The weekend started with so much promise, the Cippenham team in the Women’s British Clubs League Division 1 sitting in second place within a group of three teams separated only by sets difference. However, any hopes of promotion to the Premier Division, the top tier of women’s table tennis in Britain, slipped away with a disastrous run of results. One win and four defeats from the five matches during the final weekend of matches in Wolverhampton caused Cippenham to ultimately finish down in third place, seven points behind champions Worthing.

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The opening encounter of the weekend was against Enfield-based Ellenborough. The 4-2 defeat had much to do with narrow defeats early in the match. Mia Lakhani was the first to suffer, 11-9 in the fifth and deciding game against Hurey Ahmetoglu, then Anna Piercey went the same way against Sanja Clements. Between those two defeats, an even closer match saw Rachael Iles just get the better of Sara Williams. Mia offered Cippenham some hope with a 3-0 win against Clements and so it was left to Anna to bring home a point in the final match against Williams. The England number one veteran woman, though, got the better of Anna over five games and Ellenborough had triumphed 4-2.

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It was almost a similar story in the second match against Ormeau. Another 4-2 defeat for Cippenham whose Irish opponents won all three encounters that went the distance of five games while both Mia and Rachael beat their number one player Sabina Devereux more comfortably.

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Worthing, who won nine out of ten points during the weekend, proved just too strong in the final match on Saturday. Rachael and Mia narrowly lost out to Darcie Proud and Sally Hughes respectively in the opening two sets but then the team from the south coast stormed into a 5-0 lead before Mia beat Holly Holder for Cippenham’s only win.

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The only cheer for Cippenham came early on Sunday morning. Bottom team Byng Hall were swept aside 5-1 with Anna being adjudged player of the match for her two wins against Annabelle Baker and Jurate Brazaityte. Rachael also won her two matches and Cippenham won 5-1.

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With Anna unable to continue through injury, the weekend concluded with another defeat, this time 5-1 against Halton with Rachael being the only winner for Cippenham.