keith Rodger (-6, -8, -10), a draw was the best Barrow I could hope for. With a victory for Jonathan Crawford over Dan Welsh (-7, 5, 4, 9), this was looking likely, but despite his best efforts Steve Dixon lost to Tony Wilson (12, -3, -7, -5) to hand Northfield I a 5-3 victory.

Final Score: Barrow I 3 – 5 Northfield I
Barrow I: Bradley Evans (2), Jonathan Crawford (1), Scott Crawford, Steve Dixon
Northfield I: Bryn Drinkhall (1), Keith Rodger (1), Dan Welsh (1), Tony Wilson (2)