Newly promoted Apex made a stunning debut in the SBCL appearance, despite Plymouth leading 3-1 after Hugo Nguyen beat Zihan Lin 14-12 in the fifth. Umair Mauthoor reclaimed the initiative for Wymondham with a spectacular performance, winning 3-2 (11-7, 8-11, 10-12, 11-0, 11-1) against Dominic Sussex. Wymondham went on to win the remaining matches, with Lin sealing the victory by coming from 2-0 down to defeat Harry Cutler 3-2 (5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-8).
Also in Round 1, National A1 runners-up Allied Pharmacy started well against SpinLab ABZ Finsbury, winning the first two matches through Joe Marlor and Mircea Neagu. Connor Whitehead looked set to make it 3-0, but his 3-2 (13-11, 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7) defeat to Yifu Zhang triggered a turnaround that saw Finsbury take all the remaining matches to win 6-2 overall.
The fourth promoted club, A2 runners-up Fusion II, began their campaign with a 4-4 draw against Ormesby II. Fusion trailed 1-0 but then moved ahead 3-1 and 4-2 as all four of their players picked up a win. However, a man-of-the-match double from Zac Greenhough kept Ormesby in contention, before Tom Rayner and Anthony Phoenix defeated Frederic Wilke and Martynas Matuzevicius respectively to clinch a point for the Middlesbrough side.
While Apex were battling Urban on Saturday afternoon, other close matches took place, including Allied picking up their first point in a 4-4 draw against BATTS II. Allied led 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3, but BATTS fought back each time, including a pulsating final match where Ethan Walsh edged out the unfortunate Whitehead 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 16-14).
Plymouth secured their first win, a 6-2 result against Ormesby, after winning the opening four matches. This included a fine comeback from Leo Nguyen to beat Greenhough 3-2 (4-11, 10-12, 11-8, 12-10, 11-7).
Archway also claimed their first triumph, winning 5-3 against Wymondham. Wymondham fought back three times to level the score, including a brilliant 3-2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 17-15, 19-17) win for Ryan Holland against Emir Geaner Culpedin to make it 2-2. However, Holland lost in five to Chow in match seven, and Culpedin sealed the win for Archway by beating Lin in three.
It was a similar story between Fusion and Finsbury, with the latter fighting back three times to level after Fusion had taken the lead. Ultimately, the Bermondsey side won the final two matches, as Josh Bruce beat Zhang 3-2 (4-11, 3-11, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10) and Matuzevicius overcame Abdullah Ubaidullah to seal the result.
While Apex were beating Allied 8-0 on Sunday morning (with Wykes defeating Marlor in the only match to go the distance), Archway made a statement of their own by defeating Ormesby 7-1, despite Greenhough putting the northerners 1-0 up.
BATTS finally secured their first victory, winning 5-3 against Fusion. Fusion trailed following Bruce’s opening match win over Jack Bennett but recovered to lead 3-1. Fusion remained competitive at 3-2 and 4-3, but Walsh was once again the match-winner for BATTS with a 3-0 (8, 8, 7) win over Matuzevicius.
Finsbury also won 5-3 against Plymouth, though they had to recover from a 2-0 deficit and win the final two matches to prevail. Leo Nguyen won two for Plymouth and Sussex beat Ho Yin Tam 3-2 (8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 10-12, 11-8). Ubaidullah won twice for Finsbury, including a victory over Cutler in the final match to seal the overall win.
Wymondham and Urban drew 4-4, with the Norfolk side taking the lead four times only to be pegged back each time. Mauthoor was the only player to win twice, including an 11-9 victory in the fifth against Achampong, and the final match also went to five games, with Jake Grayson beating Lin to secure a draw for Urban.
Wymondham were whitewashed by Apex in the final round on Sunday afternoon, though the scoreline obscures another strong performance from Mauthoor, who lost 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 12-14, 11-6, 11-5) to Awolaja in match one and 3-1 (11-13, 11-5, 17-15, 11-6) to Barius in match five.
BATTS enjoyed their most emphatic scoreline, winning 7-1 against Plymouth, for whom Sussex won the opening match against Choong. It was all BATTS from that point forward, though three of the matches were decided by 3-2 margins as Walsh, Bennett, and Luc Miller all won twice.
Fusion saw Rikuto Morota and Bruce both secure doubles in a 6-2 win against Allied. Fusion had already secured the points at 5-0, including Morota beating Neagu 3-2 (11-8, 12-14, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3), before a late rally from their opponents.
There were four five-game matches between Archway and Finsbury, with the Peterborough side winning 5-3. Of note were Jepson’s two matches; he won 12-10 in the fifth against Ubaidullah but lost 17-15 in the decider to Tam.
Completing a fourth round that featured every possible scoreline from 4-4 to 8-0 was the draw between Urban and Ormesby. It was a rollercoaster affair as the Londoners led 1-0 and 2-1, trailed 3-2, led again at 4-3, and ultimately drew. Greenhough continued his impressive weekend with two wins for Ormesby, including a 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 12-14, 12-10) victory against Hirji. Payet won her two for Urban, including a fifth-game win against Adam Webster.
Apex dominate the averages, with Barius and Wykes winning eight from eight, Downing winning all four of his, and Awolaja winning seven from eight. The only player from another club to break into the top five was Wu, who won all his matches following that opening defeat to Hirji. Peyet, Walsh, Morota, and Greenhough all won six out of eight.
The next weekend of the Championship is 7-8 November.
