It may not be widely appreciated, but we have a major force in the table tennis world right on our doorsteps. No, I don’t mean the U3A table tennis group – although we have been improving generally and have some new members keen to develop their ping pong skills. The real powerhouse locally is the Ormesby Table Tennis Club, which is based in Middlesbrough. In fact, they have just won the senior British Premier League Trophy and that is an incredible achievement. They are coached by the former England champion Denis Neale and their star player, David McBeath won seven of his eight matches in the final round. Phew! I would like to say that one of our members was equally successful, but frankly, with all the chopping and changing we engage in on a Friday afternoon, to ensure that everyone plays with and against everyone else, I wouldn’t have the faintest idea who had won what. Anyway, our objective is not necessarily to win (or at least we try to pretend that it doesn’t matter), but to enjoy chatting with a very friendly group and get a bit of exercise to boot. Recently, we even spent a little time practising forehands using topspin, to persuade the errant ball to dip and land on the far side of the table, instead of overshooting by several bat-lengths. Much to the surprise of some of us, it actually worked. It involves holding the bat at the correct angle, moving it upwards and brushing over the ball and transferring one’s weight to the correct foot. Mastering all those moving parts can be quite challenging, especially for those of us who find remembering where we put our bat difficult, but it is certainly worth the effort. Successfully playing a “proper” table tennis shot, just like those Ormesby players, is really very satisfying. British Premier League watch out!
If you would like to join our group to learn the game, improve your skills or just enjoy playing and socialising, please contact Peter Singer. All are welcome, whether you play regularly, have not played for some time or have never played before.
Peter Singer