Yes it’s here again, a new table tennis season begins next week for the Edinburgh & Lothians Table Tennis League! This year, Murrayfield will field 14 teams across each of the 6 divisions. Following last season’s promotion of Murrayfield IV from Division 1, there will be no less than four Murrayfield teams in the Premier division, so plenty of exciting derbies to look forward to! The rest of the Murrayfield teams are more evenly sprinkled across the league, with two teams in each of the Divisions 1 to 5. Good luck to everyone playing in the league! Meantime, we can share some musings across the teams:

Captain Simon reflected enthusiastically on Team III’s performance last season – “It has been an unforgettable year for Murrayfield III in the Premier League. Leading the charge, Saravanan earned his title as our ‘quiet assassin’ his calm, unassuming attitude masking a fierce competitive drive that powered an incredible, expectation defying season. The team set a high bar early on when a fearless Nichole secured a stunning victory against the Scottish National Champion, setting the tone for a year where her dedication and infectious positivity proved completely invaluable. Grant was absolutely instrumental at the start of the season, unleashing his powerful attacking game on both wings to secure major wins, all while showing massive commitment by driving through from Dundee to play. Backed by fantastic support from the wider Murrayfield squad playing up, the momentum never stopped. Capturing the spirit of the campaign, Simon truly found his feet as the year progressed, racking up crucial wins and finishing on an absolute high.” OK, Team III finished in 7th place, just above Team II, which just shows how competitive the Premier division is! 

Speaking of Team II, Captain Keith reflects on a tough season – “For the second season in a row, Team 2 lined up with Keith, Jacob and Angus. It was a difficult first half of the season,  with only 2 wins and a draw. Things didn’t improve much after Christmas,  with only a draw from our first six fixtures meaning that Team 2 were deep in relegation trouble. Fortunately a strong finish, with 10-0 wins in our last 3 matches, meant that Team 2 would avoid the drop and enjoy premiership table tennis for another year!”

Leandro is back after an absence last year – he maintains that Team IV’s target is to remain in the Premier division – surely his formidable leftie J-Pen penholder style will contribute towards that?

Lindsay, who captained last year’s Division 1 winners Team IV, will take charge of Team V. Whilst Graham Mendick and Max will move with the newly promoted Team IV, Lindsay will retain the services of Dave M and Artur, whilst introducing up and coming youngster Anne into the team – surely expected to mount another serious challenge to the Division 1 title?

Elsewhere in Division 1, last year’s Team V@OT got off to a slow start, but eventually clawed back some decent performances to escape the relegation zone, finishing in 7th place, not least aided by a young Cayden rising rapidly up the rankings as the season progressed (Cayden will feature in the Premier division this season). This year’s Team VI@OT will compromise John, Jonas, Colin and Ian M who will be looking to improve on last year’s performances – maybe the forthcoming new flooring at Ocean Terminal will add a spring to their step!

Team VIII@OT,  having earned promotion to Division IV last season, team captain David will be looking to consolidate their solid foundation built last year. But they will be looking to aim for the high bar set by  Heriot-Watt U  II winning back to back promotions from Division 5 to Division 3!

Also in Division 5, captain Gill reflected on a successful campaign for Team XIV – “A good season for Murrayfield XIV finishing 3rd in Division 5 with several players making their league debut. Birendra was a key player in the early season, racking up good wins and spreading his positive attitude to the whole team before he headed overseas. Our youngsters Dheer and Navya played brilliantly and developed so much over the season, sweeping aside many of their older opposition and Dheer managing an 80% win rate. Both Ged and captain Gill also came into their own through the season, their increase in ranking points putting them top and third of the most improved veteran players list for the league. Issac stepped up to make a great debut in the last few matches of the season and there were also appearances for Robert, Stuart and Charlie. Highlights were pushing our Team XIII close on both occasions, especially the epic game between Ged and Robert that included an 23-25 scoreline. There were also a couple of fantastic comebacks in doubles matches, Ged and Gill taking a win over Penicuik having been two games down and behind in the third. A brilliant effort and great team spirit from everyone who played.”

Moments from last season