WINDSOR Eagles are the 2016 winners of the Clacton and District Table Tennis League's Handicap Knock-Out Cup.

In an entertaining final - one of the best and closest for many seasons - the Eagles enjoyed a hard-fought 5-4 victory over fellow division one side Nomads Lions.

Windsor's Gary Cattermole, Mark Smith and Phil Smith produced an accomplished, all-round team performance, crucially winning all three doubles.

They were made to fight all the way by a determined Lions' side, with the experienced Brian Parish and John Hockley supplementing the youthful talent of Adam Wilkin.

The opening match was an engaging contest between father and son, Phil and Mark Smith (-6), and Lions' left-handers, Parish and Hockley (+1).

The Smiths came from behind to win the opening two sets and, although the Nomads' pair battled to take the third, the extra class of the Windsor duo saw them take the fourth.

The Lions hit back immediately as Wilkin (+1) made full use of his handicap advantage to beat Cattermole (-5) in three-straight before Mark Smith (-8) restored the Eagles' lead with another three-straight victory over Hockley (+1).

In match four, Phil Smith (-6) lost the first set 11-1 to Parish (+1) but this was just a precursor to the most exciting encounter of the evening.

Smith edged the second set 13-11 before Parish bounced back to take the third 11-9 but then let two match points slip in the fourth which Smith took 12-10.

Smith took a 9-6 lead in a tension-filled fifth set but Parish, using his many years' table tennis experience, won the next five points to come out on top 11-9.

The Eagles took the lead for a third time as Cattermole and Phil Smith (-6) edged past Wilkin and Hockley (+1) 13-11, 0-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9 in the middle doubles.

It proved the pivotal match of the final, with the Lions having winning opportunities in the first and third sets, as well as being level at 7-7 in the fifth.

But the Lions would not be crushed and won the next two matches to give them the lead for the first and only time.

In a near-carbon copy of his first singles match, Wilkin (+1) cruised past Mark Smith (-5) in three-straight.

Then, after sharing the first four sets, Parish (+1) recorded an unexpected victory over Cattermole (-6), establishing an 8-0 lead in the fifth before winning 11-2 to put the Lions on the brink of an unlikely victory.

However, the Eagles were not to be denied, Phil Smith (-6) defeating Hockley (+1) in three-straight to send the final into a deciding ninth match.

In the final doubles, Cattermole and Mark Smith (-5) adopted a more considered approach against Wilkin and Parish (+1) and induced enough errors from their opponents to win 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 - and with it the cup for 2016.

It was the narrowest of victories but it capped a fine season for the Eagles, just seven days after becoming division one runners-up - by just one point.

Cup final results: (Windsor Eagles named first): M Smith/P Smith (-6) beat B Parish/J Hockley (+1) 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8; G Cattermole (-5) lost to A Wilkin (+1) 5-11, 5-11, 2-11; M Smith (-8) beat Hockley (+1) 11-8, 11-8, 11-7; P Smith (-5) lost to Parish (+1) 1-11, 13-11, 9-11, 12-10, 9-11; Cattermole/P Smith (-6) beat Wilkin/Hockley (+1) 13-11, 0-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9; M Smith (-5) lost to Wilkin (+1) 3-11, 5-11, 1-11; Cattermole (-6) lost to Parish (+1) 11-7, 6-11, 4-11, 11-9, 2-11; P Smith (-6) beat Hockley (+1) 11-5, 11-5, 11-6; Cattermole/M Smith (-5) beat A Wilkin/Parish (+1) 11-6, 11-6, 11-5.