Webb delighted with open day take-up

ENTHUSIASM for one of the island's most popular sports shows no signs of abating. An open day at the Guernsey Table Tennis Association's Hougue du Pommier centre attracted well over 150 people, some of them current players but a vast majority of them new to the sport.

'The response has been fantastic,' said GTTA president Derek Webb.

'We were saying to each other before it would be great if the six tables where we had coaches offering advice to people had queues of people waiting to play and that's exactly what has happened.'

As well as the six open tables to play on, players had the chance to test their returns against robots feeding them balls with different types of spin, look at stalls, play on a bouncy castle and take part in a raffle.

One of the organisers Jo Langlois said the open day had taken a lot of organising, but had been well worth it with so many people turning up.

'It's a very friendly sport, which can be played in any weather,' she said.

'It's relatively inexpensive to start playing and it doesn't matter if you're playing against one of the eldest players or the youngest, everyone is willing to help one another.

'Today has been marvellous and it's been helped so much by the generosity of a lot of companies who have donated prizes for the raffle.'

Webb said the increasing level of success achieved by the island's young players such as Gary Dodd, Scott Romeril, Alice Loveridge and Ollie Langlois was attracting even more to the game.

'Phil Hunkin, one of our senior players, summed up perfectly the other night when he likened it to a never-ending production line of good young players,' said Webb.

'If we just get another one or two taking up the sport because of the open day, then it has been worthwhile.

'It's fund-raisers like this that are so important for us, because even though it has been free to play today, it has still made money, which makes it possible for us to take the children away and for them to experience better competition.'

* Anyone interested in playing table tennis is asked to call Derek Webb on 254178.