The Club tournaments were the brainchild of Hugh and Cherry Matthews and have been running for many years now. The idea of the tournaments has always been to provide a relaxed, enjoyable and competitive day of table tennis, giving each competitor as many games as possible at a reasonable price In the morning, four age-group events are run. In the afternoon, there are five ability-graded events. Players are split into groups of four or five and play all other players in that group. The top two players in the group progress to the main knockout stages of the event. The third and fourth placed players progress to the consolation knockout stages of the event. The tournament is open to all players and there is no need to be a member of a club or have an official rating.
The tournaments are held at St Nicholas Park Leisure Centre in Warwick, which offers good general lighting, a single hall large enough to host all sixteen tables, a kitchen and lounge area, and changing and shower facilities with lockers.
The age-group events commence at 09:15 and the graded events at 13:15.
For further information on the tournaments, please contact Jill Weaving.
Online entry is available from the menu on the left about a month before each tournament.
For directions to the venue, click here.
Please note that the car park at St Nicholas Park Leisure Centre is pay & display and a day’s parking will cost up to £4.50. Limited disabled parking is available by ringing the buzzer at the barrier at the far end of the car park. When you have parked, you can find the Leisure Centre by walking past the barrier and following the path along to the entrance.
Tournament Dates
- The dates for the 2023/24 Lillington Graded Tournaments are as follows:
- Saturday 2nd December 2023
- Saturday 16th March 2024
- Saturday 11th May 2024
- Entries close at 18:00 on the Wednesday before the tournament.
- Entries will open approximately one month before the date of the tournament.
Help Required
The Graded Tournaments provide the Club with an essential income, which helps to keep the membership fees at a lower rate then they otherwise would be. Were it not for the revenue these generate, our recent increase in membership fees would have needed to be far greater.
A great deal of effort goes into making these tournaments happen, both in the lead up to them and during the day itself. There are a small number of regular helpers, but the Club is always looking for more hands to make light of the work.
If you feel that you could be of some assistance, we would welcome volunteers with open arms! The main areas where we need help are the setting up and taking down of tables and the manning of the control desk during the tournament.
With our move to a new venue at St Nicholas Park, Warwick, we will be unable to set up the tournament the night before and will need to do this first thing Saturday morning. Players normally start arriving from 08.30 for a 09.15 start, so to get a sixteen table tournament set up by 08.30 will take some doing. The more of our members who can help, the quicker the process will be. Whether you are capable of moving and putting up tables, putting together barriers, fixing nets, putting out chairs – your help can make a big difference. If you are entering the tournament, please try and get there earlier to lend a hand.
Just as important is the fast clearing down of the tournament from around 18.00. We need to have the hall cleared and be out by 19.00 as the leisure centre may have other bookings. Rather than go home once you have finished playing in the afternoon, why not hang around to watch some of the better players and lend a hand clearing up – every extra pair of hands help!
We are fortunate to be a big club with many members and families, so the more people we can get to pitch in, the better things will run. If you are able to help in any of those areas, or think you can contribute to the tournament in some other way, please contact Jill Weaving.