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As he first set foot in the dusty community centre in an underused corner of
Burton in 1984, not even Terry Gadsby himself would have imagined the
building would become the base for one of the town's most successful sport's
clubs. When Uxbridge Table Tennis Club was created by Terry the building itself was
derelict, filled with litter and virtually unusable for any activity.
But 22 years later the work of willing volunteers and funding from local
authorities have seen a remarkable turnaround - and hundreds of table tennis
enthusiasts from across the Midlands have now reaped the benefits.
The club - which was chosen as the English Table Tennis Association's Club
of the Year in 2000 - has produced dozens of players who now compete in
leagues up and down the country.
The Original Uxbridge Table Tennis Club
As well as two players who have gone on to represent England, Uxbridge
players also regularly compete with the best in the land as part of the
British League, table tennis's equivalent of the Premiership.
And the club provides opportunities for players with special needs as part
of the Uxbridge Ability Club set up in recent years.
But as Terry admits, when he first set came up with the idea of setting up a
club in the 1980s there was precious little opportunity for young players to
take part in Burton.
"At the time I thought that Uxbridge would be the best place to play table
tennis but there was no provision for youngsters," he said.
"There was no money or labour available, there was only the offer of opening
up every week for us to play: there was no charge for the rent but we got no
other financial help.
"The place was filthy with dirt and litter everywhere, so I went in by
myself and cleaned it up.
"We were allowed to have matches all the time and to open up the hall for
coaching on Saturday mornings, so I painted it up and got some special
lighting in."
In the months that followed, several tables were acquired from the local
youth club and council leisure officer, allowing Terry to enter a team in
the local league and cup.
By 1987 the club had more than 20 young players attending coaching sessions,
and after being given funds from the National Lottery and the Sports Council
the club was able to expand to nine teams.
Several years of further expansion followed, with the club's Junior British
League team getting promoted to the Premier Division and local boy Steve
Shaw playing for England.
And for Terry, the thrill of seeing young players reach the top and enjoying
playing table tennis made all his hard work worthwhile.
"Steve got the backing of the club and received the help of top coaches, as
well as the backing of his family: he toured with the national team," he
said.
"That was really the icing on the cake. It gives me tremendous pleasure to
see these kids coming through like they have over the years.
"I am proud of what we have achieved, especially our young players who have
worked so hard. I hope we can have 20 more years as successful as the ones
we have had so far."
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