Round 4 of Jazzey’s Spring League took place last week. On Monday night weather conditions were much improved compared to the snow flurries of the previous week. Jerome Nicolle proved that his talents extended far beyond the table-tennis table with outstanding performances in both of his matches. Forging a formidable partnership with Louise McGann, they proved too strong for John Griffin and Leonie Madigan although the fighting spirit of the latter pair ensured that each game was keenly fought. A tough contest full of pulsating rallies between Jerome and Ollie McShea and Donal Burns and John Giffin ended in fitting fashion with a 6-6 draw. Kathleen Murphy and Liz McGuinness (Aristocats) held on to win 7-5 against Jenny Kelly and Hazel Dineen. Alex Knowles and James Morrison (Jazz Standards) had a commanding lead of 8-1 in their match against Mark Cousins and Kevin Burns, but to their eternal credit Mark and James finished strongly and took the last three games for the much improved score-line of 8-4. That proved decisive for their team because the Jazz Standards won by only four points on the night: 50-46.
The second series of matches on Monday night opened up with a fine win for Innes Redmond and Liz Murphy (Bear Necessities) against Paul Lendrum and Dympna Slowey. Making full use of the court and hitting all the corners, Nadine Stewart (Sweet Spots) certainly made her presence felt with two convincing wins partnering Michelle Kennedy in the ladies doubles and Claude Bersot in the mixed. Ruth Armstrong has finally put past injuries well behind her when partnering Seamus O’Connell she enjoyed a good win over Michelle and Matt Dillon. Unfortunately for Ruth and Seamus, it was not quite enough for their team ‘The Bear Necessities, were beaten 45-51 on the night. After four rounds, only 11 points separates the top and bottom team.
On Wednesday, It was a night of comebacks for the Cool Cats. In the men’s doubles, James Morrison serving 0-30 down and 1-5 down, fought back with his partner Martin Hamblin to achieve a well earned draw. Although losing their doubles, James Wilson and Veronica Bogue fought hard at 1-6 down to get a run of games that brought them back to 5-7. Martin Hamblin and Catherine Sloane came back from 1-4 down to obtain a 6-6 draw, after some great rallies with Sheila Colville and Cyril Boyd. Finn Corrigan (Nice & Fly) delivered some great serves to achieve a 8-4 win and remain unbeaten in the competition. Continuing her winning streak, Martina Boyd enjoyed two good wins on the night and this proved sufficient for Nice & Fly to claim victory on the night by 56-40.
In the final series of matches, Mary Griffin and Gwen Wilson (Blue Notes) had a very tight game against Roisin O’Connell and Maxine Leary (Rhythm Section) and all seemed quite happy with the outcome –a 6-6 draw. Josie Gillen and Andrea Crawford fought back from 4-6 down to clinch a draw against Moira McAdam and Bernie Hall. The 53-43 win on the night was sufficient for the Blue Notes to remain in second place ahead of Rhythm Section in third.
