Bath Street Marine Table Tennis Club
A Table Tennis England PremierClub

Secretary's Report

This time last year I certainly didn’t expect to be giving a Secretary’s report to the 2016 AGM! Although I wasn’t appointed as Secretary last year, in the absence of a new volunteer I agreed with the Chairman that I would continue to act as Secretary for another year. I am pleased to say that one of my major reasons for stepping down last year resolved itself enabling me to have the time to once again fulfil this role. However my second reason for not taking the role last year continues to be an issue!

It has been a fairly challenging year in some respects, particularly in relation to some of our teams in the Liverpool League this last year, where personnel issues have been a major factor.

One thing I am pleased to say is that not only do I consider the club to be stable, but also growing, especially in our social membership. Much credit for this has to go to our Welfare Officer, Mary Delamere, who has done a wonderful job in transforming our weekday social table tennis. We now have two positively throbbing sessions, frequently with both tables in full use, and a party scene that is second to none! The recent addition of coaching sessions aimed at our social members has also been an excellent initiative of Mary’s.

Over the last year the Club Management Committee has met fairly regularly, and I do try to remember to place copies of the Minutes of Man Com Meetings on the notice board, usually without the need to hide or redact certain portions of the notes.

We have once again been able to offer social, recreational and competitive table tennis to members and their guests throughout the year, 7 days a week and 24 hrs a day. It has been quite encouraging to see the growth in use of the premises through the week.

It is the dedicated team of volunteers that we have that effectively make this possible. I am most grateful to all, whether Committee members, team captains, tea makers or networkers. I am particularly grateful for the help that Dave Noden has provided in assisting with the cup and league programme and making up for any deficiencies in my networking skills!

The year started with another excellent social evening, and another happens this week! We then embarked on some major works to the flooring in the playing room necessitating its closure for a short time. A fantastic job was done by our Chairman and Tom Bell, with help from a number of other volunteers. A real improvement plus the redecoration has made the room far more serviceable. We remain hampered by our lack of table space!

As a result of the works we were not able to hold our Club tournament in the summer of 2015; instead we deferred it and ran it recently at Crosby High School, it was a very good event albeit that participation was a little lower than might have been expected. But those who did play had a great day out and plenty of table time in the 3 events all completed on the day. 206 games in total were played on the day! The winners being Des Logan & Peter Ashley in the doubles, Julia Cornish in the singles plate, and yours truly somehow managing to win the Ron Georgeson Memorial Shield!

We were able to increase our entry to the L&DTTL for 2015/16 to nine teams. Although we had more teams they were not so well spread. 3 teams were in Div 1, with the B Team going back to Div 2 from where they had been promoted last year. Two teams were in Div 2, including the new C team under the captaincy of Ted Cramsie, who for a significant period were vying for the top spot in the division, finishing third. A tremendous achievement for their first season at this level. The D Team also in 2 managed to finish away from the relegation zone this year, showing their improvement. We had two very competitive teams in Div 3, both finishing mid table. And this year two teams also in Div 5, one a new team under the first time captaincy of Keith Dudley. The intention here was to try to produce a team that could get promoted and so get the Club a place in Div 4 so that once again we would be able to have teams at every level of the League. I am pleased to say that this aspiration was realised with the G Team winning Div 5. Mary Delamere took over the captaincy of the H Team this year, it is a tough role but one she has managed exceptionally well.

For the first time the Club also took part in the newly formed Junior Development Division of the L&DTTL. We took part in partnership with Crosby High School and used one of their two places in the 6 team division to provide playing opportunities for our own two juniors who are just starting out. It was an excellent opportunity. We have also done some work with St Marys School to provide some table tennis coaching to a handful of their pupils in an after school club. That has stopped for the summer but we may return to it. It would be fantastic to be able to have a team of juniors in our own name in JDD, if one runs in 2016/17.

The Club entered teams in all of the Divisional Cup competitions of the L&DTTL, but with no real success this year.

However it has been quite a different story once more in the L&DTTL Frank Murphy Veterans Handicap Cup. We entered 7 teams, and 3 got through to the semi-finals. BSM 1, the cup holders making it through to the final once again.

Unfortunately however they could not hold onto the trophy. With a generous 55 point handicap to overcome against a very strong side they ended up still 24 points behind, despite winning 12 out of the 18 games. Still being in the final for 3 consecutive years deserves congratulations to Ken, Ricky Brown & Darren Taylor on their success.

The presence of our Club on the Internet has grown and we try to post regular news stories as well as having fixed information about the Club. The 2016 News Letter will appear there shortly with a review of the last year. I am grateful to those who have provided material, pictures and comments to enable the site to be regularly updated with new stories, which I hope you find of some interest!

As a Club, we can’t stand still. We remain hampered by the fact that we have only one table. That makes it difficult for us to provide good club night facilities or to hold significant junior coaching. We are as a club being overtaken by neighbours such as Waterloo and Crosby High who are both able to provide multi table facilities, albeit not 7 days a week. This is an issue which, in my view, we as a club will have to face up to at some time if we wish to continue to grow and develop and become a recognised force for good table tennis in this area.

All that remains is for me to say a very sincere thank you to all members who have supported me this last year.

Graham Turner

Treasurer's Report

A copy of the accounts for the year to 30 April 2016 as presented to and approved by the AGM is available from the Treasurer or Secretary. These showed a small loss for the year of £120, but after taking into account the exceptional costs in the summer of 2015 of improving the property. Overall therefore the financial health of the Club is very satisfactory and no increases to fees for the coming year are recommended.

Ian McElwee

Social Secretary's Report

As you are aware, the social side of the club is thriving.

This comment perhaps says it all, “We have such fun. Some of the members feel that their mental health has improved as we have time to talk over tea and coffee and give each other support. Most of all we have made very good friends as well as keeping fit”.

There are now regular social table tennis sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday morning, with league players and social member mixing together and having a very enjoyable and rewarding time.

Not so long back Albert, Barbara, Billy, Lil, Beryl, Don and Cyril, amongst others, were at the forefront of social table tennis. They met on a Wednesday morning only. Since that time, the social side of table tennis has grown and grown, which in turn has developed some into league players.

In recent times this growth has been largely due to the great amount of time and effort, which Mary has expended in encouraging anyone who is remotely interested in table tennis to come along to Bath Street. 

Mary initiated the Tuesday morning session and has now introduced a coaching session, under the tutelage of Keith Williams. This is a tremendous achievement to get someone like Keith to come along and offer encouragement to some of our ‘mature’ members. You are never too old to learn in this game.

This explosion of previously untapped, senior table tennis players’ coming to Bath Street has benefited the club enormously and has ensured that we can now offer an annual dinner dance and a twice yearly prize draw.

Our next function is on 20th May, start 1930 hours, and will be attended by over 50 people, consisting of members, family and friends.

A club is only as strong as the membership allows it to be. As such, each member of Bath Street TTC is to be valued and thanked for supporting the club in whatever way they can. Long may the club continue to thrive?

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Colin Mitchell & Mary Delamere

Ron Georgeson Memorial Trophy

The 2015/16 Club Tournament was for the first time held on a single day, Saturday 7 May 2016. A full report on the tournament can be found under News Stories (160508). The winners and runners-up were:-

Ron Georgeson Memorial Trophy (Handicap Singles - Main Event)

Winner: Graham Turner; Runner-up: Peter Ashley

Ron Georgeson Memorial Trophy (Plate) (a second chance for all who lost in the 1st Round of the Main Event)

Winner: Julia Cornish; Runner-up: Liz Adams

Fun Doubles

Winners: Peter Ashley & Des Logan; Runners-up Julia Cornish & Ilona Kuznik

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A great day of table tennis.

Liverpool & District Table Tennis League - 2015/16 Season

The Club entered 9 teams into the Liverpool & District Table Tennis League for the 2015/16 season, one more than last year, and all also took part in the respective Divisional trophies. In addition the Club entered 7 teams into the Frank Murphy Memorial Trophy (the Veterans Handicap Cup). 

TEAM REPORTS

The 1st Team (Div 1)

Members:  Ken Jackson (Cap't), Tony Kendall, Fred Bainbridge 

Position in Div   P    W    L    GW    GL    Pts

10                     24   4     15   92     148   92

It has been a really difficult season for the 1st Team. A change of circumstances for Tony Kendall meant that he was able to play far fewer matches than had been expected, and the loss of Fred Bainbridge due to health issues for nearly the whole of the second half of the season left the team having to find substitutes for almost every match! A tough task. The good news however was that captain Ken Jackson, despite injuries of his own, played all but one of the teams matches finishing with a very respectable average of 59.4% only slightly less than last season. Thanks to the support of players from other teams, In the end the 1st Team managed to avoid the drop from the top flight. However at the end of the season we have had to say goodbye to Tony as travelling distance now makes it impractical for him to continue with the Club, we wish him well for the future. Thus unless suitable new players can be found this could be the last season of the 1st Team in its current form. Sometimes however, as one door closes another one opens......  

A Team (Div 1)

Members:  Dave Roberts (Cap't), Clare Peers, Dermot Tierney  

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Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

6                         24    11     8    130      110    130

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Yet again the A Team has proved that it is the senior side in the Club. Benefitting from a stable and consistent team and good management the team has secured its place in the top half of the 1st Division. Captain dave managed to play in 23 of the teams 24 matches, plus making maximum appearances as a substitute for the 1st Team. Dermot wasn't far behind playing in 21 matches and this despite some severe work pressures over the latter part of the season. Clare managed 20 matches, which according to her is "the most I've managed in a long time". Clare adds, "looking back at the season the team has been pretty consistent all year round, battling hard and each one playing with huge intensity". The success of the team is reflected in their respective averages, with Clare topping the bill with 68%, which she says "is the highest percentage yet, so of course very pleased". The average takes account of other matches played in the division as a substutute. Clare's figures not only place her at No.14 in the overall averages for Division 1 but make her by far the top lady player in the League, small wonder that once again she won the Ladies Singles in the Liverpool Closed Championships. dave finished with 62%, his best performance for a few years and he played the highest number of games in Division 1 than any other player with a massive 87 games. Encouragingly Dermot continues to improve and finished with just under 43%. This included some very big wins, such as Ray Jackson, P Lee and our very own Ken Jackson. Clare adds, "overall as a team we finished with an impressive 130 points which is the highest that we have achieved ever and I think that says it all. Great team effort and thanks to Dave our captain who remains dedicated, organised and equipped in everything he does".  

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B Team (Div 1)

Members: Barry Davis (Cap't), Ricky Brown, Ian McElwee  

Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

13                       24     2     19    58      182    58

Captain Barry Davis reports that "the season started with a great win which left us sitting at the top of the table after week 1! Our next and only other win after that was on March 1st, in the next year. Two wins all season demonstrates how tough we have found Division 1 and what a big step up it is from Division 2 where we finished top last season. In the first half of the season we suffered just 1 whitewash. In the second half there were 4. I think we may have been getting a little tired and demoralized. We gained 58 points in total and only 1 other team in all 5 divisions had a lower total - Harold House A in Division 5! Enough of the doom and gloom, my team mates said it would be hard and by golly they were right. But, with a little help from clubmates we did manage to field a complete team every week. Every match was played in the right spirit and we all gave 100% all of the time. We do enjoy our after match drink but this year we couldn't talk about too many great wins! Instead we could only admire the skill of many of our opponents and debate the ups and downs of our football teams! I have had to do this report without the benefit of the match book as I missed the last match of the season. I suspect the book will now be under Ricky's pillow for his bedtime reading, apparently he has match score books going back to the year dot! I suspect this season's will not be top of the best sellers! This is my third season playing with Ricky and Ian and I really enjoy being part of this great team. Thank you to my team mates and all those who have helped us out during the season by substitutions."

C Team (Div 2)

Members: Ted Cramsie (Cap't), Sam Pierce, Julian Quirk 

Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

3                         24    15     6     152     88     152

A new team to Division 2 no one knew what to expect, but with the ever improving Sam Pierce and the return of the very experienced Julian Quirk, the truth is this has been a season of what might have been. Surprisingly around Christmas the team found themselves at the top of the division.and looked very well placed going into the New Year. In this first half the team, through some excellent captaincy, were able to manage potential clashes the team members had with the teams they played for in the Southport League. Sam in particular facing at times some very tough choices. But manage it they did and matched that with some fine performances. But, just when it looked as if a place in Division 1 beckoned, they were faced with a resurgent Harold House and Merseyside Police teams and unfortunately the need to bring in substitutes for key games. Overall though it was an excellent season with Julian finishing 5th in the divisional averages with 88% and Sam just behind him in 7th place with 79%. These are excellent figures in what is always a highly competitive division with some very strong players. Captain Ted says that although he found life very tough at this higher level he thoroughly enjoyed the experience with a classy team!

D Team (Div 2)

Members:  Dave Stoddern (Cap't), Colin Mitchell, Rob Peat

Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

7                         24     7    15    105    135     105

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Captain Dave Stoddern reprts, "Well, not for the first time, we made a slow start and found ourselves in the bottom 2 or 3 for most of the season, but back to back wins and a few close defeats in March & April saw us climb to the dizzy heights of joint 7th by the end of the season. It seems we are like the Cheltenham & Aintree horses (no resemblance mind you) we come good in the spring! We also enjoyed a great cup run in the Vets only to fall at the last hurdle to a solid East Wavertree side which unfortunately meant that there would not be another all Bath Street derby game in the final.  The highlights of our season in my mind were Rob’s 3 against Bootle YM which included some great 5 setters, Colin’s 3 against CADWA A & Dave’s 3 against East Wavertree. I also have to mention Rob’s two 5 setters with the division’s best player, Graham Black in which he came so close to taking his 100% record off him. I would like to thank Rob & Colin for their great support, we have a great team spirit which ultimately saw us through and we look forward to another season in a great division next year. The team would like to thank our other Bath Street team mates of David Noden, Brian Crolley, Mal Kent, Les Dodd & Ned Hassan for helping us out when when we needed them".      

E Team (Div 3)

Members: Brian Crolley (Cap't), Andy Cheung, Mal Kent. 

Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

7                         24    12    9     124      116    124

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Team Captain Brian Crolley, who turned 80 on the 15 May - and I know many just won't believe that, says; "we have had a very good season in Division 3 once again finishing about halfway. This included some very good wins, like beating the divisional runners-up St Anne's once, Maghull A twice, our own F Team once (plus a draw), and a very good win over Merseyside Police (who finished third) plus a draw. The only heavy defeats were at the hands of the Division winners, East Wavertree, who beat us 8:2 and 9:1"!

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Brian adds "we had some very good individual win, including myself beating Steve Gittins of Merseyside Police and John Langton of Maghull not to mention winning all 3 against a very strong St Annes. Other notable wins were Andy beating Ian Wensley of Marconi and Mal's victory over Brenda Buoey of Merseyside Police was outstanding as was his maximum in each of the 2 matches against Sefton Park, and his triple in the final match of the season against Maghull". Brian goes on to pay tribute to the players that acted as substitutes for the team including Ned Hassan, Peter Ashley, Miguel Monteiro and Graham Turner, all of whome were able to pick up odd points for the team. Brian concludes saying, "so that is the season completed. Looking forward to the next season already". Not bad to be able to say that at 80! 

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F Team (Div 3)

Members: Dave Noden (Cap't), Darren Taylor, Josh Taylor, Michael White, Les Dodd  

Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

6                         24    9      9     127      113    127

Although all members of the team had previously had some experience of playing in Division 3, mostly as a sub for other teams, this was to be the first season as a whole for the team, having slightly unexpectedly obtained promotion from Division 4. Nevertheless there was a quiet optimism within the team that not only could they survive the move up but also put in a creditable performance. However once again the opening match pitched the team against the old enemy from Division 4 East Wavertree and a close 6:4 defeat did little to boost confidence. But a fine winn followed albeit that it was followed by 5 defeats on the bounce! In the midst of this run of defeats the team lost one of its improving members, Micky White (see News Story 9 November), who returned to his home in Sheffield when the part of the Seaforth docks contract on which he had been working came to an end. However clever use of subs and later the addition of Les Dodd to the squad meant the team had enough cover to keep on fulfilling its fixtures. Captain Dave Noden says, "little did we know that after these troubling times in November that we would only get beaten 3 more times in the season, and those 3 to the top three teams. 8 wins and 5 draws from the remaining 16 fixtures not only secured our divisional status but enabled the team to finish a creditable 6th, one place above the senior E Team". It was a good end to the season due to continuity, consistency and an excellent team spirit. However the big question is whether the team can continue next season? Josh has decided to to stop playing for a whiledue to the impending arrival of his first child. We wish him and his partner Jeanette all the very best - Josh and Jeanette have since had their first child, congratulations. Overall a good first season in the 3rd, and hopefully new players will emerge for next season to build on this solid foundation.

G Team (Div 5)

Members: Keith Dudley (Cap't), Peter Ashley, Julia Cornish, Ned Hassan, Miguel Monteiro, Graham Oates, and Graham Turner. 

Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

1                         20    17     1    169      31    169

A new team with a new captain and a potentially very strong line up for Division 5, built with the aim of trying to get a team back into Division 4. But things didn't start too well, with the first match of the season resulting in a narrow defeat, and a significant injury to No.1 Graham, to rivals East Wavertree. However this was to prove to be the only defeat of the season. Apart from 2 draws the remaining matches produced a number of large wins with new boy Miguel proving to be a vital quality addition to the team, finishing the season with just two defeats and topping the divisional averages with a tad under 93% having played the season at No.2. The strength of the team however was in the quality it was able to include at No.3 & 4 and the substitues it was able to draft in at times of need from the H Team. Excellent contributions from Keith (81% average), Peter (83%) and Julia - who achieved 14 out of 16 wins in her 8 matches - provided the strongest possible support for Graham & Miguel and often meant the team were able to get big wins thanks to the success of the No.3 & 4. Captain Keith says, "a thoroughly enjoyable season, what a great group to play with. Let's hope we can keep this team together if we get promoted to Division 4". 

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H Team (Div 5)

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Members: Des Logan & Mary Delamere (Cap't), Barbara Alcock, Tom Bell, Billy Clayton, Michal Ozarek, Liz Adams, Don Gibson,

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Position in Div     P     W     L     GW     GL     Pts

10                       20     5     13    67      133     67

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It is never easy to run a team with a large squad of players, and this is exactly what new captain Mary Delamere found. With no obvious No.1 Tom Bell took much of the burden of that role, and was helped by Julia Cornish in the first half of the season before she was transferred up to the G Team for the second half of the season. It was never going to be easy playing at No.1 or 2 in this division with 4 very strong teams at the top of the division. Nevertheless the team made up for this pressure with some strong performances from the evergreen Billy Clayton and former captain Des Loganat No's 3 & 4. As a result the team were able to pick up a few victories and two draws to ensure that at least this season they did not end up supporting the rest of the division. Captain Mary reports, "we have had a very enjoyable season, our most settled team had a combined age of 325 years and they were still giving everyone a very good game. The whole team has been very supportive and we have had great fun". Not to mention some very tasty scones!

Who is who?

And to finish with her is a little picture competition for you!

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See if you can answer these ???

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Which team captain enjoyed this cake, which has an image of himself, on celebrating his 80th birthday right at the end of the 2015/16 season?

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Who is this player, daughter of the great table tennis coach Derek Rust of Cranleigh, who gave very strong support to two teams in the same division? 

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