More than 100 people enjoyed ‘smashing’ taster sessions as Halton Borough Council and Halton Table Tennis Club served up a number of events for national #TableTennisDay on Wednesday.
Sixty pupils and staff from Augustine’s played at the opening of the new Outdoor Table Tennis Tables. Fifteen pupils from St Bede’s School came to TT Centre followed by Come & Try with 30 attending in addition to the usual 0ver-50s group.
North West Chairman Table Tennis England Karen Tonge MBE, of Halton Table Tennis Club, said: “It was great to see so many of different ages participating in National Table Tennis Day, having fun and learning new skills.
“This demonstrates the good partnership Table Tennis has with Halton Borough Council ”
The day was well publicised on BBC Radio Merseyside, the Widnes World website as well as Halton Borough Council website and social media and Halton TTC website. and Facebook page.
Halton TT Club, which meets at Halton Borough Council’s Stadium, also home to WIdnes Vikings, as well as a number of football teams and the Widnes Spartans (American Football) has more than 600 members.
It is the leading clubs in the North West as a Table Tennis England Centre for Excellence.
In competitive play the National Under Ten Champion is a member Louis Cheung-Turner, Under 13 girls number four Niamh Scarborough while 20 other Juniors are on the England Ranking List.
Jack Hunter-Spivey is in GB Para TT Squad; Joe Davies and Grace Williams are in the Para Futures Squad; while Mark Allen and Jade Carr play and regularly win medals in British and European Transplant TT Events.
Table Tennis England introduced National Table Tennis Day for the first time in 2014, with clubs, schools, businesses, players and fans rallying together to celebrate our sport with a series of spectacular events, including open days, outdoor table events, fancy dress and celebrity involvement.
Here are the Top 10 Health Benefits of table tennis
•Playing improves hand-eye coordination and it stimulates mental alertness, concentration and tactical strategy. …
•Develops mental acuity. …
•Improves reflexes. …
•It’s easy on the joints. …
•Burns calories. …
•Offers a social outlet. …
•Keeps your brain sharp. …
•Improves coordination
For more information on table tennis in Halton contact k_tonge@sky.com