Ian Landreth

Sports such as cricket and softball might be struggling for numbers, but table tennis certainly is not.

With the new season just around the corner, a new club is set to be launched at the rugby club rooms at Watson Park, Port Chalmers.

Otago Table Tennis Association (OTTA) director of coaching Ben Duffy said the new club was still in its early stages, but expects it to be fully up and running next month.

Ian Landreth, a teacher at Port Chalmers School, approached the OTTA during winter with a desire to start a club in Port Chalmers.

Landreth said the new club would launch with a club night either later this month or next month to see who turns up.

''There are a lot of people informally keen to do it,'' he said.

''One night a week we will have a club night to see if people are interested to join up, and from there we will form teams.''

Landreth also plans to coach Port Chalmers School pupils once a week during terms two and three.

The club has secured four table tennis tables and Landreth was confident the club would attract plenty of interest.

''I've been spreading the word. It sounds like a lot of players are. The big thing in Port Chalmers is there are just so few sports opportunities out here. Everybody has to go into town for sport.

''We are just trying to get some of those sports that were here in the past going again,'' Landreth said.

In other changes ahead of the new season, the Cale-Metro Club has gone into bat with Bayfield High School, relocating from the Caledonian Gym to the school with 16 table tennis tables.

The 38mm Table Tennis Club, which is based at Kaikorai Valley College, is in ''growth mode'', with more pupils at the school now playing table tennis than cricket, Duffy said.

''There is probably 60 to 70 players connected with the two main clubs [Metro and 38mm], with another 70 to 80 playing interclub,'' he said.

''Then, you have got the other little school competitions that we run. So, things are starting to go.''

Otago table tennis has also approached the Shanghai Sports Federation in a bid to bring some of China's top players and coaches to Dunedin for a week in the lead-up to the Otago open in July.

If the Shanghai federation plays ball, Duffy expects the national junior squad to travel to Dunedin to take advantage of the Chinese players and coaches.

''There's a couple of things we would get out of it,'' Duffy said.

''How they train and coach their players, to give our juniors that experience, and to show them some world-class players.

''Plus, hopefully show the people of Dunedin who aren't into table tennis how cool it is to watch.''

The OTTA would cover the hospitality cost if the Chinese decide to come, but Duffy is not expecting an answer ''for weeks''.