The New Milton Table Tennis Club improved on their last week’s return in the Bournemouth and District league as they won five matches, drew one and had four defeats. Club factotum Malcolm Floyd had cause for celebration as his first win in what seemed an eternity helped his B team to allay their relegation fears.

The B team needed to take a point off runaway leaders Bournemouth Sports H to keep their heads above water in Div 1 and captain Floyd chose just the right moment to break his four match duck. Floyd and his team mates Shaun Newcomb and Julie Smillie all beat Bourne’s Charlie Chan to snatch the precious point from a 3-7 defeat. As it happened, the two bottom teams also lost, which guaranteed Milton’s survival.

Also in Div 1, the C team (James Lewis, Alan Gordon and Max De Kment) pulled further away from their club mates with a 6-4 away win over the doomed Bournemouth Sports G. Bourne’s Saul Harris was in tremendous form as he beat the Milton trio and also proved their tormentor in the doubles.

Up in the Premier, the A team (Steve Hemmings, Brian Vibert and Phil Handy) did the double over lowly Kinson A with an 8-2 victory chez Kinson. Kinson were a player short and Hemmings beat both players in attendance to add to the three game advantage. Captain Vibert and Handy won one apiece and combined well in the doubles to earn maximum points.

Div 2 saw the D team’s topsy-turvy campaign continue as they beat the struggling Nimrod A 8-2 having lost 2-8 the previous week. Bob Fagan scored a terrific hat-trick, only dropping one set in the process, but captain Terry Jenvey and Roy Hobbs had to settle for a brace apiece. Fagan rested on his laurels as he watched as his team mates win the doubles to land maximum points.

Div 3 saw the second local derby between the E and F teams, the E’s claiming full bragging rights as they won 6-4 yet again. It was evenly poised at 3-3 after E’s captain Bev Scott-Johns beat opposing captain Sylvia Smith 16-14 in a nail-biting five setter. Clive Pitts beat Frank Handy, Simon Golding got the better of Smith to make it 5-3 for the E’s, but Svet Ignatov pegged one back as he saw off Scott-Johns in three straight sets. The F’s could sniff a draw, but Golding and Pitts weren’t having any more nonsense as they won the doubles in three straight sets against Ignatov and Handy.

Also in Div 3, the G team did the double over leaders Lynwood C with a 7-3 victory at the Arnewood School. Matthew Daish, who is now ranked 4th in the ETTA Under 12’s continues to defy superlatives as he came up with yet another hat-trick. Older brother Simon bagged a brace and Lewis Reading added one more to the tally.

Sibling rivalry came to the fore as another of Matthew’s brothers, 13 year old Peter scored a hat-trick to help his H team hold Breamore to a 5-5 draw at Arnewood in Div 4. Older brother Andrew chipped in with the one win, but John Parkhouse continues to confound as he drew a blank, although he was nursing a sore elbow. The Daishes blew away the Breamore pairing in the doubles to force the draw.

Div 5 saw the J team’s five week winning run come to an end as they lost 3-7 away to leaders Ringwood C. Captain Malcolm Douglas, Luke Gurton and Keith Kensley all beat Ringwood’s Jonty Preston so at least they came away with a point for their trouble.

Also in Div 5, the K team (Lucy Craddock, Sibyl Bartlett and Jack Fisher) avoided their second whitewash at the hands of Merton J as 14 year old Lucy pulled one back for Milton. As well as sparing her team’s blushes in a 1-9 defeat, Lucy displayed great maturity by recovering from losing the fourth set 3-11 to come back to nick the fifth 12-10.