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Cumberland hosts annual ping pong tourney

Sixty amateur players from B.C. will square off Saturday, March 2 in Cumberland at the sixth annual Waverley Table Tennis Championships. The winner of the Waverley Cup will be crowned by Mayor Leslie Baird.
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Waverley Hotel owner Don McLellan (foreground) and coach Denys Laporte of the Cumberland table tennis club promote the sixth annual Waverley Table Tennis Championships.

Sixty amateur players from B.C. will square off Saturday, March 2 in Cumberland at the sixth annual Waverley Table Tennis Championships. The winner of the Waverley Cup will be crowned by Mayor Leslie Baird.

This year’s tourney is at the Cumberland Recreation Institute due to the overwhelming participation of players from around the Island and Lower Mainland, and as far away as Vernon.

“This is going to be our best tournament yet,” said organizer Adam Kuzma, who runs the Cumberland Table Tennis Club. “We’ve never had so many players from around the province register and make their way out to our gorgeous village.”

The tourney is an amateur event where kids, seniors, men and women can play in a safe, inclusive and encouraging environment.

“The Waverley Hotel has always been a community meeting place,” owner Don McLellan said. “From eclectic music to Sunday Brunch, this is a great community event we are happy to support.”

The Waverley Cup, hoisted at the end of the tourney, is a testament to the diverse history of this unique village that has reinvented itself. Spectators are welcome, free of charge. Play starts at 10 a.m. Playoffs start around 1 p.m. after round-robin play.

Thanks to Cumberland Recreation and the Cumberland Community Schools Society, the Cumberland Table Tennis Club is the only club on Vancouver Island that trains and coaches youth and elders alike in the art of table tennis. Drop-in fees are three dollars. This includes coaching and robot practice. The club meets Sundays 2-5:30 and Mondays 4-6:45 in the OAP hall at 2674 Dunsmuir Ave. All ages are welcome.

FMI: contact Kuzma at adamkuzma39@gmail.com or 250-703-3994.