Awards for Keith, Ashley and Anna

​

Cippenham Table Tennis Club celebrated the twenty-second anniversary of the opening of its purpose-built table tennis centre with a party and awards presentation this week. The evening was presided over by Charles Mitchell who began by presenting chocolate gifts to the Club’s many volunteers.

​

The first of the main presentations was for the Senior Player of the Year. This year the winner was Ashley Shaw. Ashley started with Cippenham nearly twenty years ago and represented Cippenham with distinction as a junior before leaving for university. Fast forward another decade and he returned to Cippenham in 2016 and immediately made an impact in the Maidenhead League. His second season, 2017-18, was even more successful, captaining the Cippenham Saxons team to the Maidenhead League title and, on a personal note, won the Wilkinson Sword award for the player with the highest winning average in the league. Ashley also played for the Cippenham second team in the Senior British League and was that team’s most successful player.

​

The second presentation was for the Junior Player of the Year, an award that perpetuates the names of Alan Farral and Terry Boxall, former coaches at the Club who have since sadly passed on. This year the award went to the Club’s most promising young player Anna Piercey. 11-years old Anna has been training at Cippenham three times a week for the past year and it has paid off with her reaching the top ten in the Table Tennis England under-13 ranking list. Cippenham Head Coach, Ken Phillips, thinks she has a big future in the game.

​

The main event on such an evening is the presentation of the Karen Mitchell Outstanding Contribution Award. This award marks outstanding contributions from rank and file members of the Club outside of the list of Officers. It is dedicated to those individuals who have given outstanding service to the Club and whose contributions might otherwise remain unrecognised.

​

This year the award was presented to Keith Hall. At the age of 74 (!), Keith is fairly new to table tennis volunteering. He joined Cippenham TTC only a couple of years ago and is now commencing his third season playing for Cippenham in the Maidenhead League. Keith's willingness to help was immediately apparent and he joined the Management Committee of the Club in June 2017. Since then Keith has made a huge contribution, being one of those invaluable people who make themselves available to help at a moment's notice in a variety of different ways.

​

Keith is often on hand when as many as twelve courts need to be assembled on a Friday evening ready for the Club's many weekend events. Need someone to stay at the Club for two full days assisting Dave Tant replacing all 180 light fittings and Keith is the one who volunteers. Need someone to go along and assist at the Slough Ping Pong Parlour opening and, once again, Keith is your man. During the Club's annual "spring clean", Keith can be found cleaning the table tops and vacuuming the lounge carpet. All of this he does with a smile and a calm reassurance that makes you know the job is going to be done well. Keith is just the sort of rare volunteer that all clubs crave and Cippenham has!