September 25, 2024 | Paul Stimpson
Three-time Olympian Carl Plehan took on local league legend Dave Barr as the Newbury & District Table Tennis Association celebrated its 90th anniversary.
Prean, a multiple national champion who competed in the Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta Olympic Games, also led coaching sessions with several junior athletes in the area.
The main event was a re-enactment of the match between Plean and Barr, which took place at the Newbury Corn Exchange in 1984 to mark the association's 50th anniversary.
It was a classic attack vs defence match with the players showing off their skills in front of a packed crowd at the Kintbury TTC.
Dave said: “Believe it or not, 40 years ago, on our 50th anniversary, Carl and I played an exhibition match, although we had slightly different hairstyles, so this is a rematch.”
“I vividly remember being beaten so badly 40 years ago, it just goes to show you some things never change!”
“I played the only way I knew how. What's great, and has always been Karl's strength, is his insight. His insight makes it very difficult for the opposing team, both offensively and defensively.”
Added Carl: “I remember (the 1984 game) and it was fun to come back and play again. Dave's playing as well as ever. It's not easy after all those years, but he's in good shape. He needs more practice, but when he gets bruised he bounces back quickly. His feet are just a little slower now, but he's had more time to make his play against the defense.”
“When I was very young in the '70s I used to come down to Newbury to play in the junior tournaments and it was one of the best tournaments I was ever in. Someone told me I won the Newbury junior in 1981 so it's a fond memory. Coming from the Isle of Wight I didn't have to travel far so it was always good.”
Association president Duncan Campbell said: “Karl keeps saying he's come out of retirement but when you watch him play it's hard to believe he's ever really retired. It's always great to see a good attacking player go up against a good defender.”
The association also celebrated with an evening event at the town's Chequers Hotel, where current and former champions came together to share memories, including Lorna Reeves, the association's 1949 women's singles champion, who is now 90 years old.
Except for the period during World War II, the association has existed since 1934. It began with eight teams and reached over 100 in its heyday around 1970.
Added Duncan Campbell: “What we're trying to do is get some more younger guys involved and we got some younger guys involved today with Carl coaching us.”
“Like many other table tennis associations, we have a lot of people over 60 in our association and we need more younger people to grow our membership for the future.”
