International umpire and former National Councillor Brian Lamerton has died at the age of 89.

Brian qualified as a County Umpire in 1963, becoming a National Umpire in 1977 and an International Umpire three years later.

He umpired at many events home and abroad including European matches in Moscow, Poland and Holland. His most memorable achievement was being a member of the umpires’ squad for the European Cadet Team Final, 1980 in Poznan, Poland, which was won for Sweden by the 15-year-olds Jan-Ove Waldner and Jorgen Persson.

Brian also umpired at the World Championships in Birmingham 1977 and at Euro ’94 in Birmingham. At the Island Games in Gibraltar in 1995, Brian was the Referee having been an umpire at the Island Games in 1993 in the Isle of Wight.

Other notable positions which Brian held include being a member of the Press Team at the World Championships in Birmingham in 1977 and Deputy Presentation Manager at the Commonwealth Games, 2002, in Manchester.

He became a Vice-President of the then ETTA in 2000 and received a Special Award in 2013.

Among other roles for Hampshire TTA, he was Chairman from 1978-86 and President from 2000-2020. He was Deputy National Councillor for Hampshire from 2009-2018 and National Councillor for the Isle of Wight between 1986 and 1991.

Brian was also Regional Chairman of the Southern and South/South-East regions and held various British League committee roles.

For Southampton TTA, he joined the committee in 1963, was Vice-Chairman in two stints and President from 1997 to 2019.

Derek Seager, Vice-Chairman of Hampshire TTA, said: “Brian was a well-respected International Umpire, an ETTA National Councillor, President of Hampshire Table Tennis Association, known as Mr Table Tennis for many years by the many players he came into contact with, and was regarded as one of life’s gentlemen. He will be sadly missed.”

The funeral arrangements will be communicated in due course.