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After some consideration the league is proposing to move to a Pairs League rather than 3 player matches.
After Covid-19 we know some players/teams will not return which possibly leaves us with 2 divisions.
These 2 divisions will have teams/players playing out of their depth and potentially we could lose more as they feel they are no longer enjoying the sport.
We feel to move the game forward and to rebuild we need to make changes to attract new younger players and sustain our current membership to our league.
In this format there will be 5 games 4 singles and a doubles. This is of course subject to the Covid-19 restrictions being lifted to allow us to play Doubles.
Pros for this proposal
1 - Will have more divisions
2 - The skill level will be distributed more evenly and therefore keep established players.
3 - More attractive to new players
4 - More juniors likely to join and stay as they will be starting at a level more suitable for them
5 - Younger juniors likely to play as they will not playing late into the evening.
6 - Redlands will rejoin our league and support Sparken Hill in bringing in new juniors into our league.
7 - No longer need to play on multiple tables to get the games over.
8 - More time for socialising after the match if you desire.
9 - Families could make their own team
10 - Less organising of current larger teams on who is available to play when.
11 - 2 players can register as a team knowing they are available to play every week.
Cons
1 - Established teams may have to split if they wish to continue to play regularly.
2 - Players outside the area may feel travelling for a match that will last approx 1 and half hours not desirable.
3 - May lose established players and teams in the short term as they do not like the new format
4 - Have to umpire your own doubles if no one available
Can all players please consider and reply with any comments/questions you may have.
Please detail the impact on your team if this proposal was to go through.
A response by 7th June to [email protected] would be appreciated.
Further to my previous post, the Committee are STILL looking for someone to take on the role of General Secretary and also the Annual Championships Secretary.
I used to undertake both these roles along with the Match Play Secretary role but the Committee feel that by splitting these roles up, people are more likely to come forward and offer to help.
The General Secretary role entails taking minutes at meetings and e-mailing them round for approval plus writing any letters and also updating the handbook each year.
The Annual Championships Secretary will run the event on the day plus collate all the entries and do the draws etc.
Can I add that I am more than happy to help anyone who comes forward and in the case of the Championships I will meet up with whoever does it and go through it all once the entries are in.
I can't stress the point strongly enough that if people do not come forward to help because if not then the League will be in danger of not even existing as the current Committee members just can't do it all without some help.
Please, if you can spare a few hours then do come forward and offer to help
The Committee are looking for someone to take on the role of General Secretary and also the Annual Championships Secretary.
I used to undertake both these roles along with the Match Play Secretary role but the Committee feel that by splitting these roles up, people are more likely to come forward and offer to help.
The General Secretary role entails taking minutes at meetings and e-mailing them round for approval plus writing any letters and also updating the handbook each year.
The Annual Championships Secretary will run the event on the day plus collate all the entries and do the draws etc.
Can I add that I am more than happy to help anyone who comes forward and in the case of the Championships I will meet up with whoever does it and go through it all once the entries are in.
I would also like to add that people do need to come forward to help because if not then the League will be in danger of not even existing as the current Committee members just can't do it all without some help.
Just for some clarity on the issue, please find below a link to the latest updates from Table Tennis England in regards to starting to play again.
https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/news/archived/coronavirus-update/
I hope everyone is well.
Just a quick announcement regarding the departure of a couple of the Committee Members from the end of May.
Ben Swain will be leaving the position of Treasurer and we would like to thank Ben for all the work he has done whilst being our Treasurer and for having valuable input into decisions on the Committee.
I am also stepping down from the Committee at the end of May after 12 seasons of serving as General & Matchplay Secretary.
Announcements on replacements for the above positions will be made in due course.
I would also like to take this opportunity to ask for someone to volunteer to be Carnation Cup and Mike Tunningley Handicap Shield Secretary. They can be separate roles but they will both need filling so if anyone can give a few hours over the course of a season to take some weight off of the rest of the Committee then we would be very grateful.
It is with great sadness that I have to bring you the news that Bob Atkinson passed away last Friday.
As many of you know, Bob played at Redlands and could be found most Saturday mornings battling it out on the tables there whilst also playing many a fine game for the Rookies.
He was genuinely a nice man and always had time for everyone and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.
Bob will be missed greatly by us all.
From myself and all the Committee members, we would like to wish everyone and their families a very Merry Christmas.
Enjoy!
Just for absolute clarity, the 2nd Finals Night that was due to be played on Thursday the 29th of October had been cancelled as per the Governments Covid-19 guidelines.
Further to my web update regarding the new league season starting in November, I just wanted to add that we are still intending to hold a league this season but at this moment in time we just don't know when that will be.Although we haven't yet started the season, I just wanted to let everyone know that the Committee are still meeting on a regular basis to discuss all matters related to the league with the latest guidlines on Covid-19 being at the forefront of our discussions.
As soon as it is safe to do so, we will impliment the start of the new season.
Stay safe everyone.
After Table Tennis England's announcement earlier today that any leagues that fall within Tier 2 - High level of Covid-19 should not play league table tennis at this time, we have taken the only decision that we could and that is that the new season that was due to start the first week of November will now be put on hold until further notice.
The Committee would also like to add that we hope that everyone stays safe and if there is any change to the above we will of course keep everyone updated.
If anyone would like to read the latest update from Table Tennis England then please follow the link below:
https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/news/archived/coronavirus-update/