By Nigel Coe
Ryehill Table Tennis Club’s sessions for people with long-term health issues have continued through the summer and are due to finish in early December.
Although we’ve never been inundated with players, those who have attended have all said that the sessions were enjoyable and of benefit.
In the summer, we were contacted by Steve Morley, originally from Hornsea and now living in Ayrshire. Steve was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018 and, having read that table tennis was a useful exercise for people with the disease, started playing again in 2020 after a 40-year break. Steve came along for a coaching session and also joined in the open club night held on Thursdays.
Steve has gone on to compete in the Scottish Parkinson’s International tournament, winning a Gold Medal with his teammate Lynn in the mixed doubles, and, more recently, at the Parkinson’s World Table Tennis Championships in Crete this month. Sadly, there were no medals this time around, but Steve did win the raffle to play in the ITTF World Masters in Rome next July.
Steve’s determination to do as much as possible to slow the effects of Parkinson’s is a fabulous example of not giving in. Look out for him as the Ayrshire Tiger.
We have once again entered six teams in the Hull and District Table Tennis league, with Ocelots representing us in the Premier division. With one of their regular players now studying in Swansea, they are having to rely on substitutes and, as a result, have won only one of their seven matches played so far. Wanderers, who were relegated to Division 1 at the end of last season, have started brilliantly, having won all four of their matches, while in Division 2, Ravens are seeing some unexpected results, having won three from six games to date.
In Division 3, Roosters have won four from six, Robins three from seven, and Meerkats have celebrated their first win and also have a draw from their seven matches. Meerkats have been boosted this season by the arrival of Ian Pennington, whose left-handed penholder style is something not many opponents have met before.
