The Weald Table Tennis Club, founded at Benenden Village Hall as Benenden TT Club in 1994, is returning to it’s Benenden roots from Sunday when it will start weekly ‘open, catch all’ evening practice sessions at the village hall from Sunday 15th May, 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

The club, originally an initiative of former schoolboy and veteran international Diccon Gray, a resident of Benenden and still the club treasurer, changed its name to Weald when it moved to Angley School Sport College, Cranbrook (latterly Weald Academy) in 2001. It subsequently moved to Claremont Senior School, Bodiam in 2017, but ceased activities in March 2020 owing to Covid-19, and its activities are still in abeyance there.

The Weald Club has a history of developing players up to international level, but also caters for players of all ages and standards, from beginners/recreational to advanced.

Current club chairman and coaching officer, Ken Muhr, said: “The Sunday evening sessions on five tables at Benenden will start as ‘a toe in the water’ to assess demand and see how they develop. They will begin as practice sessions with all-comers welcome, with the possibility of expanding into specific groups and coaching in the future. Having been based close to county boundaries, we have always attracted players both from Kent and Sussex.”

The session fee will initially be set at £5 for seniors and £3 for juniors (under 18).