Drumchapel’s Top of the Table!
Bill with Shona Robison, Scotland's Sport Minister, and members of the Drumchapel Table Tennis Club
I would like to pay tribute to the success of Drumchapel Table Tennis Club. Recently, it marked its 20th anniversary with four days of events and celebrations.
The club is one of the most successful in Britain with over 400 members and runs a unique ‘after-schools’ club’ across the west end of Glasgow.
The celebrations capped the most successful year in the club’s history with qualification to the Elite European League and the clinching of the British League Premier Division title in March.
A number of its players also represented Scotland at the 2009 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in May.
To mark the occasion, I invited Scotland’s Sport Minister, Shona Robison, to come along and see for herself the excellent work being carried out by the club.
During her visit the Minister met with members of the club, Head Coach Terry McLernon, and representatives from Drumchapel LIFE, Culture and Sport Glasgow and club sponsors, Skyform.
After securing a debate on the club in the Scottish Parliament in March, I am pleased the Minister took up my invitation to visit the club and I am sure that she could only be impressed by what she saw. There is a strong case to be made for greater support for table tennis at grassroots levels across Scotland and this club provides a fine example of the success which can be achieved.
I congratulate all those who are involved in the club for all their hard work and commitment. They have put Drumchapel at the top of the table.
The highlight of the celebrations saw the club host an evening challenge match between two former world champions, Jan Ove Waldner and Jorgen Persson, in Drumchapel Sports Centre where it all began.
Reflecting on how far the club has came since 1989 its Chairman Terry Mr McLernon said:
“I don’t think we would have expected that the best players in the UK would be coming to play at Drumchapel when we started out all those years ago. It is another feather in the club’s cap, as well as being champions of Britain, that we have persuaded two ex-world champions to play here and we are not finished yet!”
