The Maurice Goldstein Merit Award, which rewards years of service at a local level, has been brought under the umbrella of the Pride of Table Tennis Awards.

The award – formerly the ETTA Merit Award until renamed after the Association’s former President Maurice Goldstein – has been presented to many local volunteers over more than 40 years.

The basic criterion is 10 years’ meritorious service in a role in a Club, League, County or Area.

This year, nominations will be considered from among those nominated online for Contribution to Table Tennis and the Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the Pride of Table Tennis Awards.

Click here to make a nomination in these and other categories.

To give an idea of the sort of service which leads to the receipt of this award read the stories of two recipients below.

Derek Langley

Derek started playing table tennis as a teenager in South London for the Venturas club in the Croydon League in the early 1950s. He was also the Club Secretary, showing the organisational skills that would serve him and table tennis in good stead in the future.

After National Service in the RAF, he worked in the City and also played in the London Banks League for Kleinwort Benson until he moved to Newbury in 1974. He played in the Newbury League for Kleinworts and it was then as his five sons started growing up and learning to play he really got interested in coaching and started a coaching club at Kleinwort’s with Wally Smith, father of England International Mandy Smith, who was very influential on Derek as a coach.

Most Sunday mornings were taken at the IMPACT coaching sessions in Reading, run by the legendary Vic Harding, whose enthusiasm for the game rubbed off on everyone and like the rest of us was a firm disciple of the late, great Jack Carrington.

Derek’s qualities were soon recognised at regional and national level after he successfully organised coach education course after coach education course, attracting coaches and potential coaches from the whole of the South West of England. These were always a big hit, attracting up to 30 new coaches, most had been personally persuaded by Derek to attend. Derek was the Newbury League’s Coaching Officer and ETTA Southern Region Coaching Chair for many years in the in the 1980s and 90s. 

Derek was instrumental in setting up a satellite centre of excellence and a parallel grassroots programme at Shaw House School, Newbury. This enabled local star internationals Dave Barr, Mandy Sainsbury, Dave Reeves, Julie Norman plus a host of County players to vitally supplement their extensive training programmes. It also enabled starry eyed beginners to train alongside their heroes.

Derek, along with Wally, would gladly bring players up the ranks and expose them to residential /national programmes and national coaches at Crystal Palace, Reading Centre of Excellence and Littlehampton summer coaching schools and their contribution of players clearly enhanced these courses. 

Derek’s greatest hour was back in 1984 when the Newbury League celebrated its 50th anniversary. Led by Derek, a strong Newbury organising team put together a memorable bonanza weekend of table tennis activities, coaching, come and try it and play the robot culminating in a Newbury v England match watched by 400 spectators. The England team included national champions Alison Broe (Gordon) and Carl Prean. 

This was Derek’s baby, but he sat back and didn’t step forward to receive a standing ovation he thoroughly deserved – he left that to others.

Derek ran a subsequent international match in a much more sombre setting in Hungerford following the dreadful massacre. The occasion raised well over £1,000 and Derek presented the revenue to the Mayor of Hungerford.

In 1999 Derek’s health started to fail which sadly put a stop to his table tennis activities, but in May 2001 on his 71st birthday he was delighted to be presented the Maurice Goldstein award for his significant contribution to table tennis over nearly 50 years. Derek passed away in 2007.

John Greening (recipient in 2022/23)

John formed Winstanley Wizards Table Tennis Club based on Winstanley School. He became Chairman and the lynchpin of the club, organising senior and junior coaching sessions and creating up to six teams in the Senior League and seven in the Junior League over the last decade.

The club has become a very successful club in an area where table tennis thrives. His particular success has been in developing juniors. He has also been an achiever in gaining grants from local authority and others as sponsors.

He has recently retired as Chairman but still is very active organising the juniors. The league recognised  him  by awarding him the annual trophy for contribution to the League and  Table Tennis England recognised the club by making it one of the runners-up in the Club of the Year category.