Guernsey women's team fights back from relegation

GUERNSEY'S women table tennis players have one more chance to win a place back in Division Two of the British League. After relegation last season, the trio of Kay Chivers, Dawn Morgan and Helen Fooks won four of their five matches in the first of two divisional get-togethers in Hereford.

Only Ormsby got the better of the Sarnians but Chivers has not given up hope of reversing the scoreline in the return match and claiming the one available promotion spot.

'We go back in January and have to play everybody again.

In Hereford, the Sarnians opened with a good 5-1 win over Marston, all three players attacking and playing well.

The second match was against Chippenham Ladies B with the Guernsey team winning 4-2 and the Channel Islanders completed day one of two with a 4-2 victory over Uxbridge who, in their previous game, had drawn with Ormsby.

The crunch came on the Sunday morning with Guernsey coming into the match against Ormsby one point ahead in the table.

The opening rubber saw Chivers play Karen Shepherd and the Guernsey stalwart lost in four having levelled at 1-1.

Morgan then played Rachel Greener in a nail-biting five setter and won 15-13 in the last game.

Ormsby regained the advantage when Karina Lefevre beat Helen Fooks in four and it became 3-1 when Shepherd saw off Morgan 11-8 in the fifth game.

Chivers narrowed the deficit by defeating Lefevre but hopes of a draw were quickly quashed as Fooks went down in straight sets to Greener.

Guernsey recovered to beat Ashford 5-1 and at the end of the weekend trailed Ormsby by just a point.

The last session of the day was Guernsey against Ashford with Guernsey winning 5-1.

Individually, Morgan and Chivers finished the round with a 90% success rate.

Ormsby's Shepherd finished on 100% and Fooks finished with 25%.

At the end of play, the Guernsey team were taken aback by the announcement that they had been voted team of the weekend, which is an award based on sportsmanship, ability, dress and co-operation, both before and during the event.

'We were presented with a lovely drinking glass and bunch of flowers each,' said Chivers.