History of the D&DTTL

Back in 1949 the area had a small group of table tennis players who were meeting locally to practice and play against each other. Having grown large enough to support several teams, they organised themselves into what was in effect an unofficial first league season, the teams being:

• Hobbies & Jentique F.C.
• Dreibholz
• Youth Centre
• Banks
• Jentique
• Tax Office
• Norwich R.T.C.
• Hobbies
• Young Conservatives
• Post Office

It was Jentique who won that first league, losing only two of the 18 games played.

After such a successful first year, it was decided that the league should affiliate to the ETTA and become an official league proper for the following year, 1950. As such we will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the league in 2010.

It's not clear who all the founder members of the league were, but we do know two who were instrumental in its formation, Dougie Craske and Lenny Mack. The Craske name will be known to everyone in the league, as the Craske Cup was kindly donated by Dougie and is still competed for today.

A score book belonging to Peter Houseago shows results and names of some of the players during that first meeting of teams in 1949, and the Houseago name itself will still be well known for its association with the league throughout its existence and indeed still today, with Nigel Houseago the current league secretary.

Scanning down the list of teams in today's league gives an indication of how the area has changed over the years. Today's teams are virtually all named after their town/village, compared with those early years when many were workplace-based. Over the years the league has also drawn in teams from the RAF base at Swanton Morley (a regular venue at one time for the Annual Championships) and other workplace teams have appeared and disappeared, such as Cranes from the Crane Fruehauf trailer company, a major employer in the town for decades. Indeed almost all large scale industry has moved away from the town since the 1980's.

As well as these major changes in the area, there have been very significant changes within the game itself in recent years. Players have taken to a new scoring system, a larger ball size, and a whole host of available rubber types like fish to water (albeit sometimes water with a strong current to overcome!) and the league continues to provide competition, fun and enjoyment for all involved.

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