Was the annual Ipswich table tennis championships this weekend just gone, marvellously arranged by Mr Jimmy Farrow at the Corn Exchange. I entered the div 2 competition and found myself in a mini round robin with "Wardy" Martyn and Brian P from St Margaret's. Martyn the Lefty beat the both of us, and I scraped past Brian. However, I then had a straight KO game against The Boy Josh and finished second. Turns out that I lost to both finalists, Josh eventually edging past Martyn.

Josh was back playing at BT tonight; fortunately that was on the other table in a separate match. Facing over the net for the first time this season were Margaret's Saints Preserve Us, comprising the s(t)olid names of Bob, Colin and Brian. For us, only Ed and Grenvyle. Apparently, three other players are registered to play for the BT Defiants and have recently fallen off ladders or given up smoking or ticked the unavailable box.

Grenvyle's games are short and savoury, standing up but going down in straight ends to B, C and B. Ed takes ages to lose to Colin, furiously chopping like a sous-chef, and also comes unstuck versus Brian, who turns the TT table from our game at the weekend. One singles to play and we're 8-0 down, Saints Alive. Ed salvages a point from Bob "Wonderland" Ellis, and the crack doubles combo of Ed/Grenvyle is self-selecting but ultimately self-defeating.