DIVISION three side Coaching Lions have retained the Basingstoke Table Tennis League team handicap title.

They comfortably beat division one Queens A by 70 points.

However it was a tough task for Alan and Tony Palaczky and Pete Martin to beat Sue Tompsett, Patrick Garlick and Graham Quinn by game three every set.

The contest was all over by the fifth match of the evening, despite Queens winning the doubles contest 21-4, 21-1. At the end of the evening the Lions were 70 points ahead to lift the trophy.

The only outstanding medal place was decided in division two when Ashford Hill hit two great wins, one of which could be classed as the match of the season, to take the runners-up spot, despite a valiant effort from Labour A.

Phil Davenport starred with a treble against KG C, winning all his three matches in three straight sets. Both Lee Calcutt and Malcolm Record fell to Duncan Sibbick, with Calcutt narrowly losing 13-11 in the fifth set.

Ian Sibbick then scared Calcutt, going 2-1 up in sets, but Calcutt edged it 11-9 in the final set.

A five-set doubles win by the KG side made the score 7-3 in Ashford Hill's favour.

This result set up the final match of the season in the division with second and third-placed Labour A and Ashford Hill clashing. It was Ashford Hill's night, winning 6-4 thanks to an outstanding performance by Calcutt in getting his maximum.

Davenport chipped in with a great four-set win over Keith Dickenson to seal victory but did lose his 100 per cent record to Paul Robinson, who beat him 11-4 in the fifth set.

KG D ended up in bottom place after losing 8-2 to their own C side. Frank A'Court picked up only his second win of the season - and a great scalp in Duncan Sibbick - to join team-mate Brian Edwards in winning for the losers. There were good wins for Ian Sibbick and Roger Bielby over Edwards, giving them both maximums.

AWE finished in third place in division three, following a 5-5 draw with KG E.

John McLarty hit a treble but was taken to the wire by Dave Partridge, winning 11-9 in the fifth set. Steve Jones recorded a double over Partridge, winning in three sets.

His team-mates Phil Ware and Mike Wood both notched braces while Paul Rampton had no success on the night.

In division one, Cannons fin-ished in fifth place after a 10-0 win over KG A, with Ron Powell hitting his first treble of the season.

In the Handicap League, St Peters B had a 42-39 points win over Queens B, thanks to Richard Faulkner and Steve Armstrong both taking single set games - off George White, Terry West and Richard Cooper - while Tom Speed chiselled points off each player.

Queens A reversed a previous result against Hannington B, beating them 42-37, comfortably pulling back 14 points.

There were untroubled displays from Alan and Tony Palaczky and Pete Martin over Pete Blunden, George Freeman and Avril Waters.

Labour A won every set against KG E but could only draw 41-41 despite pulling back more than 152 points.

- The league AGM is to be held at Hannington Village Hall on Thursday, June 12 (7.30pm).