ROY Bright has been awarded a lifetime achievement award for services to table tennis.

Roy, 85, started playing competitively in the Winchester and District League at the very beginning of the 1960s and played for a number of local clubs including St. Cross, Hursley and latterly Kings. 

Sixty years of league play up until 2020 and even then he was an excellent practice opponent for other league players for a further two years. Failing health has meant Roy being restricted to social table tennis at the local leisure centre during 2023, but he was still a source of advice and support to those players less able and experienced than himself, this being provided freely and with a smile.

Roy won Winchester’s first ever Conder Winnall individual handicap competition and one year received the Owen Booker cup for the highest win percentage achieved by an individual season. Other achievements were periodic promotions (and sometimes relegations).

Roy represented Winchester in the REACT Games at virtually every year from the early 1990s until their Covid enforced recent demise. These Games were played between players 50 and over representing clubs based at leisure centres throughout the Southern Region and Roy was a proud recipient of gold as well as other medals. He primarily played table tennis at these Games but turned his hand to short tennis as well on occasions.

He won the Arthur Richards Cup, for services to the League, in 2006-2007 and 2023-24. Roy has been a Vice-President of the League since 2010. For a number of years Roy was an ETTA Level 2 coach where he helped coach many beginners and newcomers to Kings TTC. He has also represented Winchester on the Hampshire Table Tennis Association.

Roy was one of the founder members of Kings Table Tennis Club back in 2005 but also helped with coaching at the South Wonston Club. Here he was one of the first coaches of Tressa Armitage when she started playing; she went on to be called up to England squads as she improved rapidly.

How Roy has impacted the delivery of table tennis, both at league and club level.

One league player said: “Roy has been a wonderful servant supporting the Winchester League over so many years. His unique serve has been a constant topic of conversation, whilst his warm competitive nature made him a great opponent to play against. His love of table tennis has rubbed off on me over time and I always looked forward to seeing him with the exchanging of stories throughout the evening.”

Roy regularly supported the League’s annual tournament and subsequent Finals Night. As Roy himself has said, administration was not for him but he was always there helping where he could.

At the end of the day he made a difference.