Weekly Club Fundraiser

Since start of April we have ran a weekly club fundraiser, our Bonus Ball competition. 59 numbers filled every week, with the winner choosing a prize from the list of we have. Big thanks to everyone who has supported it and donated prizes, which has 5 weeks worth of winners already.

Week 1 Winner

Kevin Morrison with No50 – Wins 1-1 coaching session with C Dalgleish

Week 2 Winner 

Jordan McGinlay with No26 – Wins £25 Bribar voucher

Week 3 Winner 

Maria Henry with No 36 – Wins Joola Rhytmz Rubber

Week 4 Winner

Ryan Henry with No47 – Wins 1-1 coaching session with C Main

Week 5 Winner 

Graeme Stevenson with No59 – Wins 1-1 coaching session with M Johnson

COVID 19 – Outlining How We Can Return to Action

No one knows exactly when, and it won’t be any time soon that table tennis is back to normal. However, National Governing Bodies have published a basic plan of a phased return to table tennis when the lockdown is gradually lifted.

Phase 1 – Play and exercise at home 
Phase 2 – Limited Club Activity
Phase 3 – Preparing for Localised Comps
Phase 4 – Local Comp Resumes
Phase 5 – Full play and spectating in place 

Phase 2 – Limited Club Activity will be the next stage for table tennis and sports in general whenever that may be. This could look like small groups at the club, staggered club nights. 1-1 coaching could maybe return. Training could be with fixed training partners, no doubles, no handshakes, no change of sides.

Below I have attached 3 reports / articles from TT Scotland, TT England and TT Germany. Plenty ideas on how table tennis could resume safely when we have been given the green light to get some club activities back up and running.

Table Tennis Germany – Recommendations of club based TT activities
German TT Federation Guidance

“Sports clubs make a valuable contribution to the coexistence of society and health. The understandable restrictions to slow the pandemic are easier to bear in the long term if you give people a perspective, at least in small places.”

Table Tennis Scotland – May 9th Website Update
https://tabletennisscotland.co.uk/covid-19-update-2/

“This week has seen many of the political and public conversations move to how the country can carefully transition out of the current lockdown arrangement. We now know however from the First Minister`s announcement on Thursday, the Scottish Government has made an evidence-based decision to extend the lockdown for a further period of three weeks.”

Table Tennis England – How we can return to action
https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/news/archived/outlining-how-we-can-return-to-action/

“Table tennis activity contributes to many health, social and economic benefits across the country and many of us will be missing the game, however it is vitally important that when activity is resumed, it does not compromise the health and safety of individuals or communities.”

Martin Johnson – Interview on Full-time TT in Germany

Great piece on the Table Tennis Scotland website with Martin Johnson answering questions from Charlie Ellis on his time in Dusseldorf, Germany. Martin was based at Europe’s top training facility and gives a great insight into life as a full time tt player and his thoughts on various part of his table tennis and the sport in general…

As many will be aware, two of Scotland’s leading young players- Martin Johnson of North Ayrshire TTC and Danny Bajwa of Dumfries TTC- have spent much of the last few months living, training and playing in Germany. Germany has been a leading table tennis nation for decades with a much admired club system. Martin & Danny were based at the Borussia Dusseldorf club.

That the experience has helped their development seems evident from their performances and results in recent Scottish tournaments. Danny Bajwa was particularly impressive at the Jarvis Sports Edinburgh Open in January. There he had fine wins over Stewart Crawford and Dylan Curry on his way to the Band 1 title. Particularly noteworthy was his performance in the Band 1 semi to defeat Scottish number 1 Colin Dalgleish with some sharp attacking play (11-9 in the 5th).  Though Dalgleish got some revenge later in the day (in the Men’s Singles final), Bajwa had a bit of a breakthrough day. Johnson reached both the Band 1 and Men’s Singles semis. His best performance was probably his comprehensive 3-0 win versus Calum Morrison.

At the Scottish Nationals Martin Johnson had an excellent run: narrowly losing to eventual champion Colin Dalgleish in the group stages of the Men’s Singles before defeating Neil Cameron & John Hannah on his way to the semi-finals. There he put up an excellent fight, losing out to Scottish number one Gavin Rumgay in four sets. Meanwhile Bajwa wasn’t able to covert a 2-1 lead in his last-16 match; losing out to Yaser Razouk. Bajwa and Johnson combined in the doubles, where they were impressive in beating Colin Dalgleish & Dylan Curry (9, 11, 6) to take the title. Johnson continued a superb weekend by taking the Junior Boys’ trophy on the Sunday: beating Bajwa in the semi finals and then Dylan Curry in the final. Bajwa & Johnson then added the Junior Boys’ Doubles to their list of successes.

In today’s interview, Martin Johnson reflects on his time in Germany. In part 2 (on the site soon) we will hear fromDanny Bajwa.

Martin Johnson.

1. Where are you at the moment- back with your family?
   
   Yes we’re back home with the family. We’ve been home for 3 weeks as the league and training is cancelled in Germany.

2. How are you keeping active during this time? Are you able to do anything to work on your TT skills?
   
   Yes we have a table in our garage but very little space, so mostly serve and receive exercises. I’m also going for a run most days and doing some exercise at home.

3. Where did you stay in Germany- with a family?
   
   We lived in a flat above a family who is involved with the club.

4. How did you keep up your education/ school work in Germany?
   
   I left school after 4th year last June to concentrate on table tennis but I now have the option to go back to education.

5. How’s your German?
   
   My German isn’t the best because everyone’s English is very good. We knew enough to understand table tennis, travel across the city and buy food at supermarkets.

6. What things did you find difficult to adjust to in Germany?- in terms of the lifestyle etc.
   
   I feel like I adjusted to the lifestyle well. The fact most people spoke English helped me settle in.

7. What was your typical day like?- What’s the balance between fitness work and on table practice?
   
   Our schedule was different on different days of the week. We’d mostly train 2 hours in the morning, 3 days a week and train every afternoon for between 2.5 and 4 hours with most days having physical after the session. During certain weeks there were also camps where we could train 3 times per day. When we weren’t training we mostly rested but also the travel time to the hall was 1 hour each way so that took up a lot of time.

8. Did you find it physically tough?- and mentally?
   
   It was very physically tough at the beginning as I had never trained so much and so intensely. As time went on it was a lot easier. Mentally it was also very hard because sometimes you would play badly for a whole week or two and you’d feel like it might not be worth it and you wanted to go home. However, the good times massively outweighed the bad and I always understood how much it benefited me being there.

9. Is the coaching style very different to what you’ve had in Scotland? -in what ways?
   
   I think the coaching style is a lot more structured and intense than in Scotland. There is also a lot more multiball and movement exercises. The coaches also tailor exercises more to the specific player because not everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses.

10. What were the main aspects of your game you worked on in Germany?
    
    I was working on a lot of serve and receive and movement. This helped me read the game a lot better and anticipate better.

11. What about the matches?- what level have you been playing at? How are your results?
    
    Personally I don’t feel like I played as well I wanted to in the league games. I’d say the level was not far away from British Championship Division. There were a lot of different styles so some games were easier than others. I finished on 20 wins and 8 losses. Also Danny and me won 17 out of 17 doubles matches.

12. Were you happy with your performances in recent Scottish tournaments, such as the Scottish Nationals & Jarvis Edinburgh Open.
    
    Despite some good results at Jarvis Open I was left a little bit disappointed with how I played. This gave me a lot of motivation in the run up to nationals. That  was an excellent weekend for me; winning the U18 singles and reaching the Men’s semi final. It was very pleasing for me to see a lot of hard work paying off in this competition. I still feel there’s a lot of room for improvement although the nationals weekend was great.

13. Do you think that you will be returning to Germany?I have absolutely no clue what’s happening in the near future but I hope that I can continue training if I can find funding to train and live abroad.

14. What’s next in your table tennis career? You must be keen to get back on the table asap?The situation going on in the world is definitely not ideal for a lot of sportspeople but even having a little bit of access to a table is a better situation than none. I am for sure looking forward to being back in the hall training again.

15. Is there one single thing you’ll take way from your time in Germany?I wouldn’t say there’s one single thing, there’s a lot of positives that came from it. Playing table tennis everyday in one of the best clubs in Europe is a dream I’m sure any young player would have. Also meeting new people and living abroad has helped me with confidence in daily life. So I wouldn’t say it was one thing to take away I think there’s so many parts to the experience to take away from it.

16. Would you recommend moving abroad to other young players in Scotland?I would recommend players from Scotland to do it, but don’t make the decision too quickly. I was thinking hard about moving away for around 2 years and everyone thought I was crazy. I’d say just be sure it’s the right thing for you to do and enjoy your time away if you go because you don’t know how long it’s going to last.

By Charlie Ellis

Many thanks to Martin & Danny for taking the time to answer the questions and to Gordon Muir for his comments on an earlier version of this piece. Also thanks to Danny for the team photo.

Player Spotlight – Chad Duncan

Brilliant quick fire Question & Answer session with one of our top junior players Chad Duncan. Chad has had a great season so far, posting some of his finest wins in the past 6 months at various Scottish ranking events. Most recently reaching the semi finals of the Junior Boys at the  WoS Open and final of the U16 Boys at WoS Schools qualifier.

Chad, currently an S4 pupil at St Matthew’s Academy, is looking to push his Scottish ranking up even further and we no doubt that will happen with the textbook playing technique he has and hard work he has been putting in.

Q & A below

When did you start playing tt and how long have you been playing ?

I have been playing for 6 years.

Why and where did you start ?

I started playing table tennis when Chris and Richie came in to my primary school (St Anthony’s) and done a exhibition and it just appealed to me that day forward.

How often you train?

I currently train Monday at NATTC, Tuesday at Drumchapel TTC and on Thurday I do my 1-1 coaching session with Chris and train at NATTC’s performance session. My WoS Senior League matches are on a Wednesday when we have a home match so I’m mostly playing TT every night of the week.

Favourite part of TT ?

My favourite part of TT is how tense a game can get, when it’s 9-9 in the fifth set and the opponent is only a few feet away, can’t beat playing under pressure when the intensity builds up.

What leagues have you played in and what leagues do you play in now?

I play in Scottish National League, British Senior League, West of Scotland senior league and have previously played in the WoS Junior League.

Favourite exercise ?

Backhand middle backhand wide forehand then go free as it works on my footwork and consistency. Towards the end of the exercise i can play free to turn it in to match play.

Proudest moment in TT?

My proudest moment has got to be when I beat Aberdeen’s Josef Bokedal to qualify for the Scottish Secondary Schools team, when he was 2nd seed and I was 10th seed.

What’s your ambitions in TT over the next few years?

Having represented Scotland at the British Primary School Championships and the British Secondary School Championships, my next target is to represent Scotland at European Youth Championships.

Chad pictured with Coach Jordan McGinlay recently at British League

Alec Hughes – Player Spotlight

Alex Hughes has been a member of the club for over 10 years and is currently North Ayrshire TTC’s Chairman. Alex helps out with various aspects of the club and is team secretary for our WoS Senior League Division 3 team.

The Division 3 team of Alex, Graeme, Derrin and Holly are are sitting top of the league with 1 match to go … we will wait and see what decision is made and how long the league is postponed for but its been a great season for the team start to finish and hoping the get the title they deserve.

Did you know Alec Hughes is a Scottish Internationalist ? 

Former bus driver, Alec who is over 70 years of age competed for the Scottish Veterans team in the 2019 Home Nations Vets Tournament. Alec competed brilliantly to reach the final of the singles plate event and picked up the runners up medal. He is a regular on the Scottish vets scene playing in the Vets assessment at Bathgate and competes for our Division 4 Scottish National League team.

Alec is currently working towards his official umpire award and has been one of our main co-ordinators for our British Premier League ‘home’ matches. Assisting with travel arrangements, getting players from and to the airport, umpiring the matches and helping set up the hall.

Player Spotlight – Alex Gracie

During the enforced down time we are going to create some interest & fun by posting a daily story about our club, volunteers and players . We will put up some quick question and answer interviews from a number of people who represent our club at all levels. Highlight the work of of our hard working volunteers, publish a few old pictures from the 2000-2010s and upload some videos from British League, National League and West League.

Player Spotlight – Alex Gracie

First interview is 17 year old Alex Gracie who is currently a senior pupil at St Matthews Academy and since starting has played in various different teams in our club. Alex completed his UKCC Level 1 coaching course and first aid qualification in 2019. Since then he has been helping out Chris Main in various coaching sessions in his school and others venues.

Q. When did you start playing tt and how long have you been playing for ?
Started playing in June 2015 so been playing for nearly 5 years.

Q. Why did you start playing ?
Started because I needed a new hobby and the sport has always interested me.

Q. What leagues have you played in and what do you play in now?
Ive played in the west of scotland junior league, worked my way up from div3 to div 1 and currently play in the west of scotland Senior league.

Q. Favourite part of playing?
I really enjoy the training part of TT, for example doing exercises, multiball and practise matches as I feel more relaxed and calm during them.

Q. What did you lean from becoming a qualified coach?
Coaching has taught me to be more patient with myself and others. Also that progress and getting better at table tennis or other sports sometimes takes longer than you expect.

History of NATTC

Club member Graeme Stevenston who has came back on the table tennis scene after many years out, has taken the time to start writing up the history of NATTC and TT in the area to mark the 20th year since the club was founded. Graeme who has been competing for our WoS Senior League division 3 team (currently top of the league..) is looking for results, pictures and successes from anyone who has been involved or played at our club over the years.

The first edition has been drafted up with player biographies, articles from newspapers and results online which we could find, however Graeme wants to add more detail from players point of view and to add info on the clubs work in schools and community. Also important to highlight the hard work that our volunteers / players put into the club and sport in North Ayrshire.

Graeme encourages anyone to contact him or the club to pass on any old newspaper cuttings, articles, trophies, results etc and comments below

Message us on FB, twitter or instagram, email chris@nattc.co.uk or graemestevenson@btinternet.com.

North Ayrshire Open – CANCELLED

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the North Ayrshire OPEN on 28/29 March 2020 will be CANCELLED. We have let all partners and sponsors know this and felt this was the right thing to do.

We plan to reschedule the event for the beginning of the 2020/2021 season.

Anyone who has paid online will be refunded in the next week and those who have paid by cheque will be contacted by Billy Main.

Any questions please contact myself jordan@nattc.co.uk, or Billy Main on billy@nattc.co.uk

Regards,
Jordan McGinlay
Club Secretary
North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club

Medal Success at National Championships

The most prestigious event on the Table Table Scotland calendar was held at Bells Sport Centre, Perth on 29 February and 1st March. North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club players brought home a record amount of medals and national titles with Martin Johnson winning the Junior Boys National title to add to his Junior British title he won in November 2019.

Senior Events

Former Auchenharvie Academy pupil, Martin Johnson played his best table tennis to date reach the semi finals of the Men’s Singles event. Martin got a great win over the Scottish no3 ranked men Niall Cameron 3-1 in the last 16 and Scottish no7 John Hannah in the quarter finals 3-1. This was to set up a blockbuster match v Scottish no1 and 14 time champion Gavin Rumgay in the semi final. Martin lost out in a highly competitive match 3-1 to Gavin but shows the level Martin is competing at, how much he has improved after moving to Düsseldorf Germany to train full time.

No7 seed and club coach Chris Main reached the Quarter Finals of the Men’s Singles losing out to eventual winner Colin Dalgleish. Jamie Johnson and Ryan Henry both qualified into the knockout stages and lost out in the last 16 of the Men’s Singles.

Chris Main and Holly McNamara teamed up well in the mixed doubles where they reached the final of the Mixed Doubles. They got a superb 4 set win in the semi final win over Scottish no2 woman Lucy Elliott and Scottish no3 men Niall Cameron. 4 time winners Colin Dalgleish and Rebecca Plaistow proved too strong in the final beating Chris & Holly 3-1.

Martin Johnson & Partner Danny Bajwa who both moved out to top table tennis centre Düsseldorf, Germany at the start of the season, showed they are the perfect doubles team winning the Men’s Doubles for the first time and retaining their Junior Boys Doubles title.

Junior Events

In the U15 Boys singles event, North Ayrshire had two players going for the title, 13 year old Nathan Hogg and14 year old Johnson. Nathan Hogg the Scottish no3 worked his way to the semi final with two fine wins over two of the top Aberdeen players. Nathan put up a good fight v top seed Borui Chen but Borui proved too strong in the semi final. Jamie who was seeded no2 going into the competition reached the final to set up a final v Edinburgh’s Borui Chen. Jamie played great but lost out in 3 close sets to finish the event in runners up position.

Chad Duncan and Nathan Hogg played well to reach the semi finals of the Junior Boys Doubles. They lost out in a close battle to players from South Ayrshire TTC.

In the girls event, West Kilbride’s Jess Hogg reached the semi finals of both the u15 girls and the u18 girls. Holly narrowly lost out in the group stages of the junior girls, just losing out in the deciding set to both the Scottish no2 and no3.

Holly and Jess paired up in the Junior Girls Doubles event with wins over top Dumfries pairings Shannon Brown and Maria DeSilva and two top Edinburgh players to reach the final. Jess & Holly lost in 4 close sets to the top seeds from Glasgow.

Martin Johnson backed up his impressive day of results on the Saturday with winning the Junior Boys title on the Sunday. Martin seeded 3 going into the event, beat doubles partner Danny Bajwa 3-1 in the semi final and Scottish no1 ranked junior Dylan Curry 3-1 in the final.

Club Coach Jordan McGinlay adds ‘What a weekend of results for the North Ayrshire players at the very top level of table tennis in Scotland. The hard work and training the players have to put in on a weekly basis is tough and it’s so deserving that the players are getting their rewards’

NATTC have classes and sessions running 5 days per week all over North Ayrshire. Beginners, over 50’s & school classes. Find us on Facebook, Twitter for more information

The most prestigious event on the Table Table Scotland calendar was held at Bells Sport Centre, Perth on 29 February and 1st March. North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club players brought home a record amount of medals and national titles with Martin Johnson winning the Junior Boys National title to add to his Junior British title he won in November 2019.

Please see below detailed reports from the Table Tennis Scotland website written by Stewart Armitage and Gordon Muir.

TTS Senior Report (Saturday) – https://tabletennisscotland.co.uk/dalgleish-and-plaistow-take-the-honours/

TTS Junior Report (Sunday) – https://tabletennisscotland.co.uk/johnson-and-yau-victorious/

A&S Herald article – /https://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/18283376.table-toppers-savour-success-national-championships/

Community TT Classes

Club coach Ryan Henry has been busy delivering table tennis classes to a range of primary schools since the start of the year. These sessions have been organised by Active Schools and University of West of Scotland. Ryan is currently studying Sports Coaching and Development at UWS and these classes help towards gaining coaching experience and also reaching his required volunteering hours. Ryan currently delivering classes in St Anthonys, St Peters, St Johns and St Winnings.

NATTC were in attandance at West Kilbride CC on Wednesday with Phil Greenham and Billy Main helping organise the BB’s u18 TT Championships. Hall down stairs and hall upstairs both being used with over 30 players competing. Battalions from Irvine, Saltcoats, Largs, West Kilbride & Kilwinning. Some good matches were played and the competition was played in a competitive and friendly spirit. Hopefully see more players at our West Kilbride club coming from the BB’s.