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News Release - BSMTTC News 186
23 January 2025

Our heritage

In September last year (2024) the club was delighted to welcome Mrs Marion Palmer. Marion is the only child of the founder of Bath Street Marine Table Tennis Club, Mr Alex Gould. Marion was able, with her son Kevin, to attend the Final’s Night of the Club’s 2024 Tournament, and to present a brand-new trophy, to the memory of her Father, for the Doubles Event, to be known as the Alex Gould Trophy (see News Stories - 11 September 2024).

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Marion presenting the new doubles trophy, in memory of her Father, Alex Gould, to its first winners; Colin Turner & Jenny Givens.

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About the Founder

 

Alex was born in November 1919 and began his table tennis career in 1938 at the Crosby Mission Club. When the Second World War started, he joined the Royal Engineers and upon his release in 1945 joined the Birchdale Methodist Church team.

 

In 1948 Alex founded Bath Street Table Tennis Club in the local Methodist Church Hall before moving the club to premises in the North Yard, College Road. Former long serving member, Barbara Alcock, recalls the club also playing at one time in these early years from the front room of Alex’s home, opposite the Police Station in Church Road, off South Road in Waterloo and then moving to the Social Services Club by Alexandra Hall in Crosby, before finally moving to Marine.

 

Alex was a founder member of the Veterans English Table Tennis Society and in the first national Vets’ Championships in 1984, with partner W French, won the Over 60’s Men’s Doubles title and reached the semi-finals of the Over 60’s singles event.

 

Alex also found time to serve the local Liverpool & District Table Tennis League. Firstly, in the late 1950’s when he served as Youth Representative. And a further period of more than 25 years from1976.

 

Alex qualified as an ETTA Club Coach and was also a County Umpire. Alex was a ‘penholder’ in style and ended his playing career in the local 4th Division where he remained a worthy opponent.

 

As well as being the club founder and a local table tennis hero, Alex was also a devoted husband to his wife Mary and a proud Father to daughter, Marion. When he was not playing, officiating or administering table tennis he worked as a Master Joiner.

 

Alex passed away in 2003 and a donation from his estate at that time was used to provide a trophy to his memory to the Liverpool & District Table Tennis League, also known as the Alex Gould Trophy, which is still played for annually at the Liverpool Closed Championships and is presented to the winner of the Over 55’s Veterans Singles. The first winner of the trophy was Mr Ken Jackson, who is still an active member of the Club.

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A selection of pictures celebrating club founder, Alex Gould and Bath Street Marine Table Tennis Club. Some have original captions, but what can you add to those pictures that have no caption?

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© BSMTTC 2015 

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