A door closes....?

They say, "when one door closes, another door opens". Well, this week one door has closed! After approximately 12 years the club has said 'goodbye' for the last time to the Peter Ross Table Tennis Room at the Marine Travel Arena. That room will finally close on Monday 29 April before demolition starts a few days later.

It is sad when doors close. Just today, Saturday 27 April, we heard of another door closing. One of our regular social members, Betty Corbin, sadly passed away. We offer our sincere condolences to her family.

One of our longest serving members, Barbara Alcock, recalls that when she first joined the club, it operated from the front room of Alec Gould’s home, opposite the police station in Church Road, off South Road in Waterloo. Alec was one of the founder's of the club. The Club then moved to the Social Services Club by Alexandra Hall in Crosby, And from there to Marine in approximately 2007, where the name was changed from Bath Street, to Bath Street Marine TTC. So doors closing is nothing new to this long established club. When the club moved to the Social Services Club in about 2000, the membership was under 40. This year, the total membership has topped 100 for the first time. With such a vibrant club currently, it is imperative that another door opens quickly, so that this vibrant and growing brand of social and competitive table tennis, at every level - from junior up to octogenarian - can continue to thrive.

We are hoping that in the next few days we will be able to conclude the deal that will provide the club with the site for its new home, so that another door can open. We will keep you posted. In the meantime here are just a few pictures from the final day, as the Chairman, Ian McElwee, turns the key for the last time, the last team to play leave the building and some of the loyal supporters say farewell....... we look forward to the next chapter........

It was sad to see the Peter Ross Table Tennis Room emptied, and totally devoid of life. As we say 'goodbye' here are a few shots of just how sad and sorry it now looks, but the final shot is the site where, like the phoenix, we hope that the new building rise out of the ashes to become our new vibrant and thriving home. Keep watching this space for news on the progress.......