Braintree Table Tennis League: Black Notley B, Sudbury Strollers and the Young Generation Rising from the Lower Divisions

Braintree Table Tennis League: Black Notley B, Sudbury Strollers and the Young Generation Rising from the Lower Divisions

The pre-season report from Table Tennis England made a notable observation: tight races could appear right from the start in divisions two and three. To outsiders, this is just information about a club-level competition. But to those who have spent years following grassroots table tennis, it is a signal that a system is working properly. There is no world ranking, no major prize money, no television cameras. There are only recently relegated teams, young players taking their first steps into adult competition, and families quietly sitting at the side of the hall watching their children compete.

I have followed local leagues long enough to understand that this is where table tennis is truly nurtured. Some young shoots do not need big stadium lights; they only need a warm patch of soil to take root. Braintree this season is such a patch. When the bright lights of international events are far away, divisions two and three still tell a meaningful sports story: a story of comebacks, of amateur ambitions, and of a group of young players being given the chance to grow.

Division Two: Black Notley B and the advantage of the relegated team

In club-level competitions, a relegated team is always an interesting question mark. Many assume they become weaker after relegation, but the opposite is often true. A relegated team tends to keep its strongest players in order to bounce back immediately. Black Notley B fits that pattern. The team is considered the number one candidate for the division two title.

What makes them strong? First, there is Neil Freeman, who won 60 per cent of his matches in division one last season. That is not an overwhelming percentage, but in the context of division one, where every player is solid, 60 per cent is a reliable level. The second key figure is Rev Matthews, who recorded 86 per cent of victories in division two last season. Together, they form a dependable scoring pair at the top of the order.

The biggest advantage, though, is Steve Kerns, a former men’s singles champion of the league. The pre-season report says Kerns will be available for about half of the team’s matches. A player who has won the league’s most prestigious title, even at half capacity, has enough class to change a match. The strength of a lower-division team is decided not by the win percentage of any individual, but by the ability of experienced players to appear at the right time. Black Notley B currently owns that edge.

However, the phrase “about half” in Steve Kerns’s schedule is a detail that catches my attention. In amateur leagues, squad readiness matters just as much as skill. A team can have three of the best players in the division, but if they rotate in and out, the remaining players will carry heavy pressure. Black Notley B has the advantage of Freeman and Matthews as regular anchors; Kerns is a catalyst, not a pillar. But if one of the two anchors is absent because of personal schedules, the equation becomes much harder.

Sudbury Strollers: When two pillars are not enough to build a team

The biggest challenger to Black Notley B in division two is Sudbury Strollers. The team finished second last season and has individuals who know how to make a difference. Dave Fiddeman won 92 per cent of his matches last season, an impressive mark even if it comes from a lower division. John Colvin added 75 per cent. Those are two obvious sharp edges.

But in team table tennis, two sharp edges are not enough. A team usually needs at least three steady players in each fixture. The Table Tennis England report does not hesitate to point out this weakness: Sudbury Strollers’ fate may depend on who backs up Dave Fiddeman and John Colvin, and how often those backup players appear. This is the line between a team that looks strong on paper and a team that is strong in reality.

I have seen several local teams with two players clearly better than the rest fail because they lacked a reliable third player in decisive matches. When the fixture list is dense, when amateur players must balance family and work, squad depth becomes the most important weapon. Sudbury Strollers can make a real challenge if they find a third player who knows how to win points in close matches. If they do not, they will likely remain runners-up, and Black Notley B will take the title.

Division Three: Finchingfield B lose a player, but not their place

Moving to division three, the picture is more complicated. Finchingfield B, the runners-up last season, have lost Lucien Nolan-Bradford. This is a major loss, because Nolan-Bradford nearly swept through the division with only one defeat. The only player to beat him was Ben Southgate, and that match ended 16-14 in the fifth game. A single loss, especially when the deciding game is that tight, says a great deal about the mentality of both players.

But Finchingfield B will not necessarily weaken. They still have Ray Nolan-Bradford in the squad, and they have added Dave Punt, who moves down from division two. A player used to higher-level competition usually adapts more easily to a lower division than a player trying to climb up. Dave Punt could be the piece that keeps Finchingfield B competitive. More importantly, the team already knows how to play together and has not gone through too much reshuffling.

In division three, Finchingfield B’s biggest rival may not be an older name. It could be Black Notley F, a new team created from the Black Notley club system. The pre-season report notes that one Black Notley F player made an impressive debut, enough to cause surprises among higher-ranked teams. The fact that a local club can register a fourth, fifth or sixth team shows that their membership base is strong. In grassroots table tennis, having an F team compete regularly is one of the clearest signs of a healthy development system.

The younger generation: Ethan Collins and the adult baptism

The most interesting part of divisions two and three this season is not only the title race. It is how teams are giving opportunities to young players. Ethan Collins is only 12 years old but has already won three cadets titles and one junior boys’ title. At his age, that is an impressive collection. But junior competitions are one world, and adult competitions are another. Serve speed, patience in long rallies and the ability of older players to read the game will be the real test.

Ethan Collins’s second season in this division will show us which direction he is taking. A young talent can win age-group matches with speed and reflexes. But when facing experienced players who can exploit every footwork flaw, he needs more than quickness. He needs patience, tactical discipline and a cool head. If Collins survives this season, his potential will be much greater than what his junior titles suggest.

Alongside Collins, Rayne D has introduced two more young players: Sai Suresh, 14, and Aryaman Singh, 13. Both are being closely watched by league coach Keith Martin. The report calls this a “baptism” for the two players, and the image is accurate. When a young player first enters an adult match, he must learn how to handle pressure, how to deal with situations that were not in the training plan, and how to accept defeat when the opponent is older and stronger.

I often say that each generation of talent is a geological layer. If you dig into the wrong layer, you find rubble. In Braintree, the under-18 generation is clearly present in divisions two and three. That suggests the soil here is being turned the right way. The organisers and clubs are not just creating a playground for adults; they are designing a path for young talents to move up step by step. That is the most sustainable value of local table tennis.

JJ Calisin: A timely jump to division one

Among the young players to watch, JJ Calisin, 18, is a special case. Calisin is not a newcomer. He has made impressive strides, and the plan this season is to move him up to division one at Christmas. This is an important detail. It shows how a club or a coach can plan a young player’s development with a clear roadmap.

Instead of pushing Calisin into division one at the start of the season, the club gives him half a season to build confidence, sharpen his touch and get used to the pressure of official matches. In January, when the rhythm is established, he will be raised to a new challenge. That is a sensible development model. High-level table tennis requires not only technique, but also maturity in choosing shots, managing energy and coping with defeat.

I do not write about the match of the day, but about the person they become afterwards. For JJ Calisin, this season should not be judged by wins and losses alone. It should be judged by how ready he is when he steps up to division one in the middle of the season. If he remains calm and consistent, that will be a very positive sign for his future.

Lucien Nolan-Bradford and the 16-14 footnote

In a local tournament, mentioning a player’s only defeat feels like a detail too small to matter. But to me, it is a precious artefact. Lucien Nolan-Bradford dominated division three last season, losing only once to Ben Southgate, and that match ended 16-14 in the fifth game. That means Southgate found a way to break the dominance at the decisive moment. If the two meet again, their contest will carry an extra psychological layer.

Spectators tend to remember big wins and spectacular rallies. But those who work in the game pay attention to narrow losses. A 16-14 fifth-game defeat says more than the final result. It speaks about handling pressure, about serve choices in critical moments, and about how a player reacts when the opponent pushes them to the limit. Ben Southgate won 87 per cent of his matches last season. If he keeps that level, he could be the surprise factor in division three this season. But new division, new opponents, new pressure. That can only be answered at the table.

Data for reference, the table is the judge

People are easily seduced by win-loss percentages. Freeman 60 per cent in division one, Matthews 86 per cent in division two, Fiddeman 92 per cent in a lower division, Colvin 75 per cent. Looking at these numbers, we can predict that a team will be strong, but we cannot predict how they will play on a given night. Does Freeman depend on a forehand serve? Does Matthews win with long sidespin or short returns? Can Fiddeman cope with fast close-range attacks? Data does not answer those questions.

That is why I never put statistics above live observations. Statistics help us narrow the list of contenders, but only real competition shows how a player handles being pushed to a fifth game, how he adjusts after an opponent changes tactics in the first two games, or how he responds when the home crowd cheers for his opponent. An 86 per cent record may hide a weakness against short backhand serves or difficulty when the opponent attacks first. Therefore, this article offers no absolute prediction. It only identifies reliable signals for us to follow together.

A contrarian thought: losing a lot is also a way of growing

Here is a paradox I have observed over many seasons: young players who win too often in junior events often struggle when they move up to adult leagues, because they have never learned how to survive a defeat. On the other hand, a young player who loses more than he wins in his first season can develop faster mentally, because he is forced to correct mistakes after every match. He learns to accept the discomfort of losing and turn it into motivation.

If we look at Black Notley F, Rayne D and other teams with many young players, we will see that victory is not always what delivers the greatest value. A losing season with plenty of playing time, exposure to older players and lessons in reading opponents can be more valuable than a junior trophy. That is why I often say: young shoots do not need to be placed on a big stage too soon. They only need a warm patch of soil and enough time to grow.

What to expect from this season?

Black Notley B are the theoretical favourites for the division two title. Sudbury Strollers can become a real contender if they solve the squad depth issue. Finchingfield B remain strong despite losing their key player, and Black Notley F is the most interesting unknown in division three. But what I want to follow most this season is not the standings. It is how Ethan Collins passes through the difficult phase, how Sai Suresh and Aryaman Singh grow after their baptism, and how JJ Calisin steps into division one at Christmas.

The trophies may come later. The foundation of a player is built in lower-division matches, where the stands are almost empty, where nobody records the games, and where every defeat is a valuable lesson. Speed and silence each have their own language; I only write it down. See you in January, when Calisin moves up to division one, and when the season has answered some of the early questions. The story of Black Notley B, Sudbury Strollers, Finchingfield B and this group of young players is still being written, one match at a time, on tables without bright lights.