Umpiring world now Hurr’s oyster

International table tennis umpire Bob (Ben) Hurr dons an official uniform at his Alexandra home....
International table tennis umpire Bob (Ben) Hurr dons an official uniform at his Alexandra home. Photo: Jono Edwards.
Bob Hurr has been stuck with the name Ben Hur almost as long as he has played table tennis.

Now, he just wishes he had the same budget as the 1959 American blockbuster.

The 75-year-old has more than 60 years’ involvement in the sport and has just recently gained his international umpires award.

The qualification means he can now umpire international matches outside  Oceania.

Hurr, who still plays the sport, is the only person in Otago to have gained the award and is the only person to have gained the qualification in Australia and New Zealand this year.

It is also just a wonderful achievement for one of the stalwarts of the game.

"Now I’ve got the international licence I’m qualified to umpire all round the world and do world championships, the Olympics and that sort of thing," he said.

"The only thing is I have to pay my own fare," Hurr added with a chuckle.

Hurr, who is a life member of Table Tennis Otago, has been playing the sport since he was a teenager. He moved from the United Kingdom to Dunedin in 1973 and quickly resumed playing table tennis.

"It is a great sport. It keeps you active and it is a sport that the heart surgeons advocate because you are moving all the time without putting a lot of strenuous effort into it."

Hurr started taking umpiring seriously in the late 1990s and gained his national qualification in 2004. But he has always helped umpiring when required.

Hurr moved to Alexandra about six years ago and promptly started up a table tennis club.

The club has 28 registered members which "I’m quite pleased about".

The next big event on Hurr’s calendar is world veteran championships in Auckland in April. 

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