THE North Cornwall Table Tennis League held their annual presentation evening at Trethorne Golf Club on Thursday, May 2, with nearly 50 in attendance.

The players and partners enjoyed an excellent two-course meal before the trophies were presented by league chairman Shirley Luckhurst.

The 2018/19 season was the league’s biggest and best yet with 21 teams competing across the three divisions.

However it was two teams who really stood out, Torridge and Budehaven D.

Unbeaten Torridge claimed their first ever Division One title by 13 points from runners-up North Hill A, who they also beat in the Handicap Cup final. As well as that, they were runners-up to Budehaven A in the Division One Knockout Cup. David Streak was unbeaten all season while their two other main players, Pete Freeburn and Steve Cragg, only lost nine games between them.

Last year’s champions Helland finished fourth in the eight-team division with promoted teams Whitstone Wanderers and Crackington B the bottom two.

There was similar dominance in the second-tier from Budehaven D. They won all 14 games, racking up 109 points from a possible 140 in the process as well as winning the Division Two Knockout Cup. Budehaven C were the runners-up, 21 points further back.

Their three players —Sam Jennings, Tim Orchard and Robin Worden — played every fixture and each ended in the top five averages, Jennings losing just once in his debut campaign.

A John Parker-inspired North Hill C won the five-team Division Three by 12 points. The league is played with two-aside, and Parker won all 24 of his singles, leading him to be crowned the Senior Player of the Year. Altarnun B were runners-up in their first ever season as a team.

The Individual awards were dominated by three players — Cragg, who won the Open Singles and Handicap Singles, Sam Jennings who won the Restricted Singles, David Viggers Class Two and Junior Player of the Year and Owen Salisbury who picked up the Junior Singles, David Viggers Class One and David Viggers Juniors title. Salisbury also put up a good performance in the Open Singles final before losing to the much more experienced Cragg.

Other big award winners were Bob Bevan (Services to Youth), Ashley Taylor (Most Improved Player for winning nearly 60% in his debut Division One campaign) and Judith Cook (Sportsmanship).

The 2018/19 season roll of honour is as follows:

Division One

Winners: Torridge; Runners-up: North Hill A

Division Two

Winners: Budehaven D; Runners-up: Budehaven C

Division Three

Winners: North Hill C; Runners-up: Altarnun B

Division One Knockout Cup

Winners: Budehaven A; Runners-up: Torridge

Division Two Knockout Cup

Winners: Budehaven D; Runners-up: Altarnun A

Division Three Knockout Cup

Winners: Altarnun B; Runners-up: Bridgerule B

Handicap Cup

Winners: Torridge; Runners-up: North Hill A

Open Singles

Winner: Steve Cragg; Runner-up: Owen Salisbury

Open Doubles

Winners: Helen Murgatroyd and Simon Patterson; Runners-up: Nathan Jukes and Robin Evans

Mixed Doubles

Winners: Helen Murgatroyd and Dave Salisbury; Runners-up: Jill Knightley and Steve Cragg

Junior Singles

Winner: Owen Salisbury; Runner-up: Sam Jennings

Super Veterans Singles

Winner: Dave Salisbury; Runner-up: Pete Freeburn

Handicap Singles

Winner: Steve Cragg; Runner-up: Andrew Ward

Over 65 Singles

Winner: Bob Thompson; Runner-up: Pete Freeburn

Restricted Singles

Winner: Sam Jennings; Runner-up: Gary Bickle

David Viggers Class One

Winner: Owen Salisbury; Runner-up: Dave Salisbury

David Viggers Class Two

Winner: Sam Jennings; Runner-up: Robin Evans

David Viggers Class Three

Winner: Chris Mill; Runner-up: George Reilly-Hawkins

David Viggers Juniors

Winner: Owen Salisbury; Runner-up: Sam Jennings

Other awards

Senior Player of the Year: John Parker; Junior Player of the Year: Sam Jennings; Most Improved Player: Ashley Taylor; Sportsmanship: Judith Cook; Services to Youth: Bob Bevan

Reflecting on the season as a whole, match secretary, Dave Salisbury, said: “The league can look back on yet another successful season where more players are enjoying local table tennis than for a very long time.

“With the capability to attract both superstars and beginners, the future looks bright indeed. “Anyone wanting to know more should contact me at [email protected].”