A new playing format for the premier division has enticed leading players from Bournemouth and Portsmouth to seek team places in the Kings Volvo Southampton Table Tennis League.
With the season due to kick off next week and, with a small increase in teams, the new format of playing all four premier division matches each week alongside each other at Chamberlayne Leisure Centre in Weston Lane and the introduction of a larger ball (the most revolutionary change in the sport for 60 years) promises an exciting season.
With Pirellis, champions for the past two seasons, not entering a team at this level, Snows should start favourites to be the first holders of The Kings Volvo Trophy.
Snows A will field Southampton's senior and veteran champions Graham Pointer and Chris Wilshere, together with Gary Longland and Maurice Shave while Waterside, whose squad will include wily veteran Howard Davies from Bournemouth, two former Hampshire champions in Mark Butler and Christos Hannides, Danny Lucking from Portsmouth and Ian Davis driving them close.
Alpha have signed three Portsmouth-based players in Roger Winkworth, Robin Plunkett and the highly-ranked Greek national Yiannis Demos to play alongside Colin Jones. Generation 2 the Fareham-based team who have many Portsmouth league titles to their credit, will compete with Keith Childs, Graham Lynch and Gareth Scadden.
Other squads: Snows B, Charles Prendergast, David Child with Norman Stagg and George Cole, both from Portsmouth. Snows C, Keith Middleton and Anthony Ellis with the University based Paul Jackson (Swindon) and David Rolls (Aylesbury). Snows D, Steve White, Southampton junior champion in 1976 who has returned to the area, George Von-Hassun, a German Bundesleague fringe player studying at Taunton's College, Chris Prince and Paul Day. Alpha B, Glen Medcalf, Stuart Williams, Alister Turner and Alan McAlpine.
Premier division matches will be played at Chamberlayne Leisure Centre on Tuesday evenings, starting at 7.15pm. Spectators will be welcome.
Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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