There was still plenty of action for the 300-strong crowd from all over Sussex to enjoy at the Generations Exhibition match at the Olympos sports centre in Burgess Hill on Sunday night.

Syed – who fronted the TV coverage of the sport at the Beijing Olympics – texted organisers just three hours before the show was about the start saying he was pulling out of the event.

However there was still a great spectacle to savour as another former England No.1 and world veterans champion, Alan Cooke, wowed the crowd with a tremendous display of attack.

The Chesterfield maestro showed he has lost none of his ability despite his 42 years and beat current England No.2 Darius Knight 3-1 in a contest which was an eye-opener for many of the spectators who had never seen top class table tennis before.

Earlier, Knight – who is tipped for glory at the London 2012 Olympics – struggled to overcome 11 times Sussex champion Venner 3-1, winning the final game 13-11.

For full story see this week's Crawley Observer.