Page 58 - She's One Crazy Lady!

All my sporti“
held at Wellingborough School. They were physically demanding and time consuming but resulted in me being picked for the Ladies Seconds County Team, which was a real honour. However, I had a dilemma. While I fell in love with tennis, my friend, Titch, and I had decided we wanted to have a go at judo and went along to the Old Drill Hall in Gt. Park Street, in Wellingborough, to see what it entailed. Above us we could hear the incessant ‘ping pong’ of a table tennis ball so we investigated, liked what we saw and didn’t take up judo! From the minute I picked up a bat, the rest is history, as table tennis became very addictive and I was soon playing in junior and senior leagues, as well as being invited to attend numerous coaching sessions across the county, resulting in me
being picked to play for the County Juniors and later the Seniors. This led to training sessions, not just in Northamptonshire, but further afield so I had decisions to make, as I physically couldn’t keep up with county training for both tennis and table tennis, and it was affecting my schoolwork, causing arguments at home and concern at school. Sadly, it was the tennis coaching and county tennis that went, but not the playing of local competitive tennis.
All my sporting days were such sociable, happy, carefree days and I was incredibly fit. I made such wonderful life-long and valued friends and we spent hours and hours together, often travelling all over the country and abroad when we were selected to represent the county, Wellingborough and Corby on exchange matches, staying with some lovely families in France and Germany. When playing for the county we would think nothing of it by travelling to places such as Newcastle, Cardiff, and other far off counties, to play a ladies singles and a ladies doubles, then drive all the way home again within one day. I owe a lot to so many team players that I had the privilege of playing with and against, many of whom I am still in touch with, even if it is a Christmas card, and it was so lovely that many of my friends and associates supported
our charity, years on. Special thanks here to Anne, Mandy and Chris who were wonderful friends, team mates, and rivals, for many, many years; we loved it that we were an all ladies team in predominantly male leagues. Mention too, must be made about Anne and Mandy’s parents, Josie and Ken, who ferried us here, there and everywhere and who kept us well fed with Josie’s amazing sandwiches – the cheese and onion ones going first, probably just a few miles into the journey!
I played competitive tennis right up until my diagnosis with breast cancer and table tennis only really stopped when I got my headship, where running
ng days were such sociable, happy, carefree days and I was
incredibly ”
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fit.