KETH LEE was crowned Keighley Table Tennis champion after winning the singles title at the annual competition.

The event started at 9.30am and finishing with the singles final at 6.00pm after an action-packed day.

Lee beat Gareth Wiles 21-23, 21-16, 21-11 in the final. Although Wiles won the first game, Lee soon exposed the youngster's Achilles' heel, plundering points by hitting hard and deep to his backhand, a tactic that ultimately won the spoils for the talented Lancastrian.

The Veterans final was another closely fought encounter with Rod Robertson beating Steve Taylor 14-21, 21-12, 21-16. Peter Holbrook and Tony Boyd made it a hat-trick of wins in the doubles with a comfortable 21-18, 21-16 defeat of Steve Taylor and John Stones.

The Jack Webber Plate final featured a stirring encounter between Peter Kitching and Tim Boothman. Boothman just had the edge with a 21-18, 19-21, 21-16 victory that could have gone either way.

The Juniors final was more clear-cut with Gareth Wiles beating over Katie Lightowler 21-16, 21-13. However, Lightowler gleaned consolation by defeating Paul Beck in the Handicap final 42-32.

In the Boothman Plate, Johnson & Johnson progress to the second round following a 6-3 home victory over Stockbridge Spartans. John Pullen (2) set the ball rolling with a 17-21, 22-20, 21-17 defeat of Ray Wallace (5), an advantage that was doubled by Derek Stanforth's (7) 21-18, 21-19 win against Ryan Foulds (6).

Vince Ferran (9), playing his first match since the first week of the season chipped in with a couple that included a 21-14, 20-22, 21-18 defeat of Wallace. Best player for the Spartans was the impressive Munzir Nazir (3) who remained undefeated with wins against Pullen 21-19, 17-21, 21-16, Stanforth 21-14, 19-21, 26-24 and Ferran 21-14, 16-21, 24-22.

Lothersdale 'C' were another side to progress to the next round with a 6-3 victory over Haworth 'B'. An upset looked on the cards as the Third Division team started well with a 21-18, 21-19 win for Mohammed Nafis (10) against Jack Webber (6) followed by a Jack Anderson (2) defeat at the hands of Shaid Iqbal (10) 23-21, 19-21, 22-20.

However, the visitors could not press home their advantage and only a further win for Nafis against Richard Crookes (1) was added to their total as the Lothersdale boys swept to victory with wins for Crookes against Iqbal 19-21, 21-17, 22-20 and Kamran Ramzan (8) 21-18, 21-15, supported by wins for Webber against Iqbal and Ramzan and Anderson against Nafis and Ramzan.

The Crossflatts 'A' trio of Mick Cook (15), Ben Hinchcliffe (11) and John Patrick (10) enjoyed success in a closely fought encounter against Skipton 'B'. Hinchcliffe was top man for the winners with a full house that included a 21-17, 21-23, 21-16 defeat of Paul Griffin (12). Cook did well to beat Matthew Piergies (13) 22-20, 21-14 and a 23-21, 19-21, 21-19 win for Patrick against Griffin wrapped up the scoring for Crossflatts.

In the League, Nemesis gave themselves a boost in their fight against relegation with a 7-3 win at home to Nelson Nomads.

They looked dead and buried at the half way stage of the season with only 21 points from eight matches, the regular inclusion of John Stones and Steve Taylor in the team since then has seen them pick up 31 points in the last six outings, form that would see them comfortably placed in mid-table if continued over a full season.

Once again it was Taylor and Stones who did the damage, both remaining undefeated against David Ayrton, Michael Wrigley and Cath Lawson before teaming up in the doubles to get the better of Wrigley and Lawson 21-19, 21-8.

Oakbank have slipped recently and must be looking nervously over their shoulder after a 7-3 defeat at Terriers 'A' left them only eight points ahead of the resurgent Nemesis team. Tim Boothman was the architect of the hospital team's victory with wins against Katie Lightowler 17-21, 21-16, 21-14, Sam Fuller 21-13, 21-17 and Nick Clegg 21-14, 21-12. Good support from Stuart Myers, playing up from the 'B' team, earned his team a couple more with wins against Fuller and Clegg.

In Division Two, Embassy 'C' are almost out of sight at the top and, with only three to play it would take a miracle of Red Sea proportions for them to fail to take the champions crown. Their position at the top was further extended with a superb 9-1 win at home to Johnson & Johnson where only a battling 21-17, 21-15 win for John Pullen against Clive Sherratt stopped a whitewash.

Steve Crossland took his tally for the season to 24 from 26 with a quickfire treble and may yet finish top of the Second Division averages, but Derek Briggs finished his stint with the 'C' team for the season with a 21-14, 21-11 defeat of Alan Ripley as he has now played too many games in the First Division to qualify to play in the final run-in.

Second placed Terriers 'B' are almost certain to be the other promoted team with their 9-1 demolition of their 'C' team taking them 16 points clear of Lothersdale 'C'. Tom Lacey and Mark Emmott both posted maximums and only a Paul Lister defeat of Stuart Myers blotted the copybook for the victors.

RESULTS

Keighley Championships Winners:-Singles: Keith Lee. Vets: Rod Robertson. Doubles: Tony Boyd & Peter Holbrook. Jack Webber, Tim Boothman. Handicap: Katie Lightowler. Juniors: Gareth Wiles.

Division One: Lothersdale 'A' 2, Oakworth 'A' 8; Nemesis 7, Nelson Nomads 3; Terriers 'A' 3, Lothersdale 'A' 7; Terriers 'A' 2, Nemesis 8; Terriers 'A' 7, Oakbank 3; Ukrainians 7, Lothersdale 'B' 3.

Division Two: Cononley Sports 0, Embassy 'C' 10; Embassy 'C' 9, Johnson & Johnson 1; Lothersdale 'C' 7, Stockbridge Spartans 3; Terriers 'B' 9, Terriers 'C' 1.

Division Three: Oakworth 'B' 9, Skipton 'B' 1; St Peter's 3, Crossflatts 'A' 7; South Craven 0, Ilkley Road 'C' 10; Wilsden 6, Terriers 'C' 4.

Boothman Plate: Johnson & Johnson 6, Stockbridge Spartans 3; Lothersdale 'C' 6, Haworth 'B' 3 Skipton 'B' 4, Crossflatts 'A' 5.