THERE were shockwaves at the top of the Burnham and District Table Tennis Winter League as Cold Norton B fell to Woodham A, leaving the door open for Fambridge.
Woodham A ended Cold Norton B's unbeaten streak with a trio of Dans, leading to a 6-4 away victory.
The 'Danage' was done by Dan Young and Dan Zeffie, who both secured hat-tricks.
Dan Zeffie's evening was particularly intense, as he battled through two nail-biting five-set matches against Ian Wall and Sam Lowman, along with a four-set victory over Dave Richardson.
Despite the singles dominance, the Dans faced a setback in the doubles category, losing a hard-fought five-set encounter to the duo of Lowman and Wall.
Woodham's third Dan was unable to add to the scoring but was happy to witness his team's dominance.
The shifting dynamics of the league mean that just four points now separate the top teams; with Cold Norton's defeat allowing Fambridge to tighten the race for the title.
Fambridge player John Poysden was heard to say that this was their best week yet – even though they did not play.
Everything is now to play for ahead of the sold-out clash between the top two teams in early March.
In other matches within Division 1, Mapledene A found their way back into form with a six-four win over Cold Norton C.
The key performer was Steve Muth, who led the charge with a treble in the 6-4 win.
Glenn Johnson, stepping up to assist the A team, contributed with two victories, while Dan Patynski added a point against Tim Cramphorn.
Cold Norton C's Arron Chandler had a commendable performance, taking two wins but narrowly losing to Muth in a dramatic five-setter.
The busiest player of the night was Cold Norton’s Martin Archie who played a full bag of 15 legs for just the single win 11-9 in the fifth over Patynski.
Meanwhile, Mapledene B enjoyed a solid 7-3 win against Stow Maries A, predominantly thanks to the efforts of the Jacob brothers.
Simon Jacob remained untouchable, winning all his matches without dropping a leg, and David Jacob mounted a brilliant comeback in a grueling five-set match against Gary Brignall.
In Division 2, Blackwater A asserted their position as contenders with an emphatic 8-2 victory over Woodham C. Key players Denis Balic and Neil Freeman each notched treble wins.
Resistance came from Scott Perry, who pushed Freeman to the limit in a closely contested five-set battle.
The leaders of the division, Maldon A, continued their dominance with a 9-1 triumph over Blackwater B, with hat-tricks for Lloyd Bennett-Smith and Colin Napper.
Mapledene C combined for a 6-4 win over Cold Norton E, but Cold Norton's Dick Wyman won all three singles and combined with grandson Oscar for the doubles.
In Division 3, Gary Smith's struggles continued as he lost two matches, but his team still managed a 7-3 win, remaining on top of the standings.
Andrea Alleyne gave a formidable performance, earning a hat-trick.
Blackwater D remained on course for a runner-up finish, winning comfortably against St Lawrence, with Dave Benstead defeating Mike Burton 14-12.
Blackwater's other players, Jacqui Treacey and David Sage, wrapped up the scoring with a brace of wins each.
In the only Blackwater derby of the week, the E team outplayed the F team with an 8-2 victory.
Phil West had an unbeaten and largely untroubled evening, supported by his wingwomen Deb Ginn and Kath Little with two wins apiece.
For the F team Dave Gardner won against Deb Ginn, while Anne Brewer took a point of Kath Little.
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