Known as ‘The Ayrshire Tiger’, Steve Morley’s journey with table tennis began in his teenage years, but he rediscovered his passion for the sport in 2021 after a 40-year gap.
Steve has always been active, enjoying cycling and hillwalking adventures in the Scottish Highlands with his partner Elaina but following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease in October 2018 at age 56, his concentration turned to table tennis after reading research suggesting it could slow down the progression of the symptoms.
He now plays four or five times a week across North Ayrshire, including at Ardrossan, West Kilbride, Irvine, Saltcoats and Largs, as well as at Parkinson's specific sessions in Mossblown, Dunlop and Drumchapel.
Steve said:
“It wouldn’t have crossed my mind to play table tennis again other than because I had Parkinsons, but it has helped me enormously both physically and socially especially as I am no longer doing as much hillwalking."
"The social side is just as important as playing, especially at Bat and Chat sessions like those run by East Ayrshire Table Tennis Club at Stewarton.”
Table tennis is relatively easy to learn, making it accessible to beginners or those who played when they were younger. It is one of a few sports where an eight-year-old and an 88-year-old can play each other and either could win!
Basic skills such as serving, returning, and rallying can be picked up quickly with a bit of practice. As you become more comfortable with the game, you can start to learn more advanced techniques and strategies.
Competitive spirit
Steve has achieved notable success in several competitions since rediscovering his passion for table tennis.
The opportunities for competition and travel have been great for Steve, playing in events like the Parkinson's World Championships in Crete (2023) and France (2024) where he won a gold medal in the Mixed Doubles with Agnes Jan from Austria.
He was also selected to represent The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Foundation) at the World Masters in Rome, an able-bodied Veteran's (40 years +) event attended by over 6,000 players. This initiative by the ITTF Foundation is a powerful message of inclusion, demonstrating how table tennis can change lives and bring people together, regardless of their health challenges.
Closer to home, Steve has played in two Parkinson’s Scottish Open Tournaments held at sportscotland National Sports Centre in Largs attended by almost 90 players from the UK, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, Spain, Germany and Chile.
When thinking about advice for others, Steve said table tennis is a sport he wished he had got back into when he was younger and that whatever age you are it’s a really enjoyable and sociable sport.
Steve said, “At club level there are numerous opportunities to play competitively but the greatest benefit is probably from playing and practicing with likeminded people in a sport that is relatively easy to play whatever your level. And it's an indoor sport so at least you're not getting wet and muddy on a winter’s day!”
He added:
“If you'd said to me five years ago that I would be playing table tennis seriously I would have laughed, but it really has been a case of every cloud having a silver lining!”
Bat and Chat
Steve regularly attends East Ayrshire’s Bat and Chat sessions at John Knox church in Stewarton, a community initiative held on Wednesday mornings.
East Ayrshire Table Tennis Club joined forces with the hub, putting in four tables to host informal table tennis sessions as part of the ‘Thrive’ initiative to encourage newcomers to have a go, grab a coffee, and have chat afterwards. Thrive also put on activities like dominoes, a kids creche, crafts and more.
Steve said, “the focus of Bat and Chat is for folk that have never played before. People might be there for other activities, but we always encourage them to come in for ten minutes and give table tennis a go. We play for an hour, have coffee and cake then play another hour so it’s that combination of bat and chat, it’s very social.”
The session is supported by Steve and Stuart who both have their level 1 coaching and welcomes 16 regulars, including Steve’s partner Elaina who since August has been inspired to pick up the sport for the first time.
Elaina said, “sport has always brought us together, but we also have our separate sports. When Steve took up table tennis, I said off you go because I’ve got rubbish hand eye coordination, pretty poor eyesight and arthritic joints so I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it at any level to get a proper game out of it.”
She added: "I feel comfortable going to Bat and Chat because there is no pressure to be at a certain level. I’ve improved and picked up skills that even Steve is impressed with and I’m not missing as many shots as before! I try to play once a week because it’s good for my mobility. There are so many opportunities to try different sports so find out whatever floats your boat and keeps you moving.”
Find out more
- Places to play - Table Tennis Scotland
- Ayrshire Tiger | Ramblings of an East Riding exile in Scotland!
- TTS & Parkinsons UK - Table Tennis Scotland
