A tribute has been paid to umpire, coach and Portsmouth stalwart Dave Wiles, who recently died at the age of 77 after a short illness.

Dave was a member of the Portsmouth & District TTA executive committee since 1979 and represented Portsmouth on the Hampshire TTA management committee for many years. He was elected Deputy Chair in 2021.

Having played in local league for a few years, Dave qualified as a coach in 1977 and coached countless players, including taking juniors to tournaments.

He was a Level 1 umpire and officiated at tournaments around the country, including the Mark Bates Ltd U10-13 National Championships.

A founding member of Portsmouth TTC, Dave was current Chair of the club and earlier this year was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in the local stage of the Pride of Table Tennis Awards – he was a runner-up in the national stage of the awards.

A post on the Portsmouth & District League website reads: “Dave will be a great loss to the table tennis community, not only in Portsmouth but throughout Hampshire and especially at Portsmouth TTC.”

Dave’s funeral will be on Monday 16 December at 2.30pm at Portchester Crematorium, and afterwards at Cams Hall in Fareham. Donations are invited to The Brain Tumour Charity.