Table tennis chief Andrea Holt back at Birley Academy

A four-hour showcase event was delivered in January 2016, attended by the Lord Mayor - Councillor Denise Fox.

Andrea Holt, the five time England women’s champion and veteran of two Olympic Games directed four, one-hour sessions, assisted by David Rayner, Steve Parkinson and Dennis E Green.

Birley’s head of sport Keith Cronin, facilitated the event, which provided 300 children with an introduction to table tennis.

Last week, Andrea - a vice-president of Table Tennis England - returned to the Academy to lead a 90-minute session for 14 members of the Birley after-school club.

Nationally, women and girls represent 10 percent of the table tennis population; hence it was pleasing to note that 35 percent at Andrea’s session were female.

After school club regulars Callum Fisher, Braden Hoyland and Sam Voyce are currently enjoying their inaugural season in Division Four of the Sheffield Junior League, which is staged at the Institute of Sport, under the supervision of Phil Wright and Fay Buchan.

Meanwhile, as the first half of the season draws to a close, the current Division Six leaders dropped a point during a visit to Telecom, where they found Adrian Potts and Lynda Lowthorpe on form as they both got the better of Phil Wright and Michael Warwick.

n response, David Elliott notched a treble and teamed up with Wright to secure the doubles set which went the distance.

Patrick Marsden took the plaudits by scoring a Division Six maximum for Tapton 'B' on their arrival at Wadsley Bridge 'C'. Dey Wilson registered a brace and teamed up with Marsden to take the doubles and two points. Connor Parsons made the biggest impression for the hosts with a brace of his own.

The hitherto unbeaten Shiregreen ‘A’ team were routed by Vulcan ‘C’ in a top of the table clash at Attercliffe. The under-strength visitors were whitewashed by Chris Cattell, Phil Beresford and Cliff Glaves, who played well to move his team into top spot in the second tier.