Andy Fleming

Andy Fleming’s contribution to Table Tennis in the West of Scotland and in Scotland is immeasurable. Andy was known to everyone within the Scottish TT community. He was highly respected for his coaching skills and running Central YMCA, the leading Scottish club for much of the 1970s and 80s. However, his involvement with Central started in the 1950s as a player.

He was well known for the regular training sessions he organised at Bellahouston and Springburn Sports Centres in Glasgow. In fact when Bellahouston opened, around 1967, Andy started a coaching session during its first month of business. This continued to run until Bellahouston closed for a major refurbishment in the 1990s. Andy was never a one man band however, and formed a number of productive partnerships with other Table Tennis enthusiasts for example, Robert Murray and Dick Alexander. In the 1990s Andy then took his vast experience and knowledge to Drumchapel and assisted Terry McLernon for over 10 years.

Andy helped many great players to achieve international honours and secure national titles. You could walk into a Bellahouston training session with Richard Yule and John Broe on table 1, Ian Stokes and Ewan Walker on table 2 and David McIlroy and Gordon Clancey on table 3 – all Scottish Senior internationalists and four of them individual Scottish Men’s Champions. He also coached his daughter, Patrice to tournament wins and international honours. He assisted players of all levels, not just international standard and players from all clubs. He said that age should never be a barrier to continued improvement. He expected everyone who attended his sessions to continually develop their game.  

He enjoyed great success at club level, with Central YM, winning many West and National League titles and Scottish Cups, held many committee posts in the West of Scotland league, and umpired at Commonwealth Games, the first UK Special Olympics and was NPC at UK Schools, Commonwealth, European and World Championships. His enthusiasm for this great sport knew no bounds and it rubbed off on many that came into contact with him.

Andy created an environment where players who wanted to develop thrived. He was always trying new approaches and was open to suggestions for new coaching techniques. These training sessions were not restricted by age or standard, so someone starting out on their TT journey was immediately exposed to the best that Scotland could offer. This proved to be a key to the high levels of attendance. Players still talk about the two changes at Springburn and Bellahouston – the numbers dictated that you were on the table for 45 minutes then off for 45 – with Andy in the middle of it all working out table combinations and pairings.  

Among his many qualities was being able to get on with people from all walks of life and getting them to work together with a common purpose - to improve their technique and to have fun while they were doing it. He engendered a feeling in his players that they were part of something significant and worthwhile. He was an excellent listener who offered carefully considered advice and support and not just on TT. He had that knack of making you feel that he was interested in your general well being; and he was.

Andy’s other great attribute was his sense of fun; he had a wicked sense of humour. He was a great storyteller and master of the one-liner, as long as it was to a small audience and over a cup of tea. He used to remind people that 75% of everything he said was with his tongue placed firmly in his cheek, which, of course, included this comment! 

He often talked of how brittle our sport was, I suppose because it depended on volunteers and goodwill. Andy, however, provided the opposite, a sense of permanence with his level of commitment, loyalty and friendship to those that were lucky enough to be called his players.

Andy, the pleasure was all ours.

Sinclair Houston