STELLAR service as a player and administrator has seen Halton's Don Bryning honoured by the English Table Tennis Association.
The national governing body has awarded Don, from Malpas Road, Runcorn, the Maurice Goldstein Award for services to the game.
The nomination to the ETTA honours committee came from the Halton TT League on Don's retirement from his last active role as their auditor - a position he had held since 1993.
Prior to that, Don had been the league treasurer for 30 years and, as a player, he was a league champion and won town-team representative honours.
The citation said Don had given 'outstanding service to local table tennis over many years.
'As a treasurer he was always firm, accurate and offered guidance - carrying out his duties with a pleasant manner and smile.'
He also trained a successor before turning to auditing.
Don's workload only increased with the advent in 1999 of the borough's regional table tennis centre at Halton Stadium and Halton Table Tennis becoming a limited company the following year.
Over 30 years as a player he had turned out for, among others, Widnes Corporation, Laporte, Brunswick Youth Club and BICC Helsby.
Don was the league's men's champion in 1955-6, 63-64, 65-66 and 69-70 and men's doubles title winner in 55-56, 65-66, 70-71 and 71-72.
