No more frozen balls for Keighley’s table tennis players
Published on: 17th January 2012
Thanks to a generous grant from the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA), Keighley table tennis players can cast off their fingerless gloves and stop jogging up and down on the spot to keep warm between points.
Players enjoyed competing in the old mill (Keighley Business Centre in South Street) during the summer - the premises stay cool inside when temperatures are soaring. But last winter’s severe cold brought frostbite to the fingers of Keighley and District League team members. Woolly hats and scarves were even seen at matches.
While the large playing space (with room for a dozen matches to be played simultaneously) is a boon, it was difficult to heat with radiant bar heaters. But a joint funding application from Keighley Table Tennis Centre and Haworth Hawks Table Tennis Club was successful, and last year ETTA granted the centre £15,000 towards the installation of central heating, showers (one for disabled use) and new toilets.
Plumber Mark Rycroft, who plays for Haworth Hawks (as does his son, Tom) has installed the heating and donated many hours of work to the club. He says, ‘I was happy to support the Table Tennis Centre. It has brought an excellent and much needed facility to Keighley and only exists due to the hard work of volunteers.’
Set up in 2009, it was already well equipped and laid out from a player’s point of view, with tables separated by nets and a lounge and bar facility, ranking it as one of the UK’s top table tennis venues. But this latest work, completed last week, has given it a face-lift which will not only help increase membership, but make it attractive to large tournament organisers, bringing new business to the Keighley area. The club is for table tennis players of all abilities and ages – its youngest member is 5-year-old Maisie Cope and its oldest 82-year-old Jack Webber.
For over-50’s, a new session begins on Monday 6th February and will run from 12.30-14.30 every week. The cost of attendance is £3, which includes tea (or coffee) and biscuits. The club is also keen to hire out its large group room, which now has controllable heating, to local special interest groups. The room, 22m x 8m and already home to art and archery classes, is next to the lounge/bar area, so anyone using it has access to the fresh-ground coffee machine, snack machine, plus toilets and showers. It costs £8 an hour during the day.
Anyone wanting to come and take a look around is more than welcome and should contact Andy Bray on: 07766 428307.
