Murrayfield’s Memorable Century

It’s a particularly busy time for Murrayfield Table Tennis Club. On November the 5th they took part in the second set of fixtures for the Scottish National League. Murrayfield currently have seven teams across the league’s six divisions. Lindsay Muir, the main organiser of the league, is also President of Murrayfield, a post he’s held since 1985. In 2022 Murrayfield also participated in the first round of the men’s and women’s Europe Trophy, run by the European Table Tennis Union.

Gordon Muir has been busy helping coordinate 46 weekly senior and junior classes across the club’s various venues and helping manage 11 local league teams.

In and amongst this activity on the table, the club will celebrate its centenary in an event at Out of the Blue in Leith on November 12th, in conjunction with the popular social ping pong event Wiff Waff Wednesday. Ex-players and leading figures from Scottish table tennis will be among those in attendance. The evening will involve exhibition matches, presentations and a performance by LEON the magician who recently performed his table tennis themed show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Most importantly, the club’s involvement in development is as extensive as ever. Lindsay Muir, has “never seen the club so busy” with a growing number of players, venues and well qualified coaches. Coach Krzysztof Borkowicz believes that it has “a very promising group of under 13 players who could make a big impact on the sport”. These include Rory Thomson, and Nichole Lee who was recently crowned Scottish Primary Schools Champion and also picked up a silver medal at the British event.

Murrayfield Table Tennis Club is the last surviving part of Murrayfield Memorial Club, established in 1922 in memory of locals who died in World War I. The Memorial Club was particularly active up until the Second World War, providing weekly lectures, slide shows and recreational activities such as chess, bridge, billiards and table tennis.

Table tennis became an increasingly prominent section of the club. Having taken part in the wartime leagues, Murrayfield first entered the Edinburgh & District League (as it was then) in 1945, part of a major expansion in the immediate post-war period (from 46 teams in 1946 to 81 in 1950). By season 1959, the table tennis section had become the dominant part of the Murrayfield Memorial Club.  In 1968, Murrayfield had eight teams across seven league divisions, and it has remained a leading club ever since.

Having sold their original premises in 1983,  the club uses the hall at The Church of the Good Shepherd on Murrayfield Avenue. In addition, the club regularly uses a further 4 venues across the city. These include the two successful ‘Pop in and Play’ venues at the Gyle Shopping Centre and Ocean Terminal, which the club runs in partnership with Table Tennis Scotland (TTS), the sport’s national body.

A short history of the club will be published this week. The history builds on the work of Michael MacLaren, a key figure within the club who tragically died after suffering a heart attack during a match in 1999. It also features contributions from ex-players and administrators including Roger Thomas & Lindsay McCrea. The history contains tales of epic matches with local rivals Gambit, Tynecastle, Polwarth and, in recent years, North Merchiston. Misbehavior by teenage players also features, as does the club’s lengthy search for a permanent new venue. Stories also include a cup match at Murrayfield in 1968 involving a Saughton prison team which included two convicted murderers. Prominent in the history are also the top players that the club has developed, such as Colin Robertson & Pete Lugton in the 1990s. These also include recent internationalists Calum Morrison, Faye Leggett and 2020 Scottish champion Colin Dalgleish who was  part of the Scottish Commonwealth Games team in Birmingham.

Murrayfield currently has a good and growing team of able and knowledgeable coaches, passing on their advice. As it looks forward to the next 100 years, Murrayfield Table Tennis Club is keen to be at the forefront of a significant expansion of the sport. It seeks to raise the profile of the sport and see it realise its potential in terms of promoting physical and mental health. While the centenary is a time to reflect on the club’s history, it will hopefully provide a springboard to further growth and development.

MURRAYFIELD CENTENARY – VIEW FROM THE WEST

Here’s Pete Shaw’s memories of when he ventured east and played for them in the Edinburgh & Lothians League.

I first heard the term ‘weegie’ from the irrepressible Colin Robertson. I was one, but, thankfully, Murrayfield Memorial Table Tennis Club made me a member anyway. My recent invitation to its centenary celebrations sparked many memories. I would like to share the two most powerful, also the saddest.

My first teammates were Lindsay Muir and Mike Maclaren. Tragically, Mike had a heart attack during a match and, despite our attempts to resuscitate him, died a few hours later in hospital. He was one of the sweetest people I have ever met, and the best sportsperson. It was nice that a veteran’s trophy for sportsmanship was set up in his name.

I also played briefly at Murrayfield with Kenny Lindsay. As a player, he was dedicated, intelligent, often brilliant and sometimes mercurial. Off the table, for me, he was just a loveable boy. His early death was an unspeakable tragedy.

I remember my first visit to Murrayfield, for a national league match. I was comfortable entering church grounds, but I feared one or two of my teammates might burst into flames. I think that little hall, with one table up, is one of the best venues in Scotland.

Over time, the club has become even more professionally successful and contributed greatly to our sport through coaching and other initiatives. The success of the club is due to many, but surely few have contributed more than the Muir family.

Differences between the West and Edinburgh matches? In Glasgow I witnessed the other team scoffing the match tea before the first end had been played. Ironic, since “you will have had your tea” is a famous Edinburgh phrase.

Only in Glasgow, too, did I witness the final end being settled by the protagonists wrestling on the floor. I would have liked to have seen the scorecard entry for that one. Two falls and a submission?

Lots of little memories. For example playing Terry Forker, whom I had admired since I saw him in doubles with Eric Sutherland at a Meadowbank tournament, so calm, so elegant. I will never forget, too, my training sessions with Stretch aka Euan Walker in that wonderful church hall.

Once a Murrayfield player, always one, and I still have the T- shirt to prove it. I wore it recently when playing a youngster from the club, who, amazingly, did not know who I was! Masterfully, I psyched him out by telling him I was so experienced my shirt was older than him. Of course it was 3 straight – to him, the little whippersnapper.

Congratulations to a great club and great people, here’s to the next hundred years.