West Wickham Table Tennis Club: £10 Guest Night at Sparta

Sparta Table Tennis Club trains at Croydon Rugby FC, 135 Addington Road, West Wickham BR4 9BF, and guests pay £10 for a three-hour session. This is a members' club that lets visitors in, not a drop-in hall, so contact the club secretary before you go: the club says guests must get in touch first, and bookings are made through a WhatsApp group whose details you receive on your first contact.

The club publishes this opening pattern: Monday 19:15–22:15 (match night), Tuesday 19:15–22:15 (all welcome), Wednesday 19:15–22:15 (match night), Thursday 19:15–22:15 (all welcome), Friday 19:15–22:15 (all welcome) and Saturday 13:30–16:30 (all welcome). Saturday morning is reserved for juniors and Sunday is closed.

Monday is the Croydon League night and Wednesday is the Bromley League night. Practice on those evenings is limited to members and depends on how many league matches are being played. The club says Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are its official practice nights, along with Saturday afternoon, and everyone is welcome on them.

Guest fees are £10 for a three-hour session, and juniors pay £7.50 on any day. The club's phone number for enquiries is 07539 822250, the secretary's line, and he can also be reached at hai1950@me.com. The club does not take drop-ins, so you must be added to the WhatsApp booking group before you arrive.

A six-table venue allows 18 people at a time. The format is 20-minute practice rounds for two members or guests at each table, then everyone changes. That means every visitor plays an equal amount on the night, with a different partner at each change, and nobody is left on the side for a whole evening.

The club sets a maximum of six tables for practice and a maximum of three tables on match nights. That limit explains why guests are asked to contact the secretary first: a night with fewer tables means fewer places, and members get priority when league fixtures are on. The club is open six days a week and describes itself as friendly to people of all ages and standards.

The club's etiquette is plain. Everyone helps to set up and take down equipment, so if you are unsure how, ask a member. Players waiting to play have priority after each practice round, and the club actively encourages practice among all abilities so that stronger members help weaker ones with their game.

One review on the club's site, from a visitor on holiday from Trinidad and Tobago who contacted the club secretary beforehand, describes a friendly mix of skill levels and members who welcomed him. Another reviewer says you can play as a guest and pay per session before deciding whether to pay the annual fee.

The club has more than 100 members and six teams in the Croydon and Bromley table tennis leagues. Members pay an annual fee for free unlimited practice at designated times, entry to club competitions and the right to play league matches if they are of a suitable standard. The club prefers new people to play a few guest sessions first to make sure they like it.

The membership page lists five points for becoming a Spartan: play hard but fair, win with humility, respect your opponent, never use gamesmanship, and support fellow Spartans. The club asks new people to play a few sessions as guests before signing up.

Sparta Table Tennis Club was established in 2015, and its opening night was on 15 April. It was named for the ancient Greek town known for training and excellence, and its stated aim is excellence through training. The club's blog shows recent life: a first Sparta doubles championship on 27 December 2025 and its E team crowned Croydon League Handicap Cup champions on 6 May 2026.

In May 2026 a member named Jamie claimed a sixth Sparta Championship title, and the club's juniors volunteered at the London 2026 World Championships. The blog entries are dated 13 May and 16 May. The club has qualified coaches on request, though it does not offer adult coaching on its own premises, and its head coach gives private coaching at a venue in Beckenham.

The club's directions use public transport and the car. By tram, take the No. 3 tram from East Croydon or Elmers End to New Addington and get off at the interchange. A 314 bus runs from the interchange, and the 314 also runs from Bromley. By car, there is free off-road parking at the rear of the building.

Croydon Rugby FC is a rugby clubhouse, so the tables are set up inside a sports club rather than a leisure centre. The clubhouse sits on Addington Road in West Wickham, in the London Borough of Bromley.

Sparta is for someone who wants regular partners and a proper club atmosphere in south-east London, and who does not mind sending a message first. It is not a place to turn up on impulse, and a stranger walking in on a Monday or Wednesday match night will find practice closed to non-members.

If you want a table with no contact in advance, NET Table Tennis Centre in Brentford is the better choice, because it needs no booking at all. If you prefer coaching, the club suggests its head coach for private lessons rather than adult group classes.

Message the secretary first, get added to the booking group, and then confirm your slot there once you are in. Arrive in time to help set up, wear indoor shoes and bring a bottle of water. Plan to come on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday evening, or a Saturday afternoon, and keep Monday and Wednesday for members and league fixtures.

Afterwards, walk back to the tram interchange or the 314 bus stop. The club's location on Addington Road means a car is easy for some visitors, and the free car park behind the clubhouse removes the usual parking worry.