It was five wins out of six for the New Milton Table Tennis Club in Round One of the Annual Times and Directory Handicap Cup competition just before the Christmas break. Their D team then went on to play their Round 2 match earlier than scheduled and beat their H team to book their place in Round 3.

The Cup provides an interesting diversion from the league programme in that enables teams across all divisions to be drawn against each other in a handicapped competition, best of three matches up to 31, with no doubles.

Last year’s cup runners up New Milton A (Brian Vibert, Phil Handy and Steve Hemmings) took on fellow Premier side North Bournemouth A and beat them 5-1 at Mudeford Wood. The Milton trio won the first four matches but Hemmings lost the fifth to North’s Steve Davies. Captain Vibert wasn’t having any more nonsense and won the sixth to secure a place in Round 2.

Div 1’s B team (Malcolm Floyd, Shaun Newcomb and Julie Smillie, all playing off +13) beat Div 5’s Shamrock B by 6-2 at home. Newcomb and Smillie both won their first two matches but captain Floyd lost his first two. However, Floyd came up trumps by winning his final game to secure victory at 5-2 and Smillie rammed the message home by winning her final match.

The club’s only loss came at Mudeford Wood as the F team lost to fellow Div 3 side Shamrock A by 4-5. It was poised at 4-4 as captain Sylvia Smith (+20) and Frank Handy (+17) won two apiece, but Ian Linney (+19) drew two blanks. The pressure was on Linney for the decider but he lost to Shamrock’s similarly handicapped Paul Grevatt to exit the competition.

The D team (Terry Jenvey, Roy Hobbs and Bob Fagan) visited Div 2 fellows Winton YMCA A and came away with a 5-3 victory. Captain Jenvey playing off +13 won two as did Hobbs (+16), and Fagan also off +16 chipped in with the one win.

The G team (Malcolm Nash, Lewis Reading and Eddie Tompkins, all playing off +20) who normally play in Div 3 took on Div 4’s Merton G at Southbourne and came away with a 7-2 victory. Reading played out of his skin to grab a hat-trick and captain Nash and Tompkins won two apiece. It was all over at 5-2 but Nash and Reading rammed the message home by each winning their last match.

The club’s most emphatic win came as Div 4’s H team (Bobo Liang and Peter & Andrew Daish) won 8-1 away against Div 3’s Broadstone C. It was all over at 5-0 thanks to two apiece from brothers Peter (+23) and Andrew Daish (+21) and one from Liang (+21). Broadstone’s Brian Vincent playing off +16 gained a consolation by pipping Andrew Daish 31-29, 31-29 in the seventh, but Peter Daish and Liang won the final two matches.

The first of the cup derbies took place just after Christmas as the D team (Div 2) took on the H team (Div 4) at Mudeford Wood in Round 2 of the Cup. With both sides fielding exactly the same teams as in Round 1, the D team had it won by 5-2. Terry Jenvey beat Bobo Liang but lost to Peter Daish, Bob Fagan beat Liang and Peter Daish but lost to Andrew Daish, and Roy Hobbs beat both Daishes. It was decided to play the two remaining matches to complete the evening and Hobbs lost to Liang and Jenvey lost to Andrew Daish to end up at the closer looking 5-4.

The remainder of the Round 2 matches are to be played Week Commencing 9th January.