Guernsey successful in their push for promotion

FINISHING second to league champions Ormsby was enough to secure another British League promotion for the Guernsey women's team. 'It just shows that our level is improving all the time,' said a delighted Derek Webb, president of the Guernsey Table Tennis Association, who has now seen his top women secure two promotions in succession.

'We've got strength in depth now and if we can keep playing as this team, we will be a force to be reckoned with,' he added of a side that comprised Kay Chivers at one, Dawn Morgan at two and Alice Loveridge at three.

British League matches see each first string play the opponents one and two, the second string play one and three and the third string play the two and three.

Not surprisingly, given her current form, Loveridge, 12, starred at three and emerged as the Guernsey team's most successful player in the final round of five matches played over two days in Nottingham.

She won seven out of 10 games and the player-of-the-weekend prize, Morgan three and Chivers, the captain, two.

Guernsey started the weekend joint top of Division Two but started badly, losing 5-1 to the eventual champions, Ormsby, although several games could have gone either way.

But the Sarnian first team recovered to beat Spicer Ladies and Irish Ladies Two 4-2 and draw 3-3 with Sutton and Elgre, who beat Ormsby 4-2.

'We all played fairly well and it was a very good team effort,' said Chivers.

A young Guernsey second team of Bethany Pipet, Paula Le Ber and Sam Kershaw struggled and finished bottom of Division Four.