Profiles at Woodlands

I started playing table tennis, aged 13, in Division 4 of the Barnsley League in the 1968/69 season.

My first memory is of being aged 10 and walking on a hot day, with my twin brother John and older brother Alan, five miles both ways from our home in Barnsley to the Club where my elder brother Alan played league table tennis (he was aged 16 at the time) and the England Junior number one.

Alan went on to travel around the World extensively and represented England many times as both a Junior and Senior, and competed in both World and European Championships.

n September 1968 I commenced my table tennis journey in Division 4 at a two table venue above a pub, called Lundwood Hotel, and the Club was Barnsley North End. I finished the season with a 90% average and won my first competition at the League's Annual Closed Tournament for players in Division 4, 5 and 6.

The following season I moved up to the First Division where I played four seasons with a playing average of about 90%. I became an established Junior and Senior player for the town, winning the Junior Singles title twice, the Mens Doubles three times, and the Junior Singles in the Doncaster Closed.

I progressed from being a novice aged 13 to regularly beating the League's top players in only two Seasons, and am very proud of that. Practicing four or five times a week paid off.

I was ranked number 6 as a Junior in Yorkshire. At that time (early 70's) Ormesby were very strong and winning European Club Titles. The five juniors above me were all from Ormesby and they were also the England top five juniors, a question of being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

Since moving to Sussex in 1973 to the present time, in addition to the Worthing League, I have played in the South West Sussex, Portsmouth, Brighton and Crawley leagues. I have won the Worthing Closed Mens Singles title four times, the Mens Doubles a few times, the Mixed Doubles once; and the Worthing League's and South West Sussex League's first Division titles numerous times. I have also won the South West Sussex Closed Mens Singles title. I have also represented Sussex as a Veteran.

People often ask me who were the best players you played with? My brother Alan who was ranked as number 3 Senior would by some distance have been the best. After that in no particular order, it would be Peter Pudduck (for YMCA in the Brighton League), Dash (for Woodlands in the Worthing League), and Peter Bartram and Andy Walker (for North Lancing in the Brighton League). I won the Premier Division for YMCA in the Brighton League in the early 80's with Peter Pudduck, Paul Bentinck and the late Geoff Stevens, and again, twice in recent years with Peter Bartram and Andy Walker.

The best players I have played against, in no particular order, would be - Denis Neale, Chester Barnes, Nicky Jarvis, Trevor Taylor and Alan Hydes - who were all top Seniors in the early 1970's.

I have also been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to watch a few international matches and seen some of the best players in the world play. If you get the opportunity to watch international Senior players, do it. It's breathtaking and reinforces the need to improve!

The venues I have played in have been many and very varied and have included:- the back room of pubs, village halls, cricket pavilions, school halls, leisure centres, Polytechnics, Universities, factories, works offices with carpeting on the floor; and for four seasons in Barnsley my home venue was an old two storey haunted warehouse, but that's another tale!

My TT career started in a basement of a church in Arundel. It was the home of Arundel Table Tennis Club and if I wasn’t at school I was playing table tennis. The club was lucky to have a coach the like of which I have never met before or since. Pat Ginnaw was a superb local driving instructor but he was rubbish at time keeping. He would always be late for a driving lesson because he was coaching TT somewhere in the county.

As I grew older and learnt to drive with Pat, lessons would include travelling to tournaments far and wide. In a town that was famed for its racing stables Pat was producing his own stable of table tennis players. There are many people playing TT around the country that owe a huge debt of thanks to Pat and his legacy will live on for a very long time. His passing a few years ago was a sad loss.

As a youngster I played in both the Worthing League and South West Sussex and I also skirted with Sussex youth TT but it all got a bit too serious for me.

I’ve had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra and currently loving playing at Woodlands. It’s such a welcoming club. My current comeback was caused by Barbara (knickers) Bayford and Dave (twinkle toes) Richardson. I attended the funeral of Dennis Rhodes and they persuaded me to rekindle the forehand loop. Dennis used to play with my dad Don and my brother.

My two children, now grown up, both dabbled in the game and both reached heady heights before moving on to other sports and pastimes. TT is in the DNA of my family.

Hugely influenced by the days that Pat Ginnaw gave to me, I have just embarked on a coaching course and hopefully by mid season I will be able to give my time to club members, and beyond, to assist in improving their own game.

My ethos is to enjoy what you are doing and don’t get stressed over the game. I hope Pat will be looking down watching my coaching progress and I can still hear him saying “more forward and less up” and “on the end of your ankles you have feet, use them!!!!”

I think my passion for TT started around age 6, playing with my cousin Linda on our dining table. She’d got a proper net from somewhere, how posh was that! …..not very, because we had no posts. We tied the net to a dining chair on either side. Don’t try it, it didn’t work, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway.

The next rung up the ladder was being picked for my youth club league. We played one memorable away match to be greeted by some teenage lads yelling “Oh no! We’ve got to play GIRLS!” As we left, victorious, we called out “hope you didn’t mind losing to girls!”

At university in Cardiff, I played for their team of 3 girls/3 boys. We played all over the country against other universities in Bath, Liverpool, Nottingham, Bangor and Swansea and had a great time.

So now fast forward a few years, well several decades actually, without playing any table tennis, and I saw an advert about Woodlands Table Tennis Club. So as my New Year’s resolution in 2013 I began as a social player. In September 2013, I started in the Worthing League in Woodlands J team. One of my friends asked me if the teams went all the way to Z, and I had to admit that no, they went all the way to J, but nevertheless I was delighted to be in a team again! My captain in that first season, Dennis Rhodes gave me some great advice “Enjoy your table tennis, respect your opponent & in a league game, never win 10-0”

A season later I was in the division 4 winning team with Dennis’ daughter, Bernice Smart, and Phil Keene & Val Bacon. A trophy! Wow! Since 2013, I’ve played in every division in the Worthing league & last season also played in a Brighton league team for the first time winning division 2.

For me though, the joy the sport brings is not about the trophy winning but being part of a team and trying to improve my game to play that bit better each time. Since recovering from breast cancer in 2003, if I come away from a table tennis match having lost badly, I don’t worry because I’m happy just to be fit enough to still play and enjoy the game. Long may it continue!

You may have noticed a fresh faced new addition to the club in the past few weeks. Introducing Charlie Usher.

I started playing table tennis around the age of 10 when my parents bought a table for the garden. My parents were handy players themselves, but it didn't take long for me to be running around the table and beating them. Then luckily I told my school teacher that I had been playing and her husband happened to be a table tennis coach. I then started being coached, and practiced 3/4 times a week. I then played in the North Norfolk league and the Norwich league, and also played some junior tournaments.

I stopped playing at the age of 15 to focus on playing rugby (and also girls became interesting). I had a fairly long break from table tennis, and took it up again aged 21 in my last year at university. I played in the Cambridge league, relearning how to play again. Once I finished university I moved to Devon, and played a season in the South Devon league.

Then got a job that involved a lot of travel, which took me up north and I played a season in the Halifax league. Two years ago I got a job in Worthing, and since I have played in the Worthing league, Haywards Heath league and the Crawley league.

This coming season I am really looking forward to playing for Woodlands in the Worthing league (thanks for making me feel so welcome), and also I am playing for Forresters in the Crawley league and the British League.

I have been playing Table Tennis for over 50 years now! I started playing in my 20s when my first introduction to TT was whilst I worked for a company in Rustington, where there was a table in the canteen, which we were allowed to use in our lunch hour - and that’s when I got hooked on the game!

A group of us enjoyed it so much that we decided to enter a team in the Worthing League starting in Division 7. I gradually improved over the years and even managed to play in the 1st Division for a couple of seasons. I have won many trophies whilst playing in local tournaments and veteran’s competitions over the years.

At the age of 40, I was selected to play for the Sussex County Veterans and really enjoyed the challenge of visiting and playing in different Counties. My claim to fame is winning the Ladies Vet’s singles championships twice in the 80’s, as well as also winning the mixed doubles.

I now enjoy being involved with the running of Woodlands Table Tennis club on a Tuesday/Thursday, which was founded in 2004. The club is so successful because of our great committee who are totally devoted to the running of Woodlands TTC. Consequently the club has gone from strength to strength and I am very proud to be part of Woodlands TTC.

Well about me, I am 69, still reasonably fit and have been playing since 1961.

I started in the Ilford league and yes, I know Laurie Fountain, so I was surprised to see him still playing in the Worthing league. He’s a lovely guy and he could probably tell you more about me, my standard etc., and playing him in the Ilford finals, 1985.

I eventually managed to reach the giddy heights of a moderate county standard player. In 1986 I moved to the Isle of Wight and have had a lot of success, various championship winning medals and playing county and inter-league matches over the years.

There is one thing I must mention is that I am deaf and wear a hearing aid, but I don’t bite, lol.

I had the pleasure of playing for Great Britain against Hungary to which I was unbeaten (my claim to fame). Also came runner-up in the National Championship (another claim to fame, lol, bearing in mind the standard of play was much weaker than the hearing players).

I started to play table tennis at St. Leonards youth guild in Horsham when I was 13 years old. My first bat which I was given by an old friend of the family, had sand paper on one side & cork on the other. I played in the area youth league which all the youth clubs in the area took part, when I was 14 .

When I was 15 I went along to Horsham Table Tennis Club (HTTC) but because I was also a member of the St. John Ambulance cadets which was on a Tuesday night I couldn't play in the league until I was 18.

I have been associated with HTTC now for 50 years having been on their committee for very many years & was chairman for 8 years. The club was enormously successful during my time as chairman moving from a school canteen to purpose built facilities at Broadbridge Heath leisure centre. We had sprung flooring, halogen lighting, & the hall could take 6 tables.

We were the home of the National league team the Sussex Angel (formerly the Dolphins), including Sussex County players such as Ritchie Venner, Nigel Eccersley, Adrian Moore & Mike Hammond to name but a few. They were very successful & we would often have 30/40 people coming to watch such big National names as Desmond Douglas & John Hilton.

My wife Deirdre & I moved from Horsham to Littlehampton in 2004 & I was made a life member of HTTC which I am extremely proud of as they only had 2 others at that time. HTTC moved to new premises at Greenway school in Horsham & have since gone from strength to strength under the guidance of chairman Alex Morrisson. In 2008 I was made a Vice President of HTTC a real honour & I feel very humbled to receive this position. I still attend as many of their events as possible & help out where I can.

In 2006 I became chairman of Woodlands Table Tennis Club (WTTC) & since then we have continued to grow, now playing not only at Woodlands in Rustington on Tuesdays but also at the United Church hall in Littlehampton for league players. We now put 10 teams into the Worthing & District league with some 45 players and we have many social members from our pay & play.

As a club we hold other events such as, BBQ, Quiz, Skittles, Green Bowls, Rambles, Theatre, Annual Dinners etc. I am very proud of the committee for all their help & to the members to make WTTC such a wonderful club. Long may it continue.

My successes in TT include, not losing a game in division 2 in 2010/2011 season & my best year was in 2012 winning the Worthing & District league title along with winning Band 2 Sussex County championships. I play with a balsa blade, Globe 979 on back hand & Donic Turbo on forehand.

My other hobbies are: helping out at Mewsbrook Park; music from Bon Jovi to classical, to country & electric keyboard; dancing is a real love; preservation of Old Horsham; and Littlehampton Bonfire Society.

I started playing Table Tennis when I was 10 on holiday in the Channel Islands. My Dad taught me to play, he was a good player but never played in the a league. I really enjoyed it and so back home in Loughton, Essex I joined a a club at the Methodist Church and started going regularly although it was only for playing socially.

In 2006 I moved to Worthing and joined the St Andrew's Table Tennis Club and played each season until 2011. Due to a shortage of players, the team withdrew from the league and I transferred to the Worthing Boys' Club.

In 2011-12 we won the league division 4. Unfortunately, the team was unable to compete the following year and so I transferred to the Woodlands Table Tennis Club to a team that were division 3 runners up in 2012-13.

I have really enjoyed playing for the club and I was delighted when they selected me to be a committee member in 2019.

I first enjoyed table tennis playing on my own on a table against the wall when I was about 8. I took an interest in playing at my local Church Youth Club, and from there joined Sandown Club, Isle of Wight, when I was about 17. I recall my friend John O. and I spent many an evening there and then onto the 'local' across the road, in the days when you could drink freely, no questions asked.

There were a few interesting characters in the club - Ian 'Smudger' Smith, Cathy and her husband Brian Pierce and Jack Lofthouse were always a close trio. Played a year in the 4th Division and we won. Boy! did we get staggeringly drunk that night.

Remember playing in a Isle of Wight handicap competition with Smudger against the Island's top duo, Jim Daley and Steve Harris (who had the biggest loop action, lifting the ball almost off the floor). I think we had a 14 start to 21. It was close but they pipped us, I think one game got to 25. However, I missed the arrival of Carl Prean (England No 1 and World No 23) the year after I left for University, who conquered the Island League while still in short pants.

So one year playing and then nothing for 40 years! I lived in London, a short time in Brussels, and then back to London. In 1996 I was back on the Island and lived a few miles from the John Prean (now Isle of Wight) Centre, equipped with 10 tables and a competitive atmosphere. Somehow I couldn't imagine playing competitively (but look at me now). Finally, on retiring, in 2013 I took the plunge with a social group locally once a week, and found I really enjoyed it.

After a couple of years disruption in moving to LA I took up with Woodlands in 2018 and played in the 3rd Division for 2018/2019. Now in the 2nd Division of the Worthing League it is a little more challenging and I am working on my shot repertoire. Only problem, as I draw my Old Age Pension, is that parts of me don't work smoothly anymore and I am muttering "Too Old, Too Slow" under my breath too often!

I find table tennis exhilarating, I love a fast hard-hitting game. I always try to send the ball back over the net harder than my opponent, whoever that is. Win or lose, I always enjoy playing (so long as I have not 'botched up'). I enjoy an opponent's challenge, and seeking to bring out the best shots from myself and from my opponent.

I started playing table tennis when I was 14. I only played at the Youth Wing at school. The equipment left a lot to be desired and not many of my age were playing. I played in the Worthing League for a couple of years but then stopped.

We now move on in time and I have Dave Richardson to thank for my return to the game. You may know that I’m a postman locally and one day I delivered 100 table tennis balls to Dave. We got chatting over the garden fence and he suggested coming along to Woodlands.

Since then I haven’t looked back. I started in Div 4 and have played in every division over the past 8 years. I’m currently in Div 1 and loving every game. I’m gutted that the 2020 season has ended the way it has but I’m looking forward to the new season already.

I like to do my bit for charity and over the past 2 years I have raised £4,500 in solo table tennis endurance events.

My first bat was an imaginative combination of rubber, cork and bakelite. It tended to unnerve opponents during play as bits flew off, which I glued back on later. I was ten at the time and playing in the Fishermen’s Mission in Wick, Scotland. Despite being too young to go to sea, I gained entry as my father ran the institute.

After secondary schooling in Hull I played for one of my college teams, but after that the world of work sadly intervened and I was forced to concentrate on other things. It was only after a career in HR involving various moves around the country that I took up where I’d left off. The U3A gave me the chance to resume playing and again unsettle those of a nervous disposition with my manic (allegedly) style of attack. A friend there tactfully suggested I might be interested in contacting Woodlands Table Tennis Club to learn how to keep the ball on the table. I spoke to Barbara B. and she explained that the club were looking for talent but they might make an exception in my case. The Club was very welcoming, and I was reassured to see all levels of abilities catered for. After initially joining as an Associate, before long I was playing in Division 4 of the League.

It’s a salutary, not to say occasionally chastening, experience to come up against youngsters in the league who are more than half a century younger and twice as good. However, with practice I’ve now ascended to the dizzy heights of Division 3. (At this juncture critics may point out that Division 4 was subsumed into Division 3 but, hey, let’s be positive.) My proudest moment was being part of the team that won the President’s Cup two years ago, thanks to the heroic efforts of fellow team members Mike, Julie and Les.

There’s no doubt that table tennis at Woodlands has helped my general level of health and fitness enormously and improved my overall well being (except when I lose, obviously). My current aims are to improve my major weaknesses (my forehand and my backhand) and continue to enjoy the company of the great people at the Club.