Club reaps the rewards of a top quality performance

The centre, based at Garstang Community Academy, has been awarded Table Tennis England Performance Club status.

It means the centre is one of only four in the country to hold that status along with Corby Smash, Bishop Auckland and Wensum in Norwich.

Centre chairman and lead coach Graham Coupe said: “We are delighted to have been accepted as a performance club.

“We have a fantastic centre, great facilities, passionate and dedicated coaches, and hard-working players,

“Fourteen players from the centre qualified for the Under 10-13 National Championships in 2017 and we expect similar numbers this year.

“We are achieving results; we now want to take the players to the next level, which is why we took the step to apply for performance club status.”

Coaching has taken place at the school since 2008 under the name of Garstang Table Tennis Club.

In 2015 the Regional Training Centre was established, with support from five clubs and leagues, to cater for a growing number of junior players searching for additional coaching outside of their own clubs.

Coaching sessions are held four nights a week, four hours per evening, as well as monthly Sunday training session.