WEYMOUTH secured one gold and two silver medals as their five under-15 teams competed in the last round of the National Cadet League in Southampton.

Weymouth A started the day just two points behind Bournemouth A in Division One and put themselves in a strong position when they defeated the Bournemouth side 5-1.

Tom Lydford defeated Bournemouth number one Matt Stansfield 3-1 and Hector Knight then beat Dan Chaplin in a tense 3-2 match to put Weymouth two points ahead going into the last round of matches.

Unfortunately, Weymouth could only draw the last match against Southampton A 3-3 and with Bournemouth beating Winchester 6-0, this meant the Bournemouth side topped the division by just one point.

A great effort by the Weymouth team, just falling short, and credit to the Bournemouth side for battling back.

Jamie Blair finished the day with the only 100 per cent record in the division.

Also in Division One, the Weymouth B side of Thomas Wheeler, Jed Brackenridge and Jess Moggeridge battled hard throughout the day and picked up some impressive points as they overtook Reading A to climb off the bottom into fifth place.

Weymouth C also begun the day in second position in Division Two, but had a more difficult task as Bournemouth B started the day three points ahead.

There were three Bournemouth teams in this division, and a 3-3 draw against Bournemouth C made the task very difficult.

Edith Dedman, Ben Howe and Rosa Mckechnie then produced great form beating both Bournemouth B and Bournemouth D 5-1, and then Generation II from Fareham 4-2.

This meant it was all level going into the final round, but third-placed Reading B beat Weymouth 4-2 and with Bournemouth B picking up three points in their final match, the Weymouth team fell short by one point, winning the silver medal.

Weymouth were not to be denied a top-spot finish. In Division Three, Weymouth D started level with Southampton B, but in the final day they won every match to finish seven points ahead and deservedly win the Division Three gold medal.

Richard Lane and Ella Stanton won eight out of their 10 matches, and with Ethan Bingham winning six, they finished with an emphatic 5-1 victory against their closest rivals.

Also in Division Three, a young Weymouth E side climbed a place to fourth and closed the gap on the other leading teams.

Sam Melhuish, Jean Baker and Sophie Storey all showed improvements from earlier rounds, which bodes well for the future.

Speaking of the impressive medal haul, Weymouth coach Andy Millar said: “Year on year the players have been making rapid improvements and although we were disappointed to miss out by one point in the top two divisions, it was a great effort to run Bournemouth so close.

“Bournemouth have been the benchmark for so long, and the players enjoyed the competition and rivalry today.

“Overall it is all good news for Dorset table tennis.”

New players aged eight and upwards are welcome to join training on Saturdays or Mondays. Contact Andy Millar on a.millar212@gmail.com or 07710 507075.