Recently I was in a large department store where my eye was taken by a mirror with the following inscription on it: Tomorrow is a wonderful day.
This brought home to me how last season I wrote an article on the importance of preparing for the future. Your coaches recognise the potential you all have and we do not want to pressurise you into thinking that you have to win everything NOW. I want Hugh Doody to play the terrific forehand smashes he puts away in Saturday club, in matches, and I don’t want him to worry if he occasionally misses them when nerves kick in. It is the future that counts.
I have e-mailed the considerable number of players who are dipping their toes in to League table-tennis and told them to concentrate on learning, on trying shots and serves and not to worry overmuch if they do not win for a while. I reminded them of a conversation I had a few years ago with one of the club’s best players who confessed to me that he had not won a single match in his first season. BUT HE LEARNT WELL!!
However, tomorrow might be a wonderful day but today can be good as well. Timmy Cooper’s performance in taking number one spot in the County under 13 trials shows that we are accomplishing exciting things NOW. He is not alone. Lee Dorning, Tom Meldrum, Sam Weaving and Joe Hunt (along with number one Timmy) took the first 5 places in the Leamington under 15 trials, Joe building on his second place at the County under 13 trials. Lauren Delday, who was on a learning curve last season, romped to victory twice in her first League match of the season, demonstrating her improvement; Lewis Singleton, making his League debut, has nonetheless been selected for the West Midlands Development squad at Evesham along with Timmy and Solomon Hayes; Chris Soe, jumping from division E to division B, has already won his first match. I could go on. There are lots of you who are seeing that the hard work you have put in, in both the League and in coaching, is helping you to deliver today. Seize your chance!!
I should like to mention how pleased we are that we are suddenly attracting girls after a drought. Lauren Delday, Olivia Fletcher and Sophie Bethell have been joined by Eve Briscoe, Jenny Singleton and Simran Virdi and, even more recently, Kerry Dorning and Katie Singleton. We look forward to having a nucleus of girls that will take the County by storm.
Jeff Harris, Dot MacFarlane and Rob Warnes have joined us from other clubs and we hope they find our club a friendly place and a stimulating environment to play table-tennis. Josh White has also joined our beginners’ group and we hope he has a long table-tennis career with us.
Phil.
