A table tennis youth team from Bridport earnt promotion to the next round following a competition in Totton last weekend, writes Simon Scotchmer.

In the last year, there has been a resurgence in the number of young people attending the table tennis training sessions at the Wey Valley Tennis Centre on a Saturday morning.

There are now experienced players that train under the umbrella of the Weymouth Table Tennis League that for the first time in many years they have been able to send four teams to the first round of the 2024 / 25 Junior British Clubs league that was held at the Waterside Table Tennis Club in Totton.

Two of the teams, Dorchester A and Weymouth A competed in Division 1 and two of the teams Bridport and Dorchester B competed in Division 2.

The Bridport Team, consisting of Roland Ross, Harry Thornhill and Ethan Taylor. The team were able to win all their three matches, although the Waterside Loops team put up some strong resistance and the match ended as a 5-4 win to Bridport. However, the win ensured that Bridport finished at the top of the league, and will now be promoted to Division 1 for the next round.

Ross remarked that he was particularly looking forward to the more challenging matches that the higher league would bring.

If you are thinking of taking up table tennis or would like to return to the sport, head over to Weymouth and District Table Tennis League’s website for the latest details on training in Weymouth and Dorchester.