Table Tennis - Glaxo emerge triumphant from showdown (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Table Tennis - Glaxo emerge triumphant from showdown

10:36am Thursday 21st April 2011 in Sport

GLAXO A were crowned Division 1 champions in the Kendal and District Leagueafter the top two went head to head for Division 1 glory.

In a dramatic final match showdown second-placed Ibis required an 8-2 triumph or better to finish top.

The Ulverston-based defending champions had early wins for Tom Smith and Grant Woodhouse, but Steve Dixon and James McGrath responded in kind for Ibis to level the tie at 2-2.

Ibis snatched the lead at midway courtesy of McGrath’s knife-edge 13-11 success in the fifth set and went 5-2 up with further wins from Dixon and McGrath to boost the Kendal side’s hopes.

It was a must-win match for Nicholson in the penultimate singles match, but Dymond took it for Glaxo in four sets, extinguishing Ibis’s title bid.

Dixon then had a crushing win in the final singles for Ibis, but Glaxo captured the doubles So it ended 6-4 in Ibis’s favour, which was Glaxo’s first defeat of the season, and their title victory margin in the end was a mere three points.

Burton C were crowned Division 2 champions, having finished a healthy 18-points ahead of Dallam B and Natland D, who finished equal on points in second place, while at the opposite end of the table Burton E and Dent A were relegated to Division 3.

In Division 3, Crook C’s Chris Mowat, Ted Taylor and Paul Metsers claimed top spot with a resounding 24-9 win in their final match against Storth, leaving them a comfortable 15-points above nearest rivals Dallam E.

Meanwhile, Dallam E’s Bruce Carnaffin, George Pearson and Zak Crosby-McCann finished in second place to ensure their promotion to Division 2 next season, courtesy of a 24-17 success against Natland E.