Men’s Table Tennis is heading into Varsity 2018 on a high after winning their British University and College Sports (BUCS) league and promotion in their very first year as a club.
They triumphed 11-9 in a close fought game against rivals Aston University which went right to the wire and have their sights set on Varsity success against the more established University of Leicester side.
Club chair Sam Henderson said it had been an incredible start for the club. He said: “Both our teams, us and Aston, were unbeaten and it was literally winner takes all. It was quite tense and it was down to the last two points so to get the win was unbelievable.”
“We are now fully in Varsity mode. We have got the league win, and now we want the points at Varsity. It’ll be good practice for us to be playing Leicester at Varsity, as they play in the league we have just got promoted to.”
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The Table Tennis Varsity match takes place on March 14 from 2pm at the Leicester Arena, home to Leicester Riders. The women’s side will play from 2pm with the men’s Varsity starting as soon as the women’s Varsity is finished.
Sam, a third year Accounting and Finance student, praised DMU Sport for its support for the club, which has included buying extra tables to play on as more and more players have joined. It now has around 40 members and plans to field at second men’s team and a women’s team in BUCS next year.
One of the members certain to be part of the women’s team is Anna Wereszczaka, who reached the final 16 in the Polish National Table Tennis Championships last weekend.
Anna, a first year, has been playing table tennis since she was 10 and has found being part of the club has helped her settle into university life.
She said: “Moving to a different country and a new city can be difficult, but being able to play table tennis and be part of this club helps you find friends, you have sport in common.”
The club also runs free DMU Active taster sessions for people who want to try the sport. Sam urged people to give it a go.
He said: “I’ve played quite a lot of sports but there’s something about the spectacle of watching a game and the tactics that appeals. I think as well, playing sport makes you a bit more disciplined, a bit more competitive.
“You start to have that competitiveness in other areas, like wanting to achieve higher grades.”
Posted on Friday 2 March 2018