The Andrew Wilson Memorial Award is awarded to the player from the Country Championships who best displays dedication to the sport, team spirit, impeccable demeanour, and is a worthy ambassador for table tennis in regional Victoria. It is named in honour of the late Andrew Wilson who was a country player who exemplified team spirit and gentlemanly conduct, the country championships was one of Andrews favourite tournaments. To this day, Andrew is still missed dearly by those who knew and were close to him.  

Criteria Definitions 
Dedication: A player who may have taken part in several Country Championships with continuous enthusiasm. 
Team Spirit: A player who shows respect to his fellow team members, opponents, and officials 
Demeanor: A player who displays impeccable manners both on and off the court and whose overall appearance is fitting of the sport 
Ambassador: A player whom the committee would have confidence in to represent regional table tennis and in doing so display all the above characteristics. 

Nominations for the Andrew Wilson Memorial Award closed at the recent Grading Meeting held on Sunday, 28th May, 2023 where the group decided who the 2022 winner would be.  

Table Tennis Victoria would like to congratulate John Bowers as the recipient of the award for 2023.  

John has represented Ballarat at the country championships for over 50 years, each year performing both enthusiastically and well.  

John has impeccable manners both on and off the court; win or lose, he has a smile, a “well played” and a firm handshake for his opponent, and a “thank you” for the umpire.   He shows respect to all whom he meets, players, officials and spectators.   He is always well presented, modest and polite and is a credit to his Association, the Country Championships and to the wider table tennis world.   He is an ideal ambassador for our sport and, hopefully, will serve it well for many years to come. 

Congratulations John!