Richard B Hudson, a Table Tennis England Vice-President and National Councillor and a stalwart of the table tennis scene in Humberside and Yorkshire, has died at the age of 73.

Among his many positions, he was Junior British League (JBL) Administrator between 2014 and 2019 and there was a period of silence in his memory at the JBL in Derby on Sunday.

Richard was born in Kingston-upon-Hull in April 1950 and was steeped in table tennis in that part of the world, as well as fulfilling several important roles at a national level.

As well as the JBL role, he was Organiser of the English League Cup Competitions (ELCC) from 2012-14, ELCC Secretary from 2013 to 2022 and Deputy Referee from 2015-22.

Former ELCC Chairman and Referee, Diane Webb, said: “Richard Hudson was the perfect Deputy Referee and support at the ELCC.

“We worked together at the ELCC finals for a number of years and it was always a pleasure to see both Richard and his wife, Brenda.

“Richard had a quiet authority, was calm, measured and very professional but he also had a twinkle in his eye and a lovely sense of humour. I will miss him and send my sincere condolences to Brenda and all the family.”

Current ELCC organiser Mike Smith added: “I was saddened to hear of Richard’s death. He played a major role in the small team running ELCC and his contribution was both wise and pragmatic.

“He was great company and I recall with pleasure the good times shared with him and Brenda who also contributed greatly to our team.”

Among his other national roles, Richard was National Councillor for Yorkshire from 2001 until this summer.

YTTA Chairman Josh Reynolds, who took up the position of National Councillor after Richard stood down, said: “Richard was a proud Yorkshireman who worked tirelessly for both county affairs and national affairs for many years. He was always available at the end of the phone for a call if I ever had any questions or wanted to discuss something with him.

“Personally he helped me from being a player in YTTA events to becoming a member of the YTTA committee to succeeding him as chair when his health forced him to step down. I will always be grateful to him for this help.

“His commitment to YTTA was bound through all this many years service and we will miss his humour and kind words when a decision needed to be made. We offer Brenda all our condolences during this sad time.”

Richard was awarded a Maurice Goldstein Merit Award in 2008 and became a Vice-President of the then ETTA in 2011.

He was part of the team which ran the English Open in Sheffield, helping to win the Best ITTF Pro Tour Event in 2009. 

Regionally, he became a Life Member of Yorkshire TTA in 2004, having been made a Vice-President in 1986. He also held the roles of Chairman, Deputy Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, and Competition/Tournament Secretary at various points over many years.

For the Hull & District TTA, Richard was a Life Member since 2008 and had held every committee position at various times since 1971, including Chairman from 1995 until recently.

He and his wife Brenda were organisers of the Humberside Open for many years.

As well as his administrative contribution to the sport, Richard was a coach, qualifying at the then Level 2 in 1976, and a technical official who qualified as a Tournament Organiser (Level 2 in 2008 and Level 3 in 2019), Umpire (County Umpire 2011) and Referee (Tournament Referee 2016).

The thoughts of everyone at Table Tennis England are with Brenda and their family.

Funeral details

Richard’s funeral will take place in Hull on Tuesday November 14. The service is at Chanterlands Crematorium, Chanterlands Avenue, Hull, HU5 4EF at 12.30pm.

The family has requested no flowers, but donations can be made to Guide Dogs.

The wake is at East Riding Sports Club, Chanterlands Avenue, HU5 4ED. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to please email Margaret Welch by Tuesday November 7 via [email protected]