When we bought table tennis tables all those years ago, we don’t think anyone envisaged that we would have a team in a league, let alone win it. They were brought in for a number of reasons – good for physical/ mental health, give people a hobby, for prison leavers etc and they have always been regularly used. If you’ve not yet played, give it a go and you’ll see why everyone enjoys it!
Around 6 years ago we were offered a place in the Northampton table tennis league. We asked a number of members if they would like to take part and with enough members willing, we decided to enter the league.
Steve and Aaron decided to make a commitment to those members, which meant that at least 1 of them would need to be available to volunteer for 1 evening a week from September to April (in the end more often than not we would both attend) to facilitate matches. They often start at 7/ 7:30pm and can last until 11pm..
We had no expectations from it, and in those days we would have been happy if one of us won 1 match! We did ok but would lose more than we would win or draw. However, it didn’t matter – and it still doesn’t now. We entered the league to give members the opportunity to develop their hobby into something more, to give them something to look forward to, to spend an evening out, meet other people, be part of a team. We can often take these things for granted but we have seen how important this has been to people and the knock- on effect to confidence and self- esteem.
The rules of the league – there are 3 players in a team who each play each other once. You play best out of 5 sets, up to 11 points in a set (but must win by at least 2 points so can go to sudden death e.g. 12-10 and so on) the first person to win 3 sets wins the match and in turn you win a point for your team. There is a doubles match to finish so there is a possible 10 points on offer. The amount of points your team wins is your total – you don’t get more for a win for example.
Over the years we gradually improved and in the covid season we finished in our highest position – 2nd place, but in truth nowhere near the top team. That season was cut short for obvious reasons.
We’ve had lots of different members in the league, most of whom have not played before either. As you can imagine, playing at Bridge for fun is not the same as playing in a league against people you don’t know, and it can be very nerve- wracking playing. This is something everyone has needed to get used to but makes playing more difficult.
This season the team has been John, Colin, Mick, Aaron and Steve and as with anything, we hoped we could improve a little but with no expectations of finishing in a particular position. We do not place any undue pressure on any of us. As with our original goals, we still want people to enjoy their evening etc. Winning is great but it is not the most important thing. However, we started with a 10-0 win and we could see the improvement in all of us, particularly with Mick. Some of those last season nerves had gone and he was showing his true ability. We lost the 2nd match to what turns out to have been our closest rivals in the league. The 3 members played that night and with myself and Aaron watching, we could not have been more proud of how they played and privately we discussed that maybe we could achieve a little bit more this season.
Fast- forward to the end of the season and we have won an incredible 156 points, winning 19 out of 21 league matches, and as a result have become League Champions!
Last season we won 117 points, winning 9. Watching the members improve has been a pleasure. They are 3 lovely guys, who are polite and sociable. They encourage other teams’ players and will often let them know if they’ve played well or played a good shot. This has transferred into Bridge – we often see them supporting other members and trying to help them improve their game.
This achievement is huge for all of us at Bridge as the league standard is very high.
The feeling we get from seeing the members do so well is worth much more than the time we give up supporting them, and we get nervous for them when they’re playing as we want them to do well.
This started with people joining Bridge as members and giving something new a ‘go’.
What a season.
The team should be hugely proud of their achievements – we certainly are.
Steve and Aaron
Picture left to right – Steve, Colin, John, Mick, Aaron