Ants march on at top

HALES ANTS stretched their lead at the top of the Beccles and District Table Tennis League with a 7-3 win over Framingham Nutters. Although Phil Clarke won all his matches for Nutters, there were no further problems for Adrian Key, Phil Moore and Steve Griffee.

HALES ANTS stretched their lead at the top of the Beccles and District Table Tennis League with a 7-3 win over Framingham Nutters.

Although Phil Clarke won all his matches for Nutters, there were no further problems for Adrian Key, Phil Moore and Steve Griffee.

Third-placed Nutters were involved in two further matches.

Firstly, they beat Hales Eagles 8-2. Once again, Phil Clarke won all his matches and Richard Herne and Joe Herne both won two matches.

Joe was taken to a fifth-leg decider by Derek Clark.

Nutters then beat Barnby and North Cove New Boys in the preliminary round of the Knockout Cup, the outcome of which was only decided in the final match.

Starting with a handicap deficit of 162, Nutters only lost five of the 36 legs played, to win by a margin of 48 points.

Barnby's Peter McMorran beat Joe Herne 3-1 on the way to his team's defeat.

Framingham Magpies moved up to fourth place with a 10-0 win over bottom side Barnby.

However, this was much closer than the scoreline suggests with five matches going to a fifth leg.

Peter McMorran and Lester Borrett both lost narrowly to Alf Stubbs and Alan Harper.

Trevor Cooke also had a five-leg defeat against Alan Harper and a four-leg defeat against Alf Stubbs. However Alf, Alan and Barry Fortune won all their matches.

Eagles had a 6-4 win over Framingham Gull in another fixture which was decided in the last match. Steve Webster won all his matches for Eagles.

David Constable, making his first appearance of the season, won two matches.

He was involved in two five-leg matches, beating Anthony Hewkin but losing to Mario Iacovazzo who won two matches for Gull.

The league is sponsored by Alan Cook Accommodations.