Five teams from the New Milton Table Tennis Club were involved in the Annual Times & Directory Handicap competition last week, with three of them going through to the next round. Four of the matches were in the Cup proper with three teams going through, whilst the “Plate” saw the F team deprived of further progress.

Both teams who normally ply their trade in the 1st Division booked their places in Round 3 of the Cup having defeated teams from lower divisions. The C team (John Millward, Shaun Newcomb & Brian Bickell) beat Div 3 outfit Winton YMCA C 6-2, courtesy of a terrific hat-trick from England Veteran Bickell, two wins from Captain Millward and the one from wheelchair-player Newcomb.

The D team (Frank Handy, Gerard Redman & Paul Iliffe) took the same haul of 6 games from Div 5’s Merton K in their 6-1 victory, aided and abetted by a hat-trick from Redman (pictured below) who didn’t drop a set. Iliffe won both of his matches and Captain Handy won his one of out two by the skin of his teeth 21-20, 21-20.

Milton’s most emphatic Cup win came from the J team (Plamen Petrov, John Parkhouse & Mike Roberts) with an 8-1 thumping of Bmth Sports L who play a division lower than them in Div 4. Impressive new signing Petrov scored a hat-trick as did Captain Roberts, but Parkhouse had to settle for a brace.

The K team (Sid Daynes, James Harper & Mike Gent) from Div 5 were as-close-as-this to joining their team mates in the next round of the Cup, but they narrowly lost 4-5 to Div 2’s Ringwood B. 15 year old Harper and stand-in captain Gent had bagged a brace apiece and it fell to Daynes to try to keep his side in the Cup. He got off to a good start by winning his first set 21-15 against the very experienced Chris Morgan to raise Milton’s hopes. That proved a false dawn however as Daynes lost the next two 20-21, 20-21, you can’t get closer than that!

Five New Milton teams were in the draw for Round 1 of the Plate, but the F team (Sylvia Smith, Andrew Stainton & Steve Cheesman) were the only ones to see action as the G, H, L and M teams got byes to Round 2. Unfortunately they won’t be joining their club mates in the next round as the Div 2 outfit lost 2-7 against Bmth Sports M who are struggling in Div 5. Captain Cheesman and Stainton replied for Milton with a win apiece.

The next round of matches are scheduled to be played week commencing 29^th January.

CUP (ROUND 2

New Milton C (Div 1) 6 Winton YMCA C (Div 3) 2

(John Millward 2, Shaun Newcomb 1, Brian Bickell 3)

New Milton D (Div 1) 6 Merton K (Div 5) 1

(Frank Handy 1, Gerard Redman 3, Paul Iliffe 2)

New Milton J (Div 3) 8 Bmth Sports L (Div 4) 1

(Plamen Petrov 3, John Parkhouse 2, Mike Roberts 3)

New Milton K (Div 4) 4 Ringwood B (Div 2) 5

(Sid Daynes 0, James Harper 2, Mike Gent 2)

PLATE (ROUND 1)

New Milton F (Div 2) 2 Bmth Sports M (Div 5) 7

(Sylvia Smith 0, Andrew Stainton 1, Steve Cheesman 1)