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Nestled in a Derbyshire village is a sporting venue known for being one of the best of its kind in England – at least to those in the know.

"Anyone that plays table tennis in this country will have heard of Draycott," says member and press officer Graham Woodcock, who has been with Draycott and Long Eaton Table Tennis Club for the past two years.

"We've got perfect lighting; the floor is the same as the floor they used in Beijing. These are world-class facilities."

He never knew the days when the team were guests in the village's Old Boxing Gym, a dilapidated building barely big enough to hold six practise tables, but he nevertheless fully appreciates the step-up in standards.

"For the area we are very important.

"We've got two dedicated table tennis halls, so we can host a lot of major events throughout the year including major internationals and the British league. There's not much that we can't host."

The centre has dedicated facilities

The centre benefited from a Community Club Development Fund in 2003, with work being completed three years later. The project included a new extension, practice hall and trophy room, and meant the club now controlled their own facilities.

"It means we don't have unnecessary markings on the floor, it means we don't have to plan around anybody else, so we can focus on young players to play table tennis."

And that player development seems to be already bearing fruit. Head coach Phil Vickers believes an increase in the number of sessions is leading to a higher number of Draycott players making their mark in regional and national competition: "From what we now have, we can pluck a few players out and move them on.

"We have players here who have just started out, who have been playing maybe six months to a year, and a few of them now are even representing their county."

But amongst the drive to produce top-end talent, the club's focus remains very much on community involvement, with an open door policy that has provided some memorable moments, especially for Woodcock: "The first day I walked in I played with the England number seventy. I'd never played before.

"There can't be many other places where that can happen."

And as the club celebrates its twentieth anniversary, it is likely this mix of casual practice and player development will push Draycott on to even greater recognition.