The table tennis community is mourning the loss of popular umpire Beate Nicol, who has lost a brave battle with cancer at the age of just 54.

Beate was a friendly, smiling presence at events up and down the country, and a respected umpire who had risen to the international ranks, including the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

---

Beate’s funeral will be at 2pm on Wednesday 20 August at Keysoe Woodland Burial Ground, MK44 2JP and afterwards at the Fox and Hounds, Riseley. Please email John Alsop in advance if you wish to attend.

---

A player in Bedfordshire, she started her umpiring journey at St Neots TTC and was one of the team of English officials selected to umpire at the Games in Birmingham in 2022.

At the time, she said: “I’m super excited and I think it’s a real privilege to have been selected to be at the Commonwealth Games as an official supporting the sport I really love.

“I started umpiring at a course in St Neots and since then I’ve had a lot of support from experienced umpires at all the tournaments I’ve been umpiring – mentoring me and discussing situations they have been in and the tricky decisions you sometimes face as a table tennis umpire, so that’s a point I’m really grateful for.”

In the October of that year, Beate was one of five English officials to complete their Level 3 International Umpire qualification.

Domestically, Beate umpired at the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships and took charge of the Women’s Singles final between Tin-Tin Ho and Jasmin Wong in 2024 and was assistant umpire for the Women’s Doubles final this year.

She was also a regular at the Women’s British Clubs League, and in the 2023-24 season was awarded the Solihull Trophy, awarded to a coach, official or player who most enhanced the competition during the season, based on the most nominations from clubs.

John Alsop, a good friend of Beate’s from Bedfordshire, said: “Despite being given only 6-12 months to live she set a goal of umpiring at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and thanks to some new medication and determination, she not only achieved this goal, involving participating in 39 matches, but went on to become an International Umpire.

“She kept her private challenges hidden from the umpiring community, as she didn’t want to be treated as special. Her last words to me were ‘I’d like to umpire a few more tournaments’.”

Fellow umpire Dan Bullen said: “I’ve known Beate for many years from playing against her in the Bedford league and from bringing her son Thomas to train at St Neots TTC. We both started our umpiring journey together back in 2018 when we took our Level 1 together and carried on, taking our Level 2 together during Covid and then our Level 3 in 2022, when I travelled with Beate to the exam.

“Beate was very well respected as an official and until last month the Welfare Officer of the Bedford and District league, where she will be sadly missed as a committee member.

“She always saw the positive in everything she did, RIP Beate.”

The thoughts of everyone at Table Tennis England are with her husband Chris and sons Tom and Alex, as well as all her friends and family, at this sad time.