Battling draw keeps it tight at the top of the Hemel Hempstead Table Tennis League

It was back to action with a bang in the Hemel Hempstead Table Tennis League as Division One leaders St Michaels and second placed Crown & Sceptre I battled out a 5-5 draw.

Mike McGarry gained a maximum for the Saints, who then proceeded to whitewash Northchurch I 10-0. This was followed by an 8-2 victory at Row, with Martin Livesey winning three games.

Crown & Sceptre I completed a 10-0 triumph over Row and a 9-1 thrashing of Adeyfield A to stay in the hunt – with Alan Thomas achieving a double maximum.

Third placed Adeyfield I are still in close contention, helped by emphatic wins over Northchurch I (10-0) and Crown & Sceptre A (9-1), with John Fox leading the way with a double maximum.

Crown responded with a 6-4 win against Adeyfield A – with Richard Hardy on top form – before Adeyfield fought out a 5-5 draw with Flamstead I, for whom Tony Whetherly bagged a maximum.

Meanwhile, in Division Two, table topping Flamstead A have started the new year in fine form with a 9-1 win over KLCC I, followed by 8-2 victories against Adeyfield B and Crown & Sceptre B. Jack Reyland notched a hat-trick of trebles.

Second placed McAlpines I enjoyed a 10-0 whitewash over KLCC I, while Flamstead B had back-to-back 7-3 victories against KLCC I and Adeyfield B – with Darren Rogan bagging double maximums.

McAlpine A had a comfortable 7-3 win against Crown & Sceptre C, with Youguang Pan and XinJun Wang doing all the damage.

Crown C then had a close 6-4 victory over their B team, with Geoff Walke shining for the C team.

In Division Three, leaders Adeyfield C narrowly lost 6-4 to second placed St Georges I, for whom Jackie Channell bagged a maximum.

Adeyfield got back to winning ways with a 10-0 thrashing of KLCC A and an 8-2 victory over Northchurch A, with Trevor McFarlane and Mariusz Puczynski achieving trebles in the latter match.

St Georges I enjoyed a 10-0 victory over Highfield, while third placed Flamstead C have started 2015 with a bang; beating Crown & Sceptre D and KLCC A 10-0. They also recorded a 9-1 triumph against St Georges A, with Tony Bourke hitting three hat-tricks.

Nortchchurch A beat St Georges A 8-2, with Frank Manfield and Dave Walker doing the damage. That was followed by a narrow 6-4 victory over Highfield.

Finally, Crown & Sceptre D were beaten 9-1 by KLCC A as Rod Marshment and Pete Watts both helped themselves to maximums.