Leeds table tennis aces strike gold at veterans’ national championships
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Rider, who has previously won European veteran gold in 2013, and a bronze at last year’s World Championships in Las Vegas, took home the top prize for England in both the over-60s team event and the over-60s women’s doubles.
The tournament was held in Perth, Scotland, and saw seven nations from the British Isles face off, with age categories ranging from 40-plus to 75-and-over.
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Hide AdA “delighted” Rider was not the only Leeds winner in the contest.
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Mick Burton, who plays at the Armley Leisure Centre under Rider’s watchful eye, was called up to the England squad as a last-minute replacement.
To his great surprise, he returned to Leeds with a men’s over-75 team gold, and silver in the doubles.
Rider, who has been coaching at the centre for “a long time”, says it’s never too late to pick up a bat and start playing the sport she loves.
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Hide Ad“We have three sessions a week at Armley, and we’ve got 10 tables.
“I had a lady start this week who’s 81! She had a private lesson with me.”
If you’re interested in attending a session at Armley Leisure Centre, you can email Sandra Rider on [email protected]