Brighton Dome will play host to a local club’s attempt at being crowned national champions at top level table tennis this weekend.
For the first time, Brighton Table Tennis Club (BTTC) are in contention to win the very top division of the national league.
Table tennis has not been hosted at the historic venue since 1980, when the English Open last took place at the Dome and the Corn Exchange.
Forming part of the Brighton Festival schedule, the club will play in the deciding match of the Premier Division of the Senior British League at Brighton Dome on Saturday, 11 May from 3pm to 7pm.
Tim Holtam, founder of BTTC, said: “It’s an incredible opportunity for BTTC to become crowned national champions and amazing to be back in the Brighton Dome when the English Open was played in the 1960s and 1970s.
“The guest director of the Brighton Festival 2024 is Frank Cottrell-Boyce, he is a big fan of the table tennis club and what it stands for.
“Community, solidarity, respect and competition are our values.”
BTTC will play versus BATTS from Harlow, Essex in the final title-deciding match of the season to crown the National Champions 2024, with both teams neck and neck at the top of the table.
The club hopes residents will fill the 1,500-person capacity venue to cheer them on.
Their squad includes Tom Jarvis, the two times English National Champion, as well as local player Will Bayley, who is a Paralympic gold medallist, World Champion and World Number One, in addition to being a coach at the club.
Matchgoers will also be able to try their hand at table tennis in the Founders Room and bar area at the Dome.
A film shot by a member of the club, based in the Fitzherbert Centre in Kemptown, will be screened at Duke of York’s cinema 20th May from 6pm to 8pm as part of an event on General Post Office (GPO) Films from the 1930s.
Tickets are Pay as You Feel and available from the Brighton Festival website.
WELL DONE BTTC FOR WINNING