Sheila Howe, President of the Clacton and District Table Tennis League, has been honoured by Tendring District Council when, at the Council’s 2012 Sports Personality Awards Evening, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sheila began playing competitive table tennis in the Clacton League in the early 1950s. In 1957 she won her first League titles – the Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles – and, three years later, took her first Ladies Singles title.

Since then, Sheila has amassed a total of 53 titles – 19 Ladies Singles, 20 Ladies Doubles and 14 Mixed Doubles. Without doubt, she has been the dominant figure of women’s table tennis in Clacton.

Nearly sixty years on, Sheila still plays in Division 3 (the lowest level) of the League. Any match played against Sheila is a pleasure and, win or lose, she always plays with a smile on her face. She is a true sportsman and an example to any young player.

The League honoured Sheila in 1989 when they awarded her the Bob Phillips Trophy for services to the League. In 1995, she was made a Vice-President and in 2001 she became the League’s President, a position she continues to hold.

Tony Oswick