HAMPSHIRE narrowly missed out on promotion to the first division of the national county table tennis championship after a mixed season.

They finally finished third in Division 2D, just one point behind Buckinghamshire, with the unbeaten Sussex second team the clear winners.

Ramesh Bhalla led the way in the individual averages, only losing once, while Mark Butler and Lee Dredge also enjoyed solid seasons.

Maria Woodward-Taylor and Barbara Savage both won six of 12 matches for the women but other Hampshire teams generally struggled during the season.

The junior team were relegated from Division 1B, finishing bottom of the table after seven straight defeats, county champions Alex Garlick and Jenny Dobson picking up ten of Hampshire's 14 wins throughout the season.

The veteran first team finished sixth in Division 1B after recording two wins during the season.

The second team also finished sixth in Division 2B with the squad of Chris Shetler, Graham Outrim, Alan Palaczky, Peter Woodacre, Mauri Shave, Colin Webber, Pete Matthews and Sandra Simpson all contributing important victories.

The third team, in Division 3D, had a less successful season, finishing bottom with seven consecutive defeats.

Marginally better, the fourth team finished second from bottom, beating Oxfordshire second team on sets difference.

In the junior inter-town league, Bournemouth added to their senior success by topping the Hampshire first division.

Mark Grimley, James Whithorn, Neil Cartwright and Tom Andrews were all unbeaten for the champions, who amazingly lost only one set.

Southampton narrowly beat Portsmouth in the race for the runners-up spot with Glenn Wilshere leading the way.

For Portsmouth, Lee Mullett, Callum Shipp and David Woodacre all performed well, Basingstoke's Alex Garlick also impressing individually with eight wins out of ten.

Portsmouth B did, however, take the second division title with their squad of Michael Gibbs, Lee Wilson and Connor Shipp seeing off the challenge of Nick Faithfull, Ashley Willetts, Sajjad Jaffer and Mark Plunkett of Gosport and Fareham.

In the cadet inter-town league, Portsmouth prevented a Bournemouth clean sweep by narrowly winning their crucial match.

The unbeaten Pompey team was Gibbs, Connor Shipp and William George.

Gosport and Fareham topped Division 2 of the inter-town league, Willetts, Jaffer and Conrad Haswell unbeaten to pip Southampton C and Andover.