CIPPENHAM Table Tennis Club finished as the runners-up in Division Five of the Women’s British League after the final weekend of matches in Wolverhampton.

Their only defeat came in the last match against champions Wensum – a game that Cippenham would have needed to win in order to wrestle the title from their Norwich-based opponents.

Cippenham started the weekend in second position in the table and level on points with Wensum and maintained the place following a 4-2 win against Stantek in the opening match.

The trio of Julie Dean, Denise Weller and Sue Hayes put the Bucks side 3-0 ahead before Weller lost to Suzy Robinson. Dean however completed her brace against Lesley Slack to ensure her team kept the pressure on with both points.

The second match was against Sutton at Hone and a point was dropped after a 3-3 draw. Sutton went 2-0 up before Mary Heffernan got Cippenham back into the match with a 3-2 success against Carol Homewood.

Dean lost to Helen Shields, but Heffernan claimed her second five-game victory over Heidi Smith before Hayes claimed the point Cippenham craved with a 3-0 demolition of Homewood.

Play on the first day concluded with a 5-1 win over bottom team Halton 4s. Both Hayes and Weller won two apiece and the only loss came in the dead rubber right at the end when Heffernan succumbed to Great Britain para player Fliss Pickard.

The pressure on the leaders was maintained on the morning of day two as Cippenham beat Fastbats 4-2. Both Hayes and Heffernan secured a brace whilst the unfortunate Dean was twice undone.

The win set up the final game of the season between second-placed Cippenham ad top-of-the-table Wensum - who had gone through the weekend without dropping a point and thus were one ahead in the table. Cippenham needed to win the match to secure the title whereas a draw was sufficient for Wensum.

Both Hayes and Weller lost their opening matches but Heffernan against Isobel McGerty, and then Weller against Ella Barnard, restored parity to give the team some hope.

However, both Hayes and Heffernan lost their final matches and Wensum ran out 4-2 winners to claim the divisional title.