Plymouth and District Table Tennis Club

31/05/2026

The funeral service for our dear friend Tony Bray will be held at The Park Crematorium, Merafield Road , Plympton PL7 1UG on Wednesday 10th June 2026 at 3:30pm

09/05/2026

W/C 04/05/26 HANDICAP CUP - FINAL

The long-awaited Handicap Cup Final was played this week and two of the top two teams have made it through the group phase and progressed through from the quarter finals. Although the handicap is supposed to give every team a chance of reaching the final it might just go to prove the top players have the ability and knowledge of the game and therefore how to overcome diversity.

Note: Figure in [ ] indicate the players Handicap.

The Final: This is a race to 5 match points with a possible of 9 matches to be played.

It was Div One Champions, Molyneux Associates A, to take on the might of Shopfitting by SWS B, who finished league runners-up and the match was expected to be a close encounter with Molyneux slight favourites. Each match consisted of a race to 25 points for each of the two ends and the lowest ranked player started the match with their handicap instead of starting from scratch.

The first match saw Molyneux’s Glyn Price [+2] take on SWS’s hard back-hand hitting Dan Kayes [+3] and with loads of side spin Price kept Kayes to limited back-hand shots and thus Kayes played a more defensive game but lost out 20-25, 18-25.

Tony Sweet [0], who missed the two previous rounds, returned for Molyneux and outplayed Colin Mitchell [+3] in the first end 25-9 showing his ability to adapt to different styles of play. Mitchell had a much better second end but came short losing 21-25.

SWS then relied on the unbeaten player, Mike Griffiths [0] to pull a match point back beating Paul Haigh [+6] 25-21, 25-15 with some fierce attacking shots from the forehand and controlled punching backhands.

Kayes came out for his second match and surprisingly took the first end off Sweet 25-21 after playing some heavy back spin returns, deep from the table, from Sweet’s topspin shots. Sweet then turned the match around winning the next end 25-19 and won overall 47-41 to take his team to a 3-1 lead.

Griffiths then pulled a point back for SWS beating Price 25-20, 25-18, again with some fierce shots, although Price managed to block return a large amount, but ran short eventually.

Haigh then opened up a 4-2 lead for his team beating Mitchell 25-20 and 25-13 despite Mitchell serving long to Haigh’s backhand in the both ends; Haigh seemed to start getting the better of it and put Mitchell under pressure with top spin shots.

Then came the match that every player wanted to see. The top two players in the league stepped up to do battle. It started fairly evenly, with Sweet and Griffiths matching each other for points but Griffiths then opened up a 24-19 lead but could not finish it as Sweet pulled back to 24-a-piece. Griffiths then closed out the first set. With the match evenly balanced, no-one would predict the outcome as they came back to the table for the final set. With some absolutely fantastic table tennis the rallies were extreme but the competitiveness of both players was outstanding with Griffiths winning 25-21 (50-45).

Kayes then had to play Haigh and knew he had to win to take the overall match to the final game and with him winning the encounter the final was now level at 4-a-piece, with only one more match to be played.

It was now left to Price to take on Mitchell as everything relied on these two players. With controlled side spin and some great hitting, Price won the first end 25-13 leaving Mitchell a real uphill struggle to claw the match back for his team mates. Despite a truly great effort it was just too much for SWS and Price (50-36) gave Molyneux Associates the win and the trophy.

The overall competition was enjoyed by a very large number of players as many mentioned it was great to play different people of different abilities and standards. The League and the Executive Committee will now start to register teams and players for the new season starting in September and invite anyone wishing to play in the league to contact the club through the website PDTTC.C

02/05/2026

30/04/2026

W/C 27/04/26

This week saw the Semi-Finals of the Handicap Cup and it was a race to 5 points from a possible 9 matches in total. Each player having their own individual handicaps.

Note: Figure in [ ] indicate the players Handicap.

Match 1:
This featured Molyneux Associates A, who were again without their top player Tony Sweet, so it was left to Glyn Price [+2], Garry Reed [+3] and Paul Haigh [+6] to take on their club mates from Div Two Molyneux Associates C, who, have improved immensely this season. The Molyneux C team was Yaz Azizi [+11], Ian Reed [+17] and eighteen-year-old Toby Spencer [+11].

Azizi took the first match through some fast and hard shots which caught G.Reed winning 50-39. Price stepped up, to beat I.Reed 46-41 to draw level. Then it was the turn of Spencer to win the next point for his team and again with some ferocious shots and some outstanding rallies beating Haigh 50-34. Price then levelled the match again beating Azizi 50-40 by using his side-spin speciality which Azizi struggled with. Spencer took his second point of the night beating G.Reed 50-40 but the match was all about some fast hard shots from both players.

The next game, Haigh verses I.Reed, changed the outcome of the evening when the match was level after two ends 25-18, 18-25, Reed, as lowest ranked of the two players, had an extra serve to determine the outcome of the battle and lost the golden point give Haigh the match point. From then on, and still with some outstanding rallies Molyneux A went on to win 5-3 after Price beta Spencer 49-44 and Haigh defeated Azizi 50-44.

Match 2:
The second Semi-Final between two teams from Div One, Crafthole A and Shopfitting by SWS B, battled it out for a finals spot. It started well for Crafthole with Iain Oxenham [+6] beating Colin Mitchell [+3] 50-37 with some constant and accurate hitting against Mitchell’s blocking. The rest of the matches saw SWS muscle their way to a match victory.

Jan Walaszkowski (SWS) [+3] and Shirley Luckhurst [+5] battled out a mostly defensive match, although when the chances arrived to start an attack, both players were up to the challenge with Walaszkowski winning 50-41. The next match saw SWS’s unbeaten player Mike Griffiths [0] play Michael Cookson [+8] and it started well for Cookson matching Griffiths point for point until with a spurt of winning shots Griffiths won 25-19. Griffiths then turned on the accuracy and used his armoury of forehand and backhand finishing shots to win the end 25-12.

The closest encounter saw Luckhurst and Mitchell play out the closest match of the evening with Mitchell winning 25-18, 19-25 (44-43). The turning point of the match was a edge point won by Mitchell right at the end of the second end after Luckhurst came close to closing out the match.

Griffith then outplayed Oxenham 50-39, again with some accurate shots to take his team to the cusp of overall team victory. Walaszkowski then won the final match point required beating Cookson 22-25, 25-16 (47-41).

26/04/2026

W/C 20/04/26~ HANDICAP CUP QUARTER-FINALS

Eight teams this week competed in the Quarter-Finals of the Handicap Cup and it was a race to 5 points from a possible 9 matches in total. Each player having their own individual handicaps.

Note: Figure in [ ] indicate the players Handicap.

Match 1:
This featured Molyneux Associates A, who were without the top player Tony Sweet, so it was left to Glyn Price [ 2], Garry Reed [3] and Paul Haigh [6] to take on Div Two side Astor B, who fielded Nigel Aston [16], Barry Oliver [24] and Alper Eroglu [ 14].

After the fourth match the sides were level. Then Price just managed to beat Eroglu by a solitary point which must have been very nervy for both players 25-21, 22-25 (47-46). Haigh then beat Oliver to take his team on the cusp of victory only for Eroglu to pull another point back defeating Reed 43-34. Haigh then beat Aston 50-31 to win the overall match.

Match 2:
Woodland Fort A, Jon Goodfield [16], Abel Hernandez [16] and Norman Hall [ 20] hosted Molyneux Associates C, Toby Spencer [11], Yaz Azizi [11] and Ian Reed [17], both from Div Two. Despite Fort gaining a single point from Hernandez beating Reed, Molyneux Associates had it all their own way winning 5-1 and look strong in this competition.

Match 3:
Astor A (Div Two) Steve Harvey [16], Andy Watmore [19] and Lucas Deves [24] travelled across the Tamar to Crafthole (Div One) were Iain Oxenham [6], Shirley Luckhurst [5] and Michael Cookson [8] laid in wait. Crafthole took a 2-nil lead thanks to Oxenham and Luckhurst but Cookson found the handicap just a bit too much as he lost out to Deves 25-19, 18-25, (43-44) in the closest match of the evening. After that Crafthole went on to secure the five points required to progress to the next round.

Match 4:
This saw the clash of club mates when Shopfitting by SWS A, Sam Rose [3], and Matin Parnell [9] with only two players due to other players being cup tied take on their A club mates, Colin Mitchell [3], Mike Griffiths [0] and Dan Kayes [3].

With only two players this was always going to be a struggle for SWS A, especially with Griffiths making only his second appearance in the completion. Despite winning three points Rose and Parnell eventually ran out of points losing 5-3.

Semi-Final Matches:
Match 1: Molyneux Associates A -v- Molyneux Associates C ~ (Tues 28/04/26)
Match 2: Crafthole A -v- Shopfitting by SWS B ~ (Wed 29/04/26)

All matches will be played at the Headquarters, at Desborough Road, St Judes on a neutral table

16/04/2026

W/C 13/04/26
This was the final week of the Handicap League, and now the top eight teams will compete in a knock-out phase to determine the overall cup winners.

Note: Figure in [ ] indicate the players Handicap.

Handicap League POT ONE:
Molyneux Associates A (Garry Reed, Tony Sweet and Glyn Price) were the clear winners of this pot and even dismantled Woodland Fort B 9 nil in their final match of the phase.

Woodland Fort A secured the runners-up spot by beating Shopfitting by SWS E 5-4 after requiring two ‘Golden Points’ after two games were tied. Abel Hernandez [+16] won 46-45 over Keith James [+20] and Norman Hall [+20] the same score over Chris Tucker [+13].

Molyneux Associates E won 6-3 over the bottom team Astor C. All of Astor’s points came from Toby Spencer standing-in.

Handicap League POT TWO:
Molyneux Associates D inflicted the only defeat in the handicap league rounds on visitors Shopfitting by SWS B by 5-4. Peter Andrews [ +27] led the way for Molyneux with a maximum. There were many close matches, which is a testament to the handicap system designed by members of the Committee.

Molyneux Associates C slipped to second spot in the pot after their first loss of the phase to their B club mates 6-3. The match saw some extreme smashing and hard hitting from both teams in a frantic match.

Handicap League POT THREE:
Shopfitting by SWS A secured a 7-2 victory over Lee Mill with Ann Warren [+22] and Mark Chapman [+19] both beating Mike Briggs [+3] 44-43 and 45-31 respectively.

Astor B move into the knock-out phase after a 7-2 win over Fitness At Home, who were themselves looking to progress into the next phase.

With Astor A losing 4-5 to Molyneux Associates F, Fitness At Home miss out as they had not won as many matches as Astor. The closest match saw Astor’s Richard Searle [+24] just beat Shaun Hughes [+25] 25-22, 23-25 (48-47).

Shopfitting by SWS C almost won their first match but fell short losing 4-5 to Horrabridge.

Teams Progressing to the Knock-out Phase:
Pot 1: Molyneux Associates A, Woodland Fort A and Crafthole A
Pot2: Shopfitting by SWS B and Molyneux Associates C
Pot 3: Shopfitting by SWS A, Astor B and Astor A

10/04/2026

W/C 06/04/26

Week 6 of 7 in the Handicap League just before the teams split into the knockout phase.

Note: Figure in [ ] indicate the players Handicap.

Handicap League POT ONE:
Molyneux Associates A (Div 1), look likely to win this Pot after an 8-1 victory over Astor C (Div 3). Paul Eaton [+36] managed to win Astor’s only point after the match ended at 46 points-a-piece and with one extra golden point available, served and won the match 47-46.
Crafthole A (Div 1) secured a 6-3 win over Woodland Fort B and hold second place at the moment but with other teams having a game in hand, might not qualify for the Knock-out phase.

Meanwhile Woodland Fort A (Div 2) look likely to proceed to the Knock-out phase after helping themselves to an 8-1 win over Molyneux Associates E (Div 3) with Alan Spencer [+27] obtaining Molyneux’s only point beating Abel Hernandez [+16] 50-47.

Handicap League POT TWO:
Shopfitting by SWS B (Div 1) won 8-2 over Woodland Fort C (Div 3) and look like winning this Pot. Credit goes to Fort’s Mike Willis [+27] who stunned Colin Mitchell [3] winning 25-10, 25-13 (50-23). Willis was also unlucky losing by a single point to Dan Kayes [3] (25-23, 22-25 (47-48).

Despite Molyneux Associates B beating Shopfitting by SWS D 8-1 all matches were played with some unbelievable attacking and defending by all players. SWS’s Rob Barnes [11] required a golden point to beat Ben Stanbury [+8] 23-25, 26-23, (49-48).

Crafthole B (Div 2) scrapped a 5-4 win over Shopfitting by SWS F (Div 2) but the score could have been far better if it wasn’t for Alper Eroglu [+14] standing in and claiming a maximum for SWS.

Molyneux Associates C (Div 2) also look like progressing after a 6-3 win over their D club mates form Div 3. Once again, it was Toby Spencer [+11] who claimed a maximum for his team despite giving away large handicaps.

Handicap League POT THREE:
Shopfitting by SWS A (Div1) require only a solitary point in their final match to progress but this week saw them only just win 5-4 over (Div 3) Fitness At Home with no single player obtaining a maximum.

Lee Mill (Div 2) managed a much needed 7-2 win against a two-player team from Molyneux Associates F (Div 3). There were plenty of fast and furious rallies with the lads from Molyneux going for every point.

Astor A (Div 2) could just about progress to the knock-out phase after a good evening that looked to be going wrong when 1-3 down against Horrabridge (Div 3). They eventually rallied to a 6-3 victory with some hard-hitting rallies with Astor’s Steve Harvey [+16] getting the benefit of some nets and edges.

09/04/2026

Sad News: DAVID HOCKNEY:

It is with much sadness that we have to announce that David Hockney, former Plymouth League Table Tennis player passed away on 29/03/2026.

David started playing Table Tennis in the Plymouth League in the 1970s. He will be remembered for his sportsmanship and competitiveness. He was one of a number of senior players that helped the Pilgrim Junior Table Tennis Club to be successful. When playing in Division 12 he linked up with George Anniss Jnr and a young Carol Butler (now Giles). They won that Division and Celebrated in style at the Presentation evening.

David’s employment with the MOD meant that he spent several years travelling and working overseas, hence his Table Tennis was put on hold. On return to the UK he moved to Bitton, near Bristol and soon became recognised not only for his playing ability but for his exceptional organisational skills, He held many positions on the Avon Management team including Chairman, Secretary, Deputy and National Councillor. At national level he was a highly respected member of many committees. In 2018 he was made Vice President of Table Tennis England for his work at both County and National level.

David will be sadly missed.

04/04/2026

W/C 30/03/26

Week 5 of 7 in the Handicap League just before the teams split into the knockout phase.

Note: Figure in [ ] indicate the players Handicap.

Handicap League POT ONE:
It is very tight at the top of this Pot with 5 points separating 6 teams, however after playing a game more Shopfitting by SWS E (Div 2) lead Crafthole A (Div 1) by a single point after they beat Woodland Fort B 6-3. The closest saw Fort’s Shaun Hughes beat Keith James 25-23, 24-25 (49-48).

Crafthole A secured an 8-1 win over Astor C (Div 3) who picked up their first point of the phase thanks to Paul Eaton [36] beating Mike Cookson [8] 49-44.

Molyneux Associates A (Div 1), now in third spot, had a scare when Woodland Fort A (Div 2) raced to a 2-nil lead thanks to Brian Luscombe [17] and Abel Hernandez [16] beating their opponents Glynn Price [2] and Garry Reed [3] 50-44 and 50-43 respectively. Nevertheless, Molyneux rallied to win the match 6-3.

Handicap League POT TWO:

Shopfitting by SWS B (Div 1) had to field Chris Dodd [30] (Div3) as a stand-in and he did manage a solitary point helping his team to a 5-4 victory over their F team mates. The toughest match saw Dan Kayes [3] secure the win for his team beating Trevor Mole [16] 25-18, 20-25 (45-43).

Molyneux Associates C (Div 2) are still looking hopeful to reach the knockout phase after defeating Woodland Fort C (Div 3) 6-3, and now lay in second spot thanks to another maximum from Toby Spencer [11].

A great evening by all was had when Crafthole B (Div 2) hosted Molyneux Associates B (Div 1) with the matches encountering good banter between the side with Molyneux just edging a 5-4 win after many close matches. The closest, saw Molyneux’s John Steuart [5] just winning 49-48 over Paul Ager [19] after the match swung in favour of both players numerous times.

Handicap League POT THREE:

Shopfitting by SWS A whitewashed their C team mates after Johnny Hill [3] retired unwell after losing to Sam Rose [3] 50-31. The best recovery of the evening also went to Rose who found himself 16-24 down only to draw level at 24-a-piece against John Sherlock [13] and then for Sherlock to get the last point of the end. Rose went on the just win the next end 25-22 and win the point for his team 49-47.

Fitness At Home are pushing hard to reach the Knock-out phase and after a 7-2 win over Molyneux Associates F the have a good chance in securing their place thanks to a maximum from Adam Forshaw [25].

Horrabridge (Div 3) had a fantastic evening winning 5-4 over Lee Mill (Div 2). The closest encounter saw Wendy Roberts [25] of Lee Mill beat John Cook [28] 25-20, 21-25 (46-45).

Astor A and Astor B (both Div 2) played out another 5-4 match in this division. It was left to the younger members of the teams to battle out the closest match of the evening with Alper Eroglu [14] of the B team just beating Lucas Deves [24] by a solitary point 47-46.

02/04/2026

We are closed Easter Monday