Category Archives: 4. Club Events
TRIO OF TABLE TENNIS TITLES FOR PLAMEN PETROV
New Milton Table Tennis Club’s annual closed tournaments culminated in their Grand Finals Night at the Grange School, Somerford on Thursday 14th June in front of a small but appreciative crowd.
First up was the Ladies Handicap Singles Final, which was the one and only match in this event as there were only two entrants, Sylvia Smith and Lynn Willrich. Willrich was out for revenge as she lost to Smith in last year’s final and was determined to capitalise on her +5 start. She came out with all guns blazing but Smith caught up at 15-15 only for her to fade and lose it 19-21. Willrich really started to believe and carried on with her outright attack to win the second 21-17 to reclaim her trophy from two years ago.
Next up was the Under 40s Handicap Singles between Kai Major and Michael Kominek. Kominek had a +10 start and completely overwhelmed Major to take the first set 21-6. Major recovered some composure to take the second 21-16, but Kominek wasn’t having any more of that and took the decider 8-21.
The Over 40s Handicap Singles was the first of the two finals between Stuart Burton and Plamen Petrov. Burton had a start of +11 but Petrov’s clever combination play proved too much for him and won it 21-19, 21-17.
To give Burton and Petrov a break between their next contest in the Handicap Singles Final, an Exhibition Match was staged between Matt Daish and Jack Trafford. This was a repeat of the Junior Singles Final which was held earlier on 10th May and the same outcome with Daish winning in two straight sets. Club members don’t often get the chance to see 17 year old Daish in action these days as he now plays in the German league. Next season he will playing in the Oberliga having recently signed for TTG Neckarbischofsheim based near Stuttgart. Trafford was voted the club’s joint most improved player last season and achieved an impressive 65% winning average in his first season in the Premier of the Bournemouth & District league.
The Handicap Singles Final had an air of inevitability about it as Petrov once again proved too much for Burton and won it again in two straight sets, 21-15, 21-17.
Petrov (pictured below) was looking for his third title of the evening as he and Sid Daynes took on Krzysztof Skwarek & John Parkhouse in the Doubles Final. Petrov and Daynes seemed to gel better than their opponents, and benefiting from a small +3 start they won it 21-14, 21-18.
Petrov looked like landing his fourth title as he won the first two sets against 15 year old Jack Trafford in the Open Singles Final 11-8, 11-6, mainly by effectively blocking Trafford’s forehand loops. However, the teenager sneaked the third set 12-10 and then the fourth more convincingly at 11-6 to set up the decider. Trafford was determined not to let Petrov back in the game, and with much more varied serves and attacking strokes he won it decisively 11-3.
Thanks to Club Secretary & Tournament Organiser Bev Scott-Johns for yet another set of very well organised tournaments. Bev is a Table Tennis England qualified Tournament Organiser and County Umpire; both skills being very much in evidence during the tournaments.
NEW MILTON G ARE TOP OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE!
Two of the New Milton Table Tennis Club’s teams suffered relegation in the Bournemouth and District league last season; the G team from Div 2 and the C team from the Premier. Both teams are doing their level best to jump back at the first time of asking, but the G team went into the Christmas break at the top of Div 3.
The G team (Dave Cuddon, Bob Fagan, Terry Jenvey & Chris Pusey) have won all of their matches apart from their narrow 6-4 loss in their derby against the J team, so they will be looking for revenge second time around. Captain Jenvey has led from the front with a 76% winning average, including five hat-tricks, one of them coming against the J team. Cuddon is just behind him on 75%, clearly benefiting from his year’s lay-off, and Pusey and Fagan are on 67% and 57% respectively. The Gees end the year at the top of Div 3 on 34 points with Bournemouth Sports K breathing down their necks on 31 points. Milton beat the Bourne 7-3 in their own back yard first time around, and the return match at Mudeford Wood on 19th February could be a cruncher, along with their return match against the Jays the previous week. The G team, excluding Dave Cuddon are pictured below (l-r Chris Pusey, Bob Fagan, Terry Jenvey):-
Although the C team (Brian Bickell, John Millward & Shaun Newcomb) are placed fifth in Div 1 on 27 points, only one point separates them from Bournemouth Sports D who are second on 28 points. If star veteran player Bickell remains fit and wheelchair player Newcomb’s niggling wrist holds good, the C’s should be able to keep up the pressure for the second round of matches.
The H team (Ian Linney, Lewis Reading, Sylvia Smith, Les Smith & Dave Sutton) won the Div 4 title last year and are more than holding their own in Div 3 as they lie in sixth place on 22 points. Star player Sutton only lost one match all last season and can be very proud of his 76% winning average at the higher level.
With these and other successes in mind, the club members were in a buoyant mood at their Annual Christmas party which was held once again at the Carpenters Arms in Bransgore. A good time was had by all 18 members and guests present, and the raffle raised £50 for the Oakhaven Hospice Trust.
In his traditional after-dinner speech, club secretary Bev Scott-Johns mentioned that the past twelve months had been a mixture of considerable success for the club’s teams and players, but tinged with sadness with the sudden passing of popular member Roy Hobbs in October. Roy had been a member of the club since 2007 and several club members attended his funeral at the Test Valley Crematorium.
Turning to the club’s successes, Bev mentioned the two league promotions last season as well as one of the teams coming runner-up in the Times and Directory Handicap Plate competition. In the Bournemouth and District Individual Tournaments held during March, New Milton players won a club record haul of trophies (nine titles and four runners-up).
For the first time in the club’s history, 12 teams were entered into the Bournemouth & District league for the current season, one more than last season. Terry Jenvey’s G team are currently top of Div 3 and Simon Heaps’ B team are third in the Premier.
Back in May, the club received Clubmark re-accreditation, which is Sport England’s national accreditation scheme for high quality community sports clubs. An accredited club is recognised as a safe, rewarding and fulfilling place for participants of all ages, as well as helping parents and carers know that that they are choosing the right club for their young people.
Thanks were extended to club Welfare Officer Lynn Willrich for making the arrangements for such a successful evening.
The club is always on the lookout for new members, from experienced players to absolute beginners, and in particular lady players and juniors. Anybody interested in joining our very friendly club should contact Bev on 01425 619552.
THE “AIRMEN” WIN SUMMER PAIRS
For the fifth consecutive year the New Milton Table Tennis Club ran a Pairs competition at Mudeford Wood Community Centre, a pair being a 2-player team and ran from late May until the end of August. The event was open to both club and non-club players. The Pairs League consisted of eight teams and each team was named after an historical or contemporary fighting force. Teams played each other twice, once at home and then notionally once away. The day’s matches were played at a single venue on the same night.
Team names were: Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Vikings, Saxons, Romans and Normans. Each team member played two singles and one doubles, each game being the best of 5 ends. One point was awarded for each end/ (set) won up to 11. The final match score was calculated by totalling the number of sets won by each team over the duration of the evening.
The Airmen finished the tournament as Pairs’ winners with 154 points, the Vikings achieving a strong runners-up position with 149 points. The Soldiers finished in 3rd position with 148 points after an excellent team performance. In 2016 the top two positions were reversed.
The most nail-biting session of the Pairs was in week 14 when the Airmen, who were in first place with 149 points, were drawn against their old rivals the Vikings, who were in third place with 134 points, and the Soldiers who were third with 138 points, were drawn against the Romans with 55 points. The outcome was that the Vikings won their final match 15 – 5 and the Soldiers won theirs 10 – 8. The game between Jack Trafford and Ben Greene was critical in securing the title for the Airmen. It was a thrilling five set match which contrasted Jack’s brilliant serve and attack against Ben’s superb defence and footwork. Jack eventually came out as the winner but by winning 2 sets Ben had done more than enough to secure the title for the Airmen.
Many congratulations to Gerard Redman and Ben Greene on an excellent team performance throughout the summer months. It was difficult tracking the team down to present their award, but the Sandy Fagan Memorial Trophy was eventually presented to Gerard (pictured below) at the club night on Sunday 1st October. Sandy was the former club secretary who sadly passed away in November 2015.
Finally I would like to say thank you to all those people who entered the tournament, helped me with administration and setting up / putting away equipment. I hope we can repeat this event next year.
Once again congratulations to the winning team and runners-up and thanks to everyone for your continued support.
BM Scott-Johns
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS FOR NEW MILTON TABLE TENNIS CLUB!
New Milton Table Tennis Club recently held their combined AGM/Presentation Evening down at the Mudeford Wood Community Centre at which Secretary Bev Scott-Johns reported on another very successful season.
Bev was delighted to report that club members had come away with a club record haul of trophies from the annual Bournemouth & District Individual Championships (9 titles and 4 runners-up). England Veteran Brian Bickell won the Vets 60+ and Vets 70+ titles, and Gerard Redman and Steve Hemmings took the Vets 40+ and Vets 50+ titles respectively. Jack Trafford won the Junior Under 15 title and came runner-up in the Junior Under 18, Bournemouth Handicap and Div 2 events. Andy Tipsana, Ben Greene and Adam Titcombe won the Div 1, Div 4 and Div 5 titles respectively. Steve Cheesman beat clubmate Graham Underwood to take the Div 3 title.
Two of the club’s teams gained promotion in the Bournemouth & District league: Les Smith’s H team won Div 4 and Graham Underwood’s G team came runners-up in Div 3. Unfortunately, John Millward’s B team and Terry Jenvey’s D team ended up in the relegation zones of the Premier and Div 2 respectively. The G team were runners-up in the Times & Directory Handicap Plate.
Bev mentioned that a considerable number of spectators attended the Grand Finals Night of the club’s annual Internal Championships, with Ben Greene having made it through to three of the finals (full listing of winners and runners-up appears below). Bev thanked all those who took part and assisted him with the administration of the tournaments. Pictured below are the trophy winners at the Presentation Evening, flanked by Bob Fagan (Club President) on the left and Steve Hemmings (Club Chairman) on the right.
Bev reported that club membership continued to rise and also pointed to the continued success of the club nights at the Grange School, Somerford. The number of teams entered into the league increased from 10 to 11 teams, and it is hoped to enter 12 teams into the league next season.
Bev was also very pleased to report that the club achieved its prestigious Clubmark re-accreditation, thanks largely to the efforts of Club Treasurer & Press Officer Malcolm Floyd. Chairman Steve Hemmings paid tribute to Malcolm’s efforts, adding that the re-accreditation was achieved in record time, with Table Tennis England commenting on the quailty of the submission. Clubmark stands for higher standards of welfare, equity, coaching and management in community sports clubs. An accredited club is recognised as a safe, rewarding and fulfilling place for participants of all ages and abilities, as well as helping parents and carers know that they are choosing the right club for their young charges.
Club Treasurer Malcolm Floyd presented the Annual Accounts which showed the club to be in a very healthy financial position, which meant that the membership fees did not need to be increased for next season.
The current officers and committee members were re-elected unopposed en bloc, and new member Sid Daynes was voted on to the committee. Committee for the new season: Chair: Steve Hemmings, Vice-Chair & Development Officer: Shaun Newcomb, Secretary: Bev Scott-Johns, Treasurer: Malcolm Floyd, Welfare Officer: Lynn Willrich. Committee members are Sid Daynes, John Parkhouse and Andrew Stainton (Junior Representative).
With the official business out of the way, Club President Bob Fagan presented the club’s annual trophies, ably assisted by chairman Steve Hemmings who had procured the trophies. After the presentation of the annual tournament trophies (listed below), the winners of the two annual discretionary trophies were announced:-
The James Lewis Shield for Most Improved Player was awarded jointly to Jack Trafford and Ben Greene as the committee found it impossible to choose a winner. 14 year old Trafford has been dedicated to his coaching and has consequently developed very quickly this year. This has culminated in considerable success in the league tournaments and his recent first win of a 2 star tournament. The other contender, Greene who played in Div 4 last year has also made dramatic progress this year, seemingly improving on a weekly basis. He also achieved great success at both the league and club competitions.
The Doris Marshall Memorial Plate for Club Person of the Year was unanimously awarded to Secretary Bev Scott-Johns for his outstanding contribution to the running of the club. This aligned nicely with Bev winning Table Tennis England’s Pride of Table Tennis Award back in November last year.
Annual Tournament Trophies:-
Scratch Singles: Winner: Matt Daish, Runner-up Simon Heaps.
Handicap Singles: Winner: Ben Greene, Runner-up: Andrew Stainton.
Ladies Handicap Singles: Winner: Sylvia Smith, Runner-up: Lynn Willrich.
Juniors (Under 18): Winner: Matt Daish, Runner-up: Jack Trafford.
Under 40s Handicap: Winner: Jack Trafford, Runner-up: Ben Greene.
Over 40s Handicap: Winner: Steve Cheesman, Runner-up Simon Heaps.
Doubles: Winners: Andrew Stainton & Stuart Burton, Runners-up: Sid Daynes & Ben Greene.
Anybody interested in joining the club or would just like some more information should contact Bev Scott-Johns on 01425 619552.
RUGBY CLUB FAMILY FUN DAY – NMTTC FLY THE FLAG!
NMTTC has supported the annual Family Fun Day for several years, but this year instead of the usual two table tennis tables there were eight tables as part of the launch of “Ping!” The tables were supplied by Jamie Burton, Physical Activity & Partnership Manager for New Forest District Council and proved very popular throughout the day. Club members in attendance were Steve Hemmings (Chair), Bev Scott-Johns (Secretary), Malcolm Floyd (Treasurer & Press Officer), John Parkhouse (Committee Member), Sylvia Smith & Gerard Redman whose support was much appreciated.
Jamie was there for the duration, as was Lee Monk from Table Tennis England, and Jamie arranged for the presentation of the Clubmark certificate to the club by Cllr Christine Ward, the Chairman of New Forest District Council. Jamie’s press release is reproduced below:-
New Milton Table Tennis Club has been awarded the prestigious Clubmark award by Sport England and Table Tennis England. Clubmark is Sport England’s national accreditation scheme for high quality community sports clubs and stands for higher standards of welfare, equity, coaching and management.
It rewards New Milton Table Tennis Club for having created the right environment to ensure the welfare of members is respected and encourages everyone to enjoy playing the sport at the club and stay involved throughout their lives. This can be seen by the recent success of members aged 13-80. It means that parents can rest assured that their children will be in a safe environment within a well-managed club.
The Club completed the application process in a record time.
The Club was congratulated by Table Tennis England, its National Governing Body, for the high quality and speed of its submission, thanks to the hard work of the volunteers involved, especially Steve Hemmings, Bev Scott-Johns and Malcolm Floyd.
The Club were on hand to support the launch of the Ping! New Forest at the New Milton Family Fun Day on Saturday 10th June at New Milton Rugby Club where Cllr Christine Ward, the Chairman of New Forest District Council, presented the club with their Clubmark certificate.
Graham Flexman, Clerk of New Milton Town Council was also on hand to represent the town council who were rightly proud of the achievements of the local table tennis club.
Pictured below (l-r) Dawn Flexman, Graham Flexman, Cllr Christine Ward, Steve Hemmings, Bev Scott-Johns, Malcolm Floyd & Jamie Burton.
In addition to being an “Ability Club” (Actively working with disabled people), the Club is also a 4-Star Premier Club, the highest rated club in the Bournemouth & District league.
The Club are always on the lookout for new members, from experienced players to absolute beginners, but would particularly like to attract more junior and female players. Anybody interested in joining our very friendly club, or who would just like a bit more information, should contact Club Secretary Bev Scott-Johns on 01425 619552.
NMTTC GRAND FINALS NIGHT
New Milton Table Tennis Club’s closed annual tournaments culminated in a Grand Finals Night at the Grange School, Somerford on Thursday 15th June in front of a large appreciative crowd.
Ben Greene travelled all the way up from Shaftesbury to take part in three of the finals but despite playing consistently well throughout, he had to content himself with one out of three titles.
In the first event of the evening, Greene received a +10 start against rising starlet Jack Trafford in the Under 40 Handicap but lost tantalisingly 20-21, 20-21. Trafford, displaying a maturity beyond his 14 years, had overhauled the handicap to catch up at 20-20 in both sets, clinching the second with a vicious net-cord. Greene is shown below on the left sportingly congratulating Trafford on his close victory.
Greene gained solace by beating Andrew Stainton in the Handicap Singles final, having received a +3 start. Greene blew Stainton away 21-11 in the first set, but Stainton recovered his composure in the second to take it 21-15. It was nip and tuck during the third and final set but Greene won it 21-17 to take the title.
Stainton then turned the tables on Greene by joining with Stuart Burton in the Handicap Doubles doubles against Greene and new signing Sid Daynes. Receiving a +2 start, Stainton & Burton just edged the first set 21-20, only to lose the second 16-21. The Stainton & Burton combo got back into their stride in the third and final set to hammer their opponents 21-11 to take the doubles title.
Former Cadet European Champion Simon Heaps made it through to two finals but came away empty handed. He had to give away a staggering +14 start to Steve Cheesman in the Over 40 final and lost the first set 13-21. Heaps really dug in in the second set and did well to catch up at 17-17 only to go on to lose 19-21 against a much relieved Cheesman.
Heaps’ second crack at a title came in the Open Singles final against last year’s runner-up Matthew Daish, who had already beaten Jack Trafford to take the Junior title. Heaps took the first set 11-9, then Daish came to the fore to take the next two sets 11-7, 11-7. The fourth set had all of the qualities of an exhibition match, drawing gasps of appreciation from the crowd, but Daish won 11-8 to secure the prestigious title. Daish is shown below on the left with Heaps after their crowd-pleaser.
As with the Junior final, the Ladies Singles final was played earlier in the tournament because there were only two entrants in each event. It was a repeat of last year’s final between Sylvia Smith and Lynn Willrich, with Smith gaining revenge this time around.
Thanks to Club Secretary and Tournament Organiser Bev Scott-Johns for yet another set of very well organised and enjoyable tournaments. Bev is a Table Tennis England qualified Tournament Organiser and County Umpire, both skills being very much in evidence during the tournaments.
CLUB FINALS NIGHT – THURSDAY 15TH JUNE 2017
Below is Bev’s programme of the Grand Finals Night which will take place at the Grange this coming Thursday night.
The busiest man on the night apart from Tournament Organiser Bev has to be Ben Greene who will be travelling up from Shaftesbury to take part in three of the finals.
Here’s looking forward to some great table tennis in front of hopefully a large appreciative crowd.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL FINALISTS!
NEW MILTON TTC HITS THE MARK!
The Club is currently the Top Story on the TABLE TENNIS ENGLAND website!
It is the intention to present the club with its hard-earned Clubmark certificate at the New Milton Rugby Club Fun Day on Saturday 10th June where “PING” will also be launched.
As in previous years, the Club will be manning two tables (one in a small marquee) on the Rugby Club grounds (Ashley) where children are given the opportunity to try out a variety of different sports. This is a great opportunity for the club to encourage youngsters to try our sport whilst also advertising our club to a wider audience as parents, older siblings etc wander around.
In previous years we have attracted new members and encouraged previous members to return to the club.
The day starts at 11am and finishes at 5pm during which time we will be on hand to help the children (and grown-ups) have a go; many of them are complete novices and need some guidance. We would welcome some help from club members so if you have an hour or two to spare, please give Steve Hemmings a call on 01590 681339 or just turn up on the day. If you have a club shirt, please wear it if possible.
NMTTC HANDICAP DOUBLES TOURNAMENT – THURSDAY 1ST JUNE
A reminder that the NMTTC doubles tournament takes place on Thursday 1st June down at the Grange as usual.
It is a “handicap” event with the handicaps being the average of the two players’.
It is a “drawn” doubles whereby the names of the pairings are drawn out of hat which has made for some very interesting combinations and results in the past.
Obviously we need twice as many people to provide the same number of groups as the singles events, so a good turn-out would be very much appreciated.
This tournament provides a little bit of light relief from the other events, so come on down to the Grange to take part in the fun.
As usual the session starts at 7 o’clock with the draw taking place at 7.30.
New Milton Table Tennis Club 