What Harold said about his involvement with Table Tennis -

I started playing in 1946 at school and then on holiday at Butlins. Helped form a club called Achilles and entered the North Middlesex League in 1956. Had stopped playing for a short time because of night school (but I did arrange for a table to be put in the office).

Joined the Ellenborough Club in 1965 and became Secretary from 1972 to 1977 and was instrumental in negotiating the move from Tottenhall to a small Nissan hut on the present site, our address became Kimberley Gardens. When the Tottenhall pavilion had burnt down, we obtained a Sports Council Capital grant and with the Enfield Council's financial assistance from the fire insurance money as well as getting the agreement of Captain Forbes of the National Capital Playing Fields Association all in order, we built the original hall in 1975.  

After some 25 years my company spent ages in obtaining planning permission and the funding to carry out the refurbishment and half the extension in 2006 as the club now is.

How has TT changed?  Well the big changes are that before a Japanese player called Satoh won the World Championship in 1952 with a sponge bat there were only non sponge bats with just spot or pimple-studded rubber on both sides. There were those made by Dunlop and other companies with Johnny Leach’s and Richard Bergman’s name on the bats, Bergmann’s bat was my favourite to play with. Now there are so many options for bats with so many different types’ rubbers and different thickness of sponge to play with, the choice has became enormous.  At League level table tennis has to compete with so many other interests. 

Many clubs used to be associated with a local businesse and would play on the business premises which helped bring table tennis to the masses. This outlet for the sport no longer exists.