Kingfisher A all but confirmed the division 1 title with a 10-0 whitewash of their B side, while two of the leading local players, Graham Mendick and Ed Lush, met in the Kingfisher D vs Sonning Common & Peppard B clash.
It was Graham who emerged victorious in straight sets as the sides shared a 5-5 draw.
Sonning Common & Peppard A and Tilehurst RBL A also shared the points despite a triple from Sonning Common’s Jamie Barlow who did not lose a single end.
Sonning Sports A scored a useful 8-2 win over Tidmarsh A, who could only field two players. Dave Croucher was unbeaten on the night.
The two bottom sides met as Kingfisher C hosted Reading FC. A promising double from Mike Douglas couldn’t stop an 8-2 victory for the Royals with Mike Childs remaining unbeaten.
Both sides are still favourites to end in the relegation zone and are still to face Kingfisher A but with five games left there is still an opportunity to climb up the table if they can field their strongest squads.
Sonning Common & Peppard D gave their title hopes a boost in division 2 with a 9-1 victory over Tidmarsh B in a match that was much closer than the score suggests with all but one set going to four or five.
SC&P’s star player Danny Dockree avenged an early season loss to Dale Ballard winning 11-8 in the fifth in a marathon set.
Our Lady of Peace B moved up to second place in the division following an 8-2 win over relegation threatened Kingfisher F despite Kingfisher’s Hamid Mohseni’s highly impressive three straight win against OLOP’s Chris West.
Sonning Common & Peppard C slipped down to third in the table following a 5-5 draw against Kingfisher E with Nigel Maltby getting a good maximum for SC&P that included a tense last set win over Kingfisher’s Luca Bianchi to clinch the draw 11-9 11-3 8-11 8-11 12-10.
In Division 3 Tidmarsh C emerged victorious against Tilehurst Methodists B with a 9-1 score line.
Ian Wu and Richard Hudson were the stars of the show for Tidmarsh C, each scoring a maximum of three wins, while Michael Williams put in a valiant effort for Tilehurst Methodists B, managing to grab a single win against Simon Craig. OLOP E continued their impressive run of form, securing a 7-3 victory over Tidmarsh D.
Qing Wu and Harry Bullock joined with two wins to Louis’s treble of wins, while Ray Webb’s two wins and efforts in doubles were the only points earned by Tidmarsh D.
Dave Edwards came up just short and unlucky, losing two close matches in the fifth set, particularly against Harry Bullock. the highly-anticipated postponed match between Pangbourne WMC and Springfield A took place. Pangbourne WMC had another fantastic result, securing an 8-2 victory and reclaiming the top spot with a game in hand.
Clive Taylor and John Simmonds both scored trebles. On the other side, Rob Wilkie for Springfield A, unfortunately, lost two matches in the fifth set.
The final match of the night was an absolute thriller, with Clive securing a 3-2 victory over Rob in a nail-biting finish: 5-11 13-11 11-4 8-11 11-4
Sonning Sports B secured an 8-2 win over Our Lady of Peace F, closing the gap with Tilehurst Methodists B as they chase their hopes of avoiding relegation.
James Evison and James Smith came close to winning to secure a draw, but Harry Borough held his composure in the fifth set of both matches to have a treble of wins.
Meanwhile, the match between Kingfisher H and Our Lady of Peace D was a close one, with all three Kingfisher players earning two wins each. The doubles match was a nail-biter, ending in Kingfisher’s favour: 10-12 11-13 11-5 9-11.
A hat trick from Jim Warren helped Sonning Common & Peppard E to beat Kingfisher I 6-4 in their division four encounter as they moved up to second place.
Leaders Tilehurst Methodists C beat Sonning Sports C 6-4 for whom Stephen Reader won all three by beating Arek Ziollkowski 11-3 11-9 11-8, Rob James 11-8 6-11 11-9 11-9 and Steve Wood 11-8 13-11 8-11 10-12 11-6.
Our Lady of Peace G gained a creditable 5-5 drew with Springfield B with Fitzroy Licorish winning all three for the home team.
