Dumfries Table Tennis Club

☀️ 'DTTC AUGUST SMASH' ☀️

With 3 groups decided by a single point, DTTC's August Smash was the hardest-fought to date and saw lots of 11-10 showdowns and fine rallies! For a selection of these (plus a few bloopers at the end - sorry, Brian!), check out our highlights video, courtesy of Dylan de Silva...

Group 1 saw the day's only perfect performance with Reuben de Silva chopping through the field to notch up a maximum 132 points! Congrats to Reuben on his fine showing. Keir Niven-Duffy and Boyd Telfer finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, playing some good stuff along the way.

In Group 2, Gordon Duff was top man, edging out South Ayrshire's Paul Walker by a single point. The two had earlier tied their head-to-head match 29-29 in a group of fine margins. Shona Morton finished a creditable third, with Thomas Brown in fourth.

Group 3's clash of tricky styles proved no problem for Smash first-timer Janet West from Carlisle! Janet put in a very strong performance, claiming 131 out of a possible 132 available points to finish well clear of Graeme Alison and Tykhon Burkun.

Group 4 was a battle between the fastest-improving players at the club! In a very competitive group with lots of close matches, Carol Graham emerged on top, ahead of Tomasz Krol, Kevin Detti and Adam Halliday. Special congrats to Carol on her '2 nets and 1 edge in 2 points' combo as featured in our highlights video too!

Group 5 was a topsy-turvy group with everyone beating each other and lots of upsets! Jim Boyle took the top spot from Christine Kirkpatrick by a single point in a very competitive group where everyone had some good wins. A solid 3-0 win for Christine in their head-to-head encounter (33-23) wasn't enough to win the overall group, with JIm's greater consistency in his other matches the key. Ben Clement-Stephenson and John Maxwell finished 3rd and 4th and recorded some good wins along the way.

In Group 6, Mattheo Fermus claimed the victory by just 1 point over youngster David Kirk, Mattheo's 5-point win over David in the first match of the day proving decisive. A well played to Mandy Goldie in third in her first game back after her Summer break too!

Congrats to all of our group winners below.

🥇 Group 1: Reuben de Silva
🥇 Group 2: Gordon Duff
🥇 Group 3: Janet West
🥇 Group 4: Carol Graham
🥇 Group 5: Jim Boyle
🥇 Group 6: Mattheo Fermus

Thank you and well played to everyone who took part!

Due to the league beginning and a busy schedule, our September Smash will actually be held on Friday 2nd October. Watch out for sign-up info coming shortly; before that, we'll also have our brand new Team Smash on Wed 16th, plus league action kicking off from Wed 23rd so there's plenty of competitive (but friendly) table tennis on offer at the club this coming month!

Your Move
Fusion Renewables Ltd
Anderson Kilts
The Holywood Trust
Tees Sport

🏓 DTTC AGM & 50th ANNIVERSARY ROUND-UP🎂

Thank you to everyone who came along to our 2026 AGM!

With around 40 members in attendance from all corners of the club, it was fantastic to both see such a good turnout and feel the positive atmosphere in the hall for what was a big night for the DTTC!

We kicked off with cake (of course!) to mark 50 years since the club was founded. A big thanks to Over 50's supremo Elaine for the TT-themed cakes which proved extremely popular, as always...

Next up was a presentation for some of our longest-serving club members. Life members Gordon Duff (current Chairman) and Shona Morton received a huge thank you from the club for their service and dedication for many of those 50 years. Brian Kirkpatrick was next up, receiving a year's free membership to recognise his remarkable feat of having been a member for all 50 years continuously since the club was founded!

With the cake and presentations out of the way, it was time for AGM business. The most significant part of the agenda was the members' vote on whether the club should wind up our current unincorporated club and transfer all club assets to the new 'Dumfries Table Tennis Club SCIO' charity, which was recently established - effectively whether the club should 'become a charity'.

With all votes in favour and no votes against, we're delighted to announce that the members voted unanimously for our new charitable status and the process of making this happen is now under way.

The club is now Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation with number SC055462, and details of our charity are publicly available on Scottish Charity Regulator OSCR's website at: https://www.oscr.org.uk/about-charities/search-the-register/charity-details?number=SC055462.

With the serious business out of the way, we rounded off the night with an 'Anything But a Bat Challenge'. As it says on the tin, this was a chance to play table tennis with anything apart from a regular bat. Replacement 'bats' for the night included clipboards, fribees, clipboards, boxing gloves, towels, plates, 'caution wet floor' signs, mobile phones, cardboard boxes, and even a crash helmet!

Well played to everyone for some impressive rallies despite the unorthodox equipment on display, and thank you for attending the evening and supporting the club on a real milestone in the club's development.

The Holywood Trust
Table Tennis Scotland
The University of Glasgow, Dumfries Campus
Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of Commerce
South of Scotland Enterprise

👥🏓 DTTC AUTUMN TEAM SMASH! 🏓🔥

DTTC's new Autumn Team Smash will take place on Wednesday 16th September; teams of 2 can sign up now!

Like all DTTC Smashes, the Team Smash is open to members and non-members alike and, as well as being great fun, is a good way to get together before the league kicks off on 23rd. Individual players keen to play but who don't have a partner can sign up too and we'll find you a suitable team-mate.

🏓 HOW DOES IT WORK?

The format is a combination of singles and doubles, with teams playing in groups like a regular Smash and playing a best of 5 match against the other teams in the group. In each match, each game is up to 11 points, even if it's 10-10, and normal service rules (2 serves then switch).

Format is:

Player A x Player X (play 3 points)
Player B x Player X (play 3 points)
Player B x Player Y (play 3 points)
Player A x Player Y (play 3 points)
Doubles (play till the end of the set)

At the end of the group, each team's total points scored are added up, and the pairing with the most points is the winner. This means every point counts, even in games you lose! Teams are required to umpire other matches in their group, and small prizes are awarded to the winners of each group.

✅ Open to all abilities
✅ Friendly, inclusive tournament format
✅ Juniors & adults welcome, non-members too

📅 Wednesday 16th September
⏰ 7:00 – 9:30pm
💷 £3 per player
👥 Ages 8+

📍 Dumfries Table Tennis Club
👉 Scan the QR below to book, or click: https://zfrmz.eu/OdzQjX3Km19wa9OCXSOJ

Whether you’re a regular 'Smasher' or fancy trying out something new - sign up now to play! Places are limited so please sign up asap to book a spot. 💥🏓

Your Move
Anderson Kilts
Fusion Renewables Ltd
The Holywood Trust
Tees Sport
Table Tennis Scotland

🏓AUGUST ADVANCED CAMP ROUND-UP🏓

Well played to everyone who took part in last weekend's advanced camp! With players from the North of England, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Orkney joining our Dumfries contingent, there was a great mix of ages, styles and experiences on show.

Saturday was a full-on first day, kicking off with a session on the mental side of the game, before moving into lots of quality table-time, with consistency the aim in the morning session. In the afternoon, players worked on serve, receive, and their 3rd and 5th ball attacks, with a view to fine-tuning their game for the recorded matchplay session in the evening, ready for video analysis on the Sunday.

On Sunday, players reviewed their matches individually with the coaches, identifying positives and areas to improve, then working on those through serve and receive practice, individual exercises and multiball. We rounded off the weekend with conditioned team matches and a chance for everyone to reflect on what they had learned and what they wanted to take back into their training. A big thank you to all the players for creating a positive learning environment, and to coaches Dylan, Danny and Dawid for an enjoyable but demanding weekend!

For a selection of highlights from the recorded matches, please click on the video below. And for news of our next round of camps, please keep an eye on our page or drop us a message and we'll keep you updated.

Your Move
The Holywood Trust
Table Tennis Scotland
North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club
Murrayfield Memorial Table Tennis Club
Dundee & District Table Tennis Association
Table Tennis Scotland
Tees Sport

🏓AGM REMINDER + THE 'ANYTHING BUT A BAT' CHALLENGE! 🏓

A quick reminder that our AGM takes place this Tuesday 18th at the club - there will be 50th anniversary cake from 7pm, and the AGM starts at 7:30pm.

The AGM is always one of the most important nights in the club calendar, and we'd really like as many members as possible to be there. It's your chance to have your say, hear what's happening at the club, and help shape what the club does over the year ahead.

This year's AGM is especially important as we'll be voting on whether to wind up our current unincorporated club and transfer it to the new club charity (SCIO). If you're a member, please make the effort to come along - the club works best when members get involved and contribute their views.

For background docs for the meeting, please click here:
https://www.dumfriesttc.co.uk/club/agm-2026/

And to confirm your attendance, record your apologies, or authorise a proxy to vote on your behalf, please scan the QR on the poster or click here:
https://zfrmz.eu/5pCTtv7FtKW4CmP9v2Hu

And once the serious business is finished, we'll end the evening with something a little different...

🥄The 'Anything But A Bat' Challenge!🍳

Bring along anything you can use to play table tennis with - except a table tennis bat.

A frying pan?
A chopping board?
A book?
A clipboard?
A dustpan?
Something else entirely?

The more inventive, the better!

We'll have a bit of fun trying them out after the AGM - please make sure whatever you bring is safe to use - no glass, sharp edges or anything likely to damage the tables or floor, and nothing too valuable, as we'll swap round to let everyone try out the various 'bats' we bring along...

Non-members are very welcome to attend the AGM too, but will not be able to vote.

So please come along on Tuesday: have your say, support the club, and then stay for some very unusual table tennis afterwards!

🌸 HELP DTTC BLOOM AND SHINE!

We’re delighted to be taking part in Dumfries Town Board’s fantastic new 'Dumfries Bloom and Shine 2026' initiative, and we need your help!

Designed to make the town a little brighter, greener and happier, the campaign will see local businesses, community organisations, churches, schools and others creating floral displays outside their premises to brighten up their corner of Dumfries.

Our planters will arrive on Monday so we can start creating our own floral display outside the club, and we’re looking for club members to help us make it happen. Everyone is welcome to pitch in — whether you’re green-fingered and a keen gardener, or just happy to lend a hand.

We need volunteers to help create the display and, importantly, to help look after it afterwards — watering, feeding, tidying and generally keeping everything looking good. If you fancy getting involved, please send us a message or speak to a Committee member or member of staff at the club. And if you’re too busy to help but might have a flower or two you could donate to our display, please get in touch too. 🌱

To help us on our way, there’s some expert advice available too. On Monday 24 August, 2–3pm, there’s a free Community Gardening Workshop at A Patch Ae Land, Sandside Community Garden.

The workshop is being delivered by Richard Baines, Curator of Logan Botanic Garden, who also happens to be a DTTC member! Richard will be sharing practical advice on what to plant and how to look after displays so they can keep looking good throughout the year.

Details and workshop sign-up are on the posters below, and please let us know if you’re able to help. We’re looking forward to doing our bit to add some colour to our corner of Dumfries. 🌼🏓

Judging will take place during Dumfries Shine Week, 7–11 September 2026.

And watch this space for details of some free Dumfries Shine table tennis activities we’ll be running during the week too!

Your Move
Anderson Kilts
Fusion Renewables Ltd
OG Competitions Ltd
The Holywood Trust
Dumfries Town Board
Tees Sport
Table Tennis Scotland

🔥🏓 DTTC AUGUST SMASH – ENTRIES OPEN! 🏓🔥

DTTC's August Smash will take place on Friday 28th August; registration is now open!

Smashes are open to members and non-members alike, and are a great way to play matches and socialise with players of your level.

Groups are round-robin so everyone is guaranteed plenty of games, and every match is 4 games (even if one player wins the first 3 games!). Each game is up to 11 points (even if it's 10-10) and at the end of the group, each player's total points scored are added up - and the player with the most points is the winner. This means every point counts even in games you lose, and there are prizes for the winners of each group...

✅ Open to all abilities
✅ Friendly, inclusive tournament format
✅ Juniors & adults welcome, non-members too

📅 Friday 28th August
⏰ 7:00 – 9:30pm
💷 £3 per player
👥 Ages 8+
📍 Dumfries Table Tennis Club

👉 Scan the QR below to book, or click: https://zfrmz.eu/8aKcckwaZvQrlhauJIy2

Whether you’re a regular competitor or fancy trying out something new - sign up now to play! 💥🏓

Your Move
Fusion Renewables Ltd
Anderson Kilts
The Holywood Trust
Tees Sport
Dumfries Courier
Dumfries and Galloway Standard

☀️ 'DTTC JULY SMASH' ☀️

DTTC's July Smash was a tightly-fought event with just 1 point between 1st and 2nd in 2 of the 6 groups, and 3 points the difference in a further 2 groups!

Group 1 was a battle of the youngsters with South Ayrshire's Alana Thurston joining 4 from Dumfries to make a group full of lively and evenly-contested match-ups. Finishing top was Boyd Telfer, just 3 ahead of Isaac Ishmael in 2nd. Isaac actually won their head-to-head encounter 2-1 but Boyd's greater consistency in his other matches secured his first place in the group.

In Group 2, Club Chairman Gordon Duff proved too strong, finishing first and losing just one set along the way. Finishing second was returning player and 2005 Club Champion Edd McBride who put in a fine performance in his first competitive outing since coming back to the club.

Group 3 saw Tykhon Burkun play some excellent attacking table tennis to finish well clear at the top, ahead of two of the most improved players at the club, Tomasz Krol and Carol Graham

Andy Turner celebrated his return to fitness after a nasty shoulder injury with a fine win in Group 4. Andy has been playing with his left hand since the injury, but managed to play with his right for the first time, pipping Adam Halliday by 1 point.

Christine Kirkpatrick's recent practice and dedication to her game paid off in Group 5, with Christine playing some great stuff to finish 3 points clear of Jim Boyle in second with John Maxwell in third.

In Group 6, Michael Shaw's consistency proved too much for the youngsters, with Michael finishing 5 points clear of Jacob McCallie-Murray in second. A shout-out too to Megan Smith and David Kirk who played some excellent table tennis in a group where almost all the matches went to the wire! .

Congrats to all of our group winners below.

🥇 Group 1: Boyd Telfer
🥇 Group 2: Gordon Duff
🥇 Group 3: Tykhon Burkun
🥇 Group 4: Andy Turner
🥇 Group 5: Christine Kirkpatrick
🥇 Group 6: Michael Shaw

Thanks and well played to all the players for a great night of matches in a friendly and social atmosphere.

Our August Smash will be held on Friday 28th August. Watch out for sign-up info coming shortly, as well as info on our first Team Smash, which will be held in early September!

The Holywood Trust
Your Move
Fusion Renewables Ltd
Anderson Kilts
Dumfries Courier
Dumfries and Galloway Standard
Tees Sport

🎯MEET THE COACH: DAWID SULKOWSKI

Coaching on our Intermediate Summer Camps for Intermediate Players this week is one of our Lead Coaches, Dawid Sulkowski.

A sports science graduate, Dawid is a UKCC Level 2 coach and National League Division 1 player. Dawid plays a big role in developing our young players at DTTC, and in his profile he gives an insight into how developing his game in the very competitive youth environment in Poland has shaped his coaching philosophy.

To book a spot on our final Intermediate Camp or on our Advanced Camp later in the month, please see the info below:

DUMFRIES TABLE TENNIS CLUB SUMMER CAMPS

📅 Intermediate: Thu 6 & Fri 7 August
📅 Advanced: Sat 22 & Sun 23 August
💷 £60 per camp
👥 Maximum 20 players per camp

Watch the slideshow video or swipe through for more on Dawid, then scan the final slide or click https://zfrmz.eu/ZpAmEIRvLUXQ9nmz2QyG to book.
📩 Or message / email [email protected]

The Holywood Trust
Tees Sport
South Ayrshire TTC
North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club
East Kilbride Table Tennis Club
Murrayfield Memorial Table Tennis Club
Table Tennis Scotland
Drumchapel Table Tennis Club
Stirlingshire Table Tennis

🧑‍🤝‍🧑INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY WITH A LISTENING EAR🏓☕

Last Thursday, we joined forces with D&G charity A Listening Ear to celebrate International Friendship Day with a morning of table tennis, friendship and fun.

Alongside plenty of time for a cup of tea and a chat, everyone enjoyed some unusual table tennis challenges, including 'Big Table' (four tables joined together), 'Tea for Two', featuring teacups instead of a net, and 'Mind the Gap', with the two halves of the table separated by a rather large gap!

It was a lovely opportunity for people to play, laugh and spend time together with friends, while also making some new connections and trying out some novel and interesting versions of table tennis...

A big thank you to DTTC's Elaine, Brian and Fiona from the Listening Ear for helping to organise and run the morning, and to everyone who came along and made it such an enjoyable event.

A Listening Ear is a volunteer-led adult befriending service that works across Dumfries and Galloway to run a range of befriending services to ensure that noone feels isolated or alone. To find out more or to explore volunteering with A Listening Ear, follow their FB page or visit www.a-listening-ear.org.

A Listening Ear Dumfries & Galloway
Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway
Active Communities Dumfries and Galloway
Loreburn Housing Association
Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership
Dumfries & Galloway Befriending Project
Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre
The University of Glasgow, Dumfries Campus
Marks and Spencer
Fusion Renewables Ltd
Your Move
Tees Sport