All the youngsters recorded wins, Cassin helping Pegasus A to victory over St Joseph C; Tupper winning a crucial game to give CCC B victory against their C team; and Band getting an impressive 3-1 result against Tom Quinn, though his St Joseph B team lost out to their A side.
Walker, meanwhile, played his part in CCC A’s 10-0 victory over Pegasus B.
The night’s longest match was CCC B’s 6-4 victory over their C team, with Bobby Vincent winning his three, the tightest being 3-2 against Kevin Allen.
Barry Vibert had 3-2 wins against Ian Lambert, a former Island player returning to the game, and Daniel Smith but lost 3- to Allen.
Tupper lost 3-0 to Allen and 3-2 to Lambert but beat Smith 3-2.
Allen and Lambert beat Vibert and Vincent 3-1 in the doubles.
Pegasus A beat St Joseph C 6-4 with former Island champion David Cronin (another returning after a few years’ absence) and Clive Hansford both beating Mark Brockbank and Andy Ricou 3-0, but both losing to Colin Marriott.
Marriott had an excellent 3-2 victory over Cronin, emphatically beat Hansford 3-0 and also beat young Cassin 3-1.
Cassin also lost 3-1 to Brockbank but beat Ricou 3-1, to give his side the win.
Hansford and Cronin beat Marriott and Ricou 3-0 in the doubles.
In the other match CCC A beat Pegasus B 10-0.
Eugene Ellis won all his matches 3-0, ably supported by Island ladies’ champion Kay Lefebvre who beat Paul Routier 3-0, Anthony Lewis 3-1 and Alistair Gallichan 3-2, 17-15 in the final game.
Walker, also started the season well beating Gallichan and Routier 3-1 and Lewis 3-2.
Ellis and Lefebvre beat Lewis and Marcus Hawgood 3-0.
The structure of the Division I season has been changed with the teams now only playing each other three times in the season, leaving every fourth week free for an Open handicap tournament.
This is to give the younger players an opportunity to match the top seniors and help them to gain valuable experience from some tight matches.
And a new Division IV is being formulated to accommodate any new youngsters who have taken up the sport and wish to progress.
Said JTTA president Chris Band: ‘The standard of play has improved immeasurably since our development officer Craig Gascoyne arrived a year ago.
New young players are very welcome to attend the Geoff Reed Centre at the FB, with starter sessions being held every Sunday from 3 to 4.30 pm.’ Other results, Division II – St Mary beat Victoria B 9-1 (Ken and Darren Le Brun both winning three); Pegasus beat Victoria A 9-1 (stalwarts Jack Hanby and Trevor Motto leading the way); CCC A beat CCC B 8-2 (Reserve Norman Quérée, the only non-junior involved, won all three of his games).
Division III: CCC A drew 5-5 with CCC B (a good draw for the young A team, with B’s veteran Harry Cooper winning all his three singles); CCC C beat St Joseph 7-3 (Ben Beeley won his three and the doubles with Oliver Meaton); St Mary A beat St Mary B 9-1 (the B’s only victory coming in the first match when Brian Nicolle beat Vic Roberts 11-9 in the fifth).
