“He is the face of table tennis in Cheltenham.”

So says Lesley Slack, a keen table tennis player herself and the wife of Graham Slack, who has been in and around the sport in the town for more than a half-a-century.

He’s played, he’s coached and he’s been an administrator, and it’s not just in Cheltenham because he’s known all over Gloucestershire and much further afield too.

Slack, who is now 63, first took up the game when he was just a young boy.

“I started playing when I was about eight,” recalled the one-time Cheltenham Grammar School pupil.

“I used to play on the dining room table. My dad was the Cheltenham singles champion in 1974.”

That was the only time Peter Slack won the title but it’s something that Graham remembers, and father and son joined forces to play for Cheltenham Civil Service side CCS in the Cheltenham Table Tennis League when Graham was in his mid-teens.

They played together for six or seven years and by then Graham was well-established on the table tennis circuit because he’d been playing in the league since the age of 11.

“I started off with a team called St Christopher’s who played in Warden Hill, I was coached by Peter Cruwys,” he said.

Cruwys, like Slack and another stalwart player from yesteryear Dave Harvey, is a very well-known name in table tennis circles in Gloucestershire.

Harvey, in particular, was very successful, winning the Cheltenham singles title 30 times. He’s now in his mid-70s but was still good enough to finish runner-up to Winchcombe’s Matt Hartwell last season.

Slack has been crowned Cheltenham singles champion eight times and he said: “We always had a very, very friendly rivalry. We played together alongside Steve Moreman for Rudford Club in the Gloucester League and won the title.”

Slack, who lives in Quedgeley, also played in the Stroud League and was a regular for Gloucestershire for many years.

He competed in the British League for Cheltenham Saracens, a team run by Bob Attwood, and was regularly ranked in and around the top 100 players in the country with a highest ever ranking of 64.

He can remember winning a 1* tournament in Bournemouth but said modestly: “I played in tournaments around the country with limited success, I normally got beaten by better players.”

He stopped playing competitively a good number of years ago but has remained a force for good for table tennis in the county, even though he has reduced his commitments over the past few months.

“I’ve stepped down as chairman of the Gloucestershire Table Tennis Association and I’ve also stood down as their coaching development officer,” he said.

“I’ve also stood down as coaching development officer for the Cheltenham Table Tennis Association, Cheltenham and Gloucester.

“I feel as though I’ve done my bit, I’ve been on committees for 45 years or more, the only job I haven’t done is treasurer.”

Slack, who worked in reinsurance for many years, hasn’t cut all his ties with the sport, however, because he now works for himself as a full-time coach, something which takes him all over Gloucestershire and beyond.

These days he says he prefers coaching to playing – he was voted South West Coach of the Year in 2013 – even though he was a very good player back in the day.

Ask him what his strengths were and he says: “My top spin attack, forehand and backhand.”

But he also says you don’t need to have been a good player to be a good coach.

“As a coach, you need to be able to spot minor technical issues, be patient and be able to interact with whoever you are coaching,” he said.

Chosen Hill School pupil Jack Davidson, who lives in Churchdown, is an up-and coming star in Gloucestershire, so what makes a top player?

“You’ve got to want it and you’ve got to be dedicated,” said Slack. “The mental side is very important.

“If you can remain calm and not be affected by anything that is going on during games, then that’s a massive advantage.

“Many table tennis players lose it, I did, particularly when I was younger.”

Anyone who has met Graham Slack will find it hard to believe that an opponent could wind him up, but that is part and parcel of sport, of course, and Slack certainly remains a big fan of table tennis.

“It’s a sport that can be played by anyone from the age of eight to 80 and older,” he said. “It’s a dynamic sport, it’s very enjoyable and the people are very friendly.”

Slack met his wife through table tennis – she is an umpire as well as a player – and she added: “Table tennis is like having a family.

“I was umpiring at the para national table tennis championships at Sheffield and Billy Shilton was there, he came through the county system in Stroud.

“He’s won Paralympic Games medals but he just came up to me and said hello. That was very nice.”

The youth set-up that helps produce players like Shilton, who is now 26, is still very much thriving today.

“We’ve got lots of youngsters playing in Gloucestershire,” said Graham. “As a county we have recruited more youngsters than any other in the South West.”

The problem, as with many sports, is keeping hold of them as they get older.

“When I started playing, there were six divisions in the Cheltenham League, now there are two,” said Slack. “To me, it’s the format of the league which doesn’t work for younger players.

“Matches are three-a-side and get played on a school night. They usually start at 7.30pm and last for three hours or more, that’s too late.”

Slack would prefer teams to be two-a-side, which would certainly speed up matches and may also mean more teams taking part.

But one of the problems with two-player teams, which Slack readily admits, is that the  venue hire costs would have to be covered by fewer players.

“Table Tennis England hasn’t been able to come up with a solution,” said Slack. “If someone can come up with a solution they would be hailed as a hero.”

Anyone wishing to contact Graham about coaching should call him on 07906 855236.