New Milton Table Tennis Club's Matthew Daish, Toby Staddon, and Max Bannon sine at the …

New Milton Table Tennis Club had three players in the annual Bournemouth & District Table Tennis Association tournament finals at the Grange School in Somerford.

First, New Milton’s 18-year-old Toby Staddon teamed up with 15-year-old James Roberts from Bournemouth Sports for the men’s doubles semi-final and faced Stephen Gennari (Bournemouth Sports) and Ian Johnstone (Winton YMCA).

The New Milton duo came out second-best, losing 3-1, but former New Milton pair, brothers Umit and Ahmet Kaya, won the final in three straight sets.

In the Division Two singles final, Staddon picked himself up to take on another ex-New Milton player, Graham Underwood (Bournemouth Sports). Duly warmed up from the doubles, Staddon dismissed Underwood in three straight sets. Most impressive, given that this was Staddon’s first year in the Bournemouth & District league.

New Milton’s 20-year-old Max Bannon faced the wily Adam Elcock (Winton YMCA) in the Division One singles final. Bannon went two sets down but came back to win the third 12-10 narrowly. However, that proved to be a false dawn as Elcock scraped the fourth 11-9 to take the spoils.

Two New Milton players had made it to the Bournemouth closed handicap final: Staddon and Bannon. Staddon benefitted from a +6 start, which Bannon struggled to surmount, and Staddon saw his clubmate off 21-17, 21-16.

In the Bournemouth closed final, New Milton’s Matthew Daish faced fellow Premier player, 15-year-old James Roberts from Bournemouth Sports. Daish, unbeaten in the Premier League this season, brought his skill and experience to bear as he powered to a two sets lead 11-4, 11-4.

Roberts remained calm in the third set and matched Daish’s powerful forehand and backhand drives to take it to deuce at 10-10. It was a bit nip and tuck, but Daish won it 13-11 to get his hands on the prestigious trophy.

After playing professionally in the German table tennis league, Daish is back in Lymington. A former England U21, Daish is now offering coaching in the area.

The New Milton Table Tennis Club is always looking for new members. Anyone from absolute beginners to experienced players interested in playing should contact club secretary Bev Scott-Johns on 01425 619552.