VICTOR IMISEEV enjoyed a clean sweep of major titles as the Kings Volvo Southampton table tennis league celebrated its biggest and best season for decades.

With a thriving youth coaching scene, table tennis in the city is currently enjoying something of a renaissance - and that was demonstrated by well over 100 entries for the annual competition which had to be spread over four days at Redbridge Community School, Regents Park Girls School and then Tuesday's big finals night at the Chamberlayne Leisure Centre in Weston.

Despite the emergence of much young talent, there were many familiar faces battling it out for the men's singles crown, with Imiseev eventually taking his third title.

He beat defending champion Jeremy Wilson in a five-set semi before defeating Alpha's Alex Rorke in the final.

Imiseev then teamed up with Generation II teammate Charlie Childs to take the doubles title in a thrilling final against Southampton West's Gary Longland and Steve White, who had proved the surprise package of the tournament.

The women's final was tinged with nostalgia as Southampton West's Sue Hibberd defeated teammate Lesley Jerram - some 33 years after the duo had, as juniors, taken the women's doubles title!

This year, though, that honour went to Jenny Dobson and Katie Bradford, who teamed up to beat Anne Longland and Sarah Warwick in the final.

And it was junior players that largely stole the show.

The Southampton West Club, which has some 21 teams, and the Waterside Club with 12 teams, have produced numerous young players who will be pushing for the senior titles next season.

David McBeath, who became the first Southampton player to gain an international cap for more than 40 years when he represented England Under-13s, was named cadet of the year, while Dobson, who took the county women's and junior titles, was named Southampton junior of the year.

Top Hampshire junior Ashley Willetts actually missed the Southampton tournament as he was competing in the national championships, where he reached the last 16. But there was plenty of top-class action, with Waterside Premier player John McBeath defeating Southampton West's Ruihao Zhang in the final.

Zhang, though, was not to be denied in the cadet's event, where he beat teammate David Wills in the final.

Southampton West's Sarah Warwick enjoyed a double in the girls' events, beating Becky House for the cadet title and then Joanne Dunkason in the junior final.

In other events, Southampton evergreen Chris Wilshere was a double-champion after narrowly bowing out of the men's singles at the semi-final stage to Rorke.

He beat Childs to take another veteran's crown and then teamed up with Anne Longland to beat her husband Gary and his doubles partner Sue Hibberd.

The championships again benefited from the generous backing of Kings Volvo, with local businessman Steve Snow presenting the trophies.

ANNUAL WINNERS:

Cadet girls singles: Sarah Warwick (So'ton West) bt Becky House.

Cadet boys singles: Ruihao Zhang (So'ton West) by David Wills.

Junior girls singles: Sarah Warwick (So'ton West) bt Joanne Dunkason (So'ton West)

Junior boys singles: John McBeath (So'ton West) bt Ruihao Zhang (So'ton West).

Mixed doubles final: Chris Wilshere and Anne Longland bt Gary Longland and Sue Hibberd.

Men's doubles final: Victor Imiseev and Charlie Childs bt Gary Longland and Steve White.

Women's doubles final: Jenny Dobson and Katie Bradford bt Anne Longland and Sarah Warwick. Veteran singles final: Chris Wilshere (So'ton West) bt Charlie Childs (Gen. II).

Women's singles final: Sue Hibberd (So'ton West) bt Lesley Jerram.

Men's singles final: Victor Imiseev (Gen. II) bt Alex Rorke.

Best averages (per cent)

Premier Division: Victor Imiseev 97.8

Division One: Chris Shetler 95.8

Division Two: Daniel Long 90.4

Division Three: Simon Geddes 91.1

Division Four: Gary Tweed 93.8

Singles winners

First division: Steve White bt Paul May.

Second division: Mark Knowles bt Gareth Mullins.

Third division: Alistair Jones bt Ruihao Zhang.

Fourth division: Katie Bradford bt Becky House.

Over-55: Jim Leppard bt Terry Mills.

Under-12 boys singles: Jamie Willsher bt David Truman.

Under-12 girls singles: Katie Ha bt Olivier Snow.

Under-12 doubles: Mark Stevens and Jamie Willsher bt David Truman and Nick Day.

Cadet boys doubles: Jonathon Whittall and David Wills bt Dominic Cheeseman and Ruihao Zhang.

Cadet girls doubles: Katie Bradford and Sarah Warwick bt Stephanie Wells and Becky House.

Junior boys doubles: Ruihao Zhang and Dominic Cheeseman bt Jonathon Whittall and David Wills.

Junior girls doubles: Sarah Warwick and Nicola Dunkason bt Katie Bradford and Becky House.

Junior of the year (Jim Neate Trophy): Jenny Dobson (Waterside).

Cadet of the year: David McBeath (Waterside). Junior city badges: Dominic Cheeseman, Jamie Heaseman.

Junior city diplomas: David Butler, Dominic Cheeseman, Jenny Dobson, Nicola Dunkason, Jamie Heaseman, Becky House, Jonathan Pearson, Sarah Warwick, Jonathan Whittal, David Wills, Ruihoa Zhang.

Cadet city badges: Tom Bower, Darren Creighton, Lewis Creighton, Becky House, Philip Manning, Shaun Paterson, Ruihao Zhang.

Cadet city diplomas: Charles Adams, Ryan Beckerley, Tom Bower, Katie Bradford, Dominic Cheeseman, Darren Creighton, Lewis Creighton, Becky House, Justin Hunt, Robin Hunt, Philip Manning, Shaun Paterson, Jonathan Pearson, Sarah Warwick, Stephanie Wells, Harry Williams, David Wills, Jamie Willsher, Ruihao Zhang.