Members of Broadstone TTC in Dorset met for a commemorative dinner to celebrate the club’s centenary.

About 50 past and present members attended and each attendee was presented with a copy of the Club’s centenary history booklet compiled by Jim Hoare. Below, Bournemouth & District TTA Phil Hadley outlines the club’s history.

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The Broadstone Table Tennis Club (BC) was founded in 1925 by A B Haynes. In those days it was called the Broadstone Athletic Club (BAC). A B Haynes was a local businessman and a talented table tennis player. He decided he wanted to teach the local youngsters, mainly boys, how to play table tennis.

Initially, he used his own home as the ‘clubhouse’, but it quickly became too popular and he decided to build a proper clubhouse on the site of the old Lavender Factory, which he owned, and was adjacent to his home on Station Approach in Broadstone. Lavender Hall became the home venue for BAC and it also provided a range of other facilities for the local residents.

BAC started playing competitive table tennis with various other clubs and organisations and in 1931 the Wimborne and District Table Tennis League (WDTTL) was founded, with A B Haynes being the driving force and first president. BAC entered several teams in the WDTTL and by the early 1930s there were more than 200 players participating in WDTTL.

Unfortunately in 1935 disaster struck when Lavender Hall was burnt to the ground and all facilities were lost. However, BAC continued to play their league matches and tournaments at various other venues. Fortunately, A B Haynes was insured and after WW2 in 1947 he had a temporary building erected and in 1955 a larger wooden building was commissioned that provided two excellent table tennis halls and a new home for BAC.

A B Haynes donated the freehold of the premises to the Club, which was a very generous gift from the Club’s founder. The ‘wooden huts,’ as the building was affectionately called was BAC’s home until 1989.

BAC entered teams in WDTTL, Poole & District Table Tennis Association (PDTTA) and Bournemouth & District Table Tennis Association (BDTTA). BDTTA was started in 1924 but BAC did not enter teams until 1976. In addition to league matches, BAC held annual club tournaments and several members played at town and county level. In those halcyon days BAC owned its own premises and a strong lawn tennis section and social section, which in addition to table tennis were important activities.

In 1989 BAC decided to vacate the old wooden huts and sell the freehold and contribute the £40K proceeds to the local authority to enable a Broadstone Community Centre (BCC) to be established. Two new halls were provided in the new Community Centre and BAC moved all its table tennis activities to the new venue.

BCC provided excellent table tennis facilities but the ambience of the old club faded. The social members left the club and in 1999 the tennis section folded. It was therefore decide to rename the club and it became the Broadstone Club (BC), solely a table tennis club.

Today, there are about 50 active players competing in the WDTLL and BDTTA. The annual tournaments are still held and although the very early tournament winners have been lost, the honours boards are complete from 1950 to the present day.

On 27 June the Club held a dinner at the Broadstone Golf Club to celebrate its centenary. About 50 past and present members attended and each attendee was presented with a copy of the Club’s centenary history booklet compiled by Jim Hoare. A very memorable and enjoyable evening was had by all present.