Happy New Year to all the members of our Table Tennis Community across the South West.
It’s been such a bumper packed year with much to celebrate, here is a quick overview of some of the fantastic projects, coaching, events and activities run by some very special people.
Avon
The summer of sport was launched in Bristol with the opening of the Cabot Circus Olympic and Paralympic Fanzone. Louis Price challenged members of the public and played some demontration games with members of the Table Tennis community.
Portishead’s Derek Connop has been working closely with Nick Davidson to host the 1st South West Area Squad Training Days. In addition they identified some gaps in the pathway and created training camps with a fun competition for U19 players in Bristol and the Surrounding area.
There was a big change at SGS College, where Table Tennis was dropped as a core sport. Nick Davidson worked hard with Michelle Reeves to create the Bristol Table Tennis Association, gaining funding from Sport England to grow the membership.
The changes at SGS affected the British Club Leagues (formerly NCL & NJL) provision in the area. Mike Withyman and others worked tirelessly to find a new venue for the 2024 / 25 season, but none were financially viable. Mike continued to run the highly valued Bristol Junior Leagues working with the Bristol and District League. It’s great to see some new teams in this highly successful format of league.
The Bristol and District League (who are proud that it’s the oldest in the world, dating back to 1902), continues to provide weekly competition for 400 players. Anyone who has run any kind of competition will be in awe of the amount it takes to keep the league running smoothly.
Cornwall
Cornwall continues to go from strength to strength, with TTE Membership now higher than pre-covid levels which exceeds the national trend. Much of the growth and development has been driven by the West Cornwall League with Kelly Plumb promoting co-operative working. With a focus on workforce development Kelly organised a Level 1 Coach Award with 14 new coaches from the County passing, a L1 Umpire Award attended by 7 volunteers, a first aid course and passed her Tournament Organiser Course.
At the weekend 30 players entered the Under 19 County Closed, rising from 12 last year. A testament to the clubs working collaboratively. A new initiative is the creation of a Junior Development / Coaches Network.
David May continues to work with the Schools of Cape Cornwall to develop a breadth of junior talent, despite being the most westerly club in England.
Pete Cann, John Tuffrey and the committee at Creekside have almost hit their capacity, including the relatively new Junior session.
Falmouth Docks TTC celebrated 75 years in years October, a lot has changed from the days of having a damp small hall at the entrance to the Docks to the Draceana Centre.
St Austell Table Tennis Club have been featured in a number of previous posts as we have been working with partners including Cornwall Council as funder on the Table Tennis for Good projects. More on this in the future as the report is being written up, a quick taster is that the club has grown from 7 players to 105 in one season, including recruiting a Junior Section with 29 players and 22 new league players, with 30% female membership.
Devon
Devon is a sprawling county with lots of Table Tennis happening in schools, village halls, racket centres, purpose built facilities and leisure centres. The range of clubs and activities reflects this.
In the north the Atlantic Racket Club is developing a Table Tennis specific hall within their multi-million pound development. Marcus Berry continues to promote an inclusive approach.
Phil Goulding in Illfracombe, drives Table Tennis provision in the area despite the north coast location. A neighbouring community Sherwell Village Hall is about to gain a Ping in the Community Table Package and Phil has already discussed ways that he can link and support.
In Exmouth Stephen Beer and the Exmouth Stroke support group were successful in a developing a Ping in the Community project with their new table. Valuing the health benefits as well as reducing isolation and giving players the chance to talk in a safe environment. Stephen is working with other health support groups with the aim of creating fun competitions.
Plymouth Table Tennis League allows members to play when they wish 7 days a week, as well as hosting league fixtures. Russ Keith is an active member of the Plymouth Table Tennis Partnership. He also delivers a session with Sport in Mind, which promotes mental health through physical activity.
Plymouth Joola continue to develop and grow Table Tennis within the club and beyond. The Club hosts the Devon Schools Competition which in March had 112 entries. Professionally run by Graham Pearson and of a scale any county or city would be proud of. Graham continues the club’s intensive school club link programme with a grant from the Samworth Brothers to work with 2 Girl’s Secondary schools and set up a satellite club.
Paul Whiting as head coach continues to nurture talent, with a keen eye on a seamless pathway. The Club runs the Pathway Development Centre for the South West and is impressive in terms of results, junior talent development and the professionalism with which they run national competitions. Paul is generous with his advice and has been invaluable in supporting Cornwall.
Dorset
Weymouth Preston has a beautiful facility in a newly built Special School. Michael Hogan and the committee have worked hard to make the club inclusive and are proud of their bounce back after COVID.
Refugee Support EU in Bournemouth were awarded a Ping in the Community subsidised table. It’s providing an invaluable tool to engage people often traumatised by their experiences, providing a sense of belonging and healthy activity.
On the edge of Salisbury Harnham U3a run by Tina and Paul Warren hits the sweet spot of running sociable chat and bat sessions, providing coaching, league games and signposting to wider opportunities.
There is so much junior development happening in Dorset particularly along the coast in Weymouth, Bournemouth and Torbay. If you have any stories or developments that you would like to promote please let me know.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire has an established network of clubs and leagues, with coaches working collaboratively. There is a scale of School Club Links which has been built over many years, with after school clubs, taster sessions and satellite clubs. The success of the scheme is evident in the numbers of juniors playing. Gloucestershire is 2nd nationally in the number of under 11 TTE Club members. The county above has double the population.
Graham and Lesley Slack run the County Association as well as wearing a number of other hats including running Cheltenham Table Tennis Club. Nick Davidson through Cheltenham ran a Para Table Tennis Scheme which culminated in a visit to the English Institute of Sport. Graham coaches a massive Schools Programme and Lesley is in the process of building up her Refereeing experience and putting her Tournament Organiser qualification to good work.
In Gloucester, David Adamson and the committee run a vibrant, inclusive club. They had recent experience with a funding bid to buy a set of new tables and a storage container, improving the standards at Quedgely Sports Centre. They also host the County Squad training.
In Stroud, members of the Stroud TTL have working hard on developing school club links, running TT Kidz sessions, developing Coaches including running a Level 1 course and setting up a coaches network for the county. Jim Hurford of Stroud and Cliff Jordan of Nailsworth Phoenix are at the forefront of this work.
Somerset
There are some big providers of Table Tennis in Somerset with endless opportunities to grow and develop the sport, as well as much activity centred around village halls. Steve Joel of the County Association is working to professionalise the running of the County. Without an Junior Squad, Steve worked to start to bring together clubs and coaches working with Juniors.
There are already plans in place for a coaches’ networking event and Umpiring course, to help to develop provision. Watch this space for details.
The hard work of Stephen Longmoor and the team at Weston TTC finally paid off, when the new tables and all important storage container arrived in the summer, opening up the school site at Broadoak Academy. Weston is on a mission to provide table tennis to make a difference. To this end the club has graduated discounted fees, have registered as a Dementia friend and are making links with partners to deliver on this goal.
Frome Town Table Tennis Club continues to develop and has had success with recruiting women to the game. a recent application to Ping in the Community had to be withdrawn after issues with storage, evidence of how simple things can scupper the best plans.
Keynsham Table Tennis Club just south of Bristol has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Mark Keynsham is a great ambassador for the sport always looking for opportunities across the town. Mark has a YouTuber which forms part of the clubs marketing.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a rural county with a north and south divide of the M4. With a large border people gravitate outside of the county in life and often in table tennis, but there is a movement to stop this happening by growing the Table Tennis community in Wiltshire.
Swindon has an established League which will be celebrating it’s Centenary this year.
In contrast Malmesbury TTC is just over a year old, being the brainchild of Marie-Claire Davis. Within 6 months of setting up, Marie-Claire has set up a Junior Section, has run TT Kidz sessions and is developing links with the local school. Malmesbury already has 2 teams in the Bristol Junior League.
At Kennet Vale, the club is thriving and like many Table Tennis Clubs is helping to sustain the Village Hall for the community. Richard links with smaller venues, as well as with the local school. He has had great success in coaching with members of the growing Junior section club representing Wiltshire.
In the summer not only did the club organise a summer camp, but Richard devised a pre-league programme of 4 sessions for people with no or little league experience. This upskilled and importantly gave players the confidence to join the league. 6 women went on to join the league including forming the 1st all Women League Team.
The South West Area
The South West Log hosted an online Sports Psychology Workshop which 32 coaches attended.
This is a Snapshot of some the Table Tennis activities, clubs, coaches and volunteers across the South West in 2024. I am aware that there is much more Table Tennis happening and that sometimes sustaining a well run activity for many years doesn’t grab the attention as much as something new. This is the backbone of the sport. If you have a story that you would like to share please let me know.
Thank you for all that you do.