WITH barely a quarter of the season gone, it’s clear the Huddersfield Table Tennis League First Division will again be hotly contested.

The top two, Woodfield Park A and Brooks A, have just met to resume their rivalry and the match was edged 6-4 by Brooks.

Tim Dyson squeezed his clash with Darren Lindley in the fifth game and also beat Ian McLean and Keith Skarz to record a maximum.

Russell Senior picked up two, losing only to Lindley, and teamed up with Dyson to win the doubles.

Having earlier beaten Deighton A 10-0, Woodfield Park now hold a three-point lead over Brooks A, with Brooks B just a further three points behind. They had an excellent 8-2 victory over a weakened Scissett A team.

Having lost 13-11 in the fifth set to Brian Armitage, Matt Ellis came back to play exceptionally well in beating Stewart Clarke and Kevin Plowman.

Mick Rushworth made a rare appearance, standing in for the absent Harry Ness but played well to win twice, while Sean Ellis had little trouble in recording a maximum.

If any side is going to trouble this triumvirate then it could be Deighton B.

Their credentials will be firmly examined tomorrow evening when they travel to leaders Woodfield Park A.

Marsh A and Kingsmith A finished all square at 5-5, a match in which IanTweedale excelled in taking the scalps of Geoff Dunne and Janet Adams and edged past Peter Fox in a deciding fifth game to finish unbeaten.

Tony Stead had a very close win over Dunne but lost to Fox and Adams. Marsh needed the doubles to square the match as Bob Sanderson had a nil return.

In Division II, the young Brooks C team had an excellent 7-3 victory over the experienced Kingsmith E team of Langfield, Williams and Cook.

The improving Nathan Spencer has been joined by Stefan Arak, who has moved into the area, and both were undefeated.

The first two weeks of coaching and practice at the new central venue of the Hudawi Centre have been well received.

League players have used the facility to gain some practice time on the table while it has been encouraging to see newcomers arriving to enjoy table tennis with others.

The facility, which encompasses up to eight tables, is open each Wednesday and Thursday evening between 6.45pm and 9pm.