The first few matches have taken place in Division 2 over the last couple of weeks and already one or two teams are showing that they are going to take some stopping this season.
Top of the early season table - admittedly with several teams yet to enter the fray - are perennial challengers North Oxford with two wins from their first two matches. The first was a comfortable 3-0 win over Berkhamsted 2 at Berkhamsted which was followed two days later by another away win, this time 2-1 against the Old Millhillians 2 at Mill Hill. This looked at one stage like it would be another 3-0, as second and third pairs were won easily and Graham Pulsford and Nick Shaw had gone 2-0 up at first pair against Joe Coakley and Sunil Tailor. The fact that they had won the first two games 15-13 and 14-12 (having been 7-1 down) gives a clue that it hadn't been plain sailing for the North Oxford duo, however, and Joe and Sunil struck back impressively, winning the third 12-4. It soon became clear that this match was going to go the distance: both pairs had chances to win before finally, with the clock showing 10:55pm, the Millhillian pair clinched the fifth game 15-11 having won the fourth 14-12. An early contender for match of the season!
The Millhillians were actually playing their third match in September, having also lost 2-1 at home to Berkhamsted 2, a match which saw Coakley feature in another five game thriller, this time coming out on the wrong end, partnering Jack Weller against Jeremy O'Neill and Dave Smith. The Millhillian point in that match was scored at third pair by recent school leavers Matthew Jackson and Oliver John, who look set to make a name for themselves this season.
The OMs first match of the season was against the Old Salopians at Westway, the Shrewsbury outfit immediately showing that they mean business in Division 2 this season with a convincing 3-0 victory by a side containing the likes of Ed Taylor, T Walters and Tom Gerrard. If they continue to field sides of that strength they really will be tough to beat this year.
Elsewhere in the Division, the Berkhamsted boys played two matches in one day: their loss to North Oxford in the afternoon having been preceded by a 2-1 defeat to a schoolboy dominated Highgate side. Again, Berkhamsted looked to their top man Jeremy O'Neill, in partnership with the Cambridge-bound Alex Rattan, to pick up their point at first pair.
The other two teams to have started their campaigns are the Ipswichians and Olavians 3, who met at Highgate on Wednesday night. The Olavians were unfortunately unable to field a third pair and their four players were all Under the age of 20, mirroring the efforts by their top division teams to give experience to some of their promising youngsters. The Ipswichians also fielded a resonably young side (if you discount the presence of Nick Bunyan, back in the OI ranks this season) and David Leach partnered the veteran Bunyan to a win at first pair over Brian Wang and Davin Chandra. The Olavians avoided the whitewash with a second pair win for Luke Abraham and Sam Rix over OI skipper Tom Fletcher and Stephen Bland.