DEIGHTON Leisure Centre are a growing force in the Huddersfield Table Tennis League.

Paul Simpson and a group of friends started practising back in 2008 and enjoyed it so much they arranged a friendly with a League team from Marsh to gauge whether they were able to compete in League competition.

Encouraged by their opponents and a belief in themselves, they entered two teams into Division III in time for the 2008-9 season.

Midway though that first season Barry Drain, a player with First Division experience, joined them and this proved to be the spark which ignited their ambition.

The following season the lower division was split into two sections . Deighton A, with Drain, Kevin Senior and another newcomer, John Cooke, supported by Clinton Powell and Paul Simpson, topped their section to win promotion to the First Division.

Last season, with growing interest at their weekly club nights, Deighton entered a third team and introduced Rafal Aleksandrzak, a talented young Polish player.

Rafal was virtually ever present throughout the season and lost only nine games from 60 played. Consistently strong performances from Powell and Simpson ensured Deighton B gained promotion to Division II.

So to the present, and with Deighton now having a team in each division, Paul Simpson’s ambition does not stop there. He runs a thriving junior group every Saturday afternoon, supported by qualified ETTA coach Godfrey Gabriel.

Simpson believes it won’t be too long before some of these youngsters are making their League debuts. The juniors, like their senior colleagues, all wear smart blue club tee-shirts which helps to generate a true club spirit.

The Polish contingent has been boosted to three with Rafal encouraging his friends Tomas Pietrzyk and Krzysztof Sobkiewicz to join him – and fine talent they are too!

They are seeking to achieve Deighton’s ambition for this season – a double promotion for both B and C teams.

The B team have certainly hit form since Christmas to take them clear at the top of Division II. Last week they entertained closest rivals Shelley A, who were unbeaten, and fielded a strong side of Pietrzyk, Aleksandrzak and Simpson. It proved to be a remarkable match.

First game paired Pietrzyk with Harry Ness, who found the Pole far too strong, losing in three 11-4,11-2,11-3.

The tables were turned when Matt Ellis equally comfortably beat Simpson 11-9, 11-8, 11-3.

Deighton then incredibly won the next six games to move into a 7-1 lead. Pietrzyk had a further two comfortable three-game wins over Ellis and Adrian Wilson, who had also lost earlier to Aleksandrzak (also in three).

Ness was involved in two of the best games. Firstly, the talented youngster found Simpson with a game-plan which he stuck to doggedly throughout. Simpson sent an early warning, winning the first game 11-8 with excellent counter attack and solid defence.

Ness hit back winning the next 11-5. Simpson took the third in deuce 13-11, lost the fourth 7-11 before a tense deciding game went all the way, with Simpson just nicking it 13-11. A surprise but fully merited win for the Deighton man.

With the match being played on two tables, Ness was soon back in action against Aleksandrzak and what a great match this proved.

Rafal took the first and third games 11-9 with Ness winning the second by the same scoreline. In game four, the Pole swept into an 8-2 lead before being pinned back to 8-8, then went 10-8 in front only to lose the game 12-10. Not for the first time this season Ness had shown incredible tenacity and not a little skill in recovering from a potentially losing position.

The deciding game was more comfortable for Rafal as he won 11-5, so completing a miserable night for Ness, losing all three singles for the first time.

His earlier conqueror, Simpson, then embarked on a long five-game set with Wilson, the Shelley man just edging it 13-11 in the decider.

The two Poles combined to win the doubles, giving Deighton an 8-2 victory and stretching their lead at the top to nine points.