Veteran John Lloyd has retired from the game after playing his final match in division three of the Northern Powergrid York and District Table Tennis League, writes John Temple.

Widely admired in the league, the talented Lloyd has enjoyed more than over 50 years of competitive play, mainly at Poppleton where he was a coach of younger players for many years, and more recently Bootham, where he played for the ‘D’ team.

His side rose to the occasion of Lloyd’s final match, edging out Holgate ‘E’, winning the doubles to clinch the match 6-4.

Matt Ayres was unbeaten.

Pete Taylor drove Holgate ‘E’ to a narrow win over BT ‘B’, turning in an excellent performance to win his three singles.

He followed up by assisting in a doubles success, and he was also in fine form as his side slammed Shepherds ‘D’ 8-2.

In division four, Aviva ‘B’ whitewashed a depleted Bootham ‘F’ but then crashed 8-2 to RI ‘H’, for whom Norman Smithson and Matt Roberts were undefeated.

Roberts followed up by guiding his side to a similar win over Bootham ‘F’, though they could only manage a draw against a Chris Megone-inspired RI ‘I’.

Tom Lines, Keith Hood and Pete Wareing were too good for Hartrigg Oaks in a 10-0 romp.