“If there’s anyone I want to be compared to, like when I’m an adult, then its my dad. He’s insane, but in all the best ways.”
Milly Beasley giggles as she delivers her half-insult, half-compliment about her dad, but the man himself, Ivan Beasley, looks on all too fondly. The two have been thick as thieves since Milly was born, and a formidable table tennis duo since she turned eight-years-old and long-time player Ivan thrust a bat into her hands.
“I would’ve supported her with anything,” Beasley insists, “Dance, gymnastics…maybe not horses. Bit ‘spenny. But I wanted her to at least give my beloved table tennis a go!”
Milly did more than just give it a go. She peaked at No. 28 in the England Cadet Girls Juniors rankings, attended national tournaments and trained at week-long camps with the top talent in the country. All while achieving excellent grades at school, allowing her to now study International Relations with French at Durham University.
“I play when I can. For a while, I joined the uni’s table tennis society but it just wasn’t the same. Where I grew up, there were two other girls I played with and we’d travel up and down the country every weekend, staying in hotels together, it was like a sleepover! I missed the family of the sport more than the sport, I think.”
Ivan is quick to remind Milly that the parents did tag along to those hotels and tournaments, in case it sounded like they were shipped off without supervision. The two share a quiet laugh at the thought, and their similarities are glaringly obvious. Both are wearing thick-rimmed black glasses, both have the same shoulder-shaking laughter. Ivan is bald, but that’s only a small difference.
“It was a proper crew. We even went on holiday together,” Ivan agrees, “Of course, I think the girls enjoyed the table tennis, especially at first, but once they turned 15, 16, I think the friendship kept them in it as much as the sport.”
The two friends in question were Emily Green and funnily enough, myself. Whilst Green still plays to a high level, having kept at it during her time at Exeter University, I can’t say the same. When the Beasleys offered to have a ‘knock’ (a colloquial term for warming up in ping-pong) as part of our interview, I had to politely decline for the sake of my dignity.
“Lillington Table Tennis Club has so much history, including Kelly [Sibley]. When she came around, she used to take a special interest in us girls, training with us, offering tips. It made us all feel a bit special, really.”
Olympian Kelly Sibley is a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist who began her own table tennis career aged 8 at Lillington. Despite her success, first as a player and now as a coach, she always found time to return to her childhood club and mentor the youngsters who were coming through. Ivan insists he wasn’t trying to create the next Sibley when he encouraged Milly to start playing.
“I wasn’t trying to create an Olympian!” he laughs, “I could swear some of the parents we met on the road were though. I think there’s a perception that if your kid gets into a niche sport, they might be able to get properly good at it.
“Of course, kids do get good, and maybe there’s less competition in national rankings, but sport is hard, whatever sport you’re playing. To get to ferry Milly around the country, playing people we later saw in international competition is more than I ever hoped for.”
Milly, on the other hand, was ambitious right from the get go.
“I loved playing the boys,” she said, “Actually, I loved beating the boys. It felt so good. Sometimes tournaments were gendered and sometimes they weren’t, but if there was one thing us girls loved, it was beating the boys. Especially if they were older.
“That was one of the motivating factors, for sure. But mostly just the people. My favourite memory is of us girls at a league match warming up and just dancing around the table. We were about to play three 70-something year old men and we didn’t even care.”
Even though Milly is now travelling the world, having just got back from three months in Canada, table tennis is still a bonding factor with her dad. The family have a December trip to Center Parcs planned, where they’re looking forward to entering the family table tennis tournament and Ivan is playing to win.
“If I end up playing a seven-year-old, don’t expect me to go easy on them! If there’s one thing teaching Milly taught me, it’s that there’s no shame in absolutely smoking a kid across the table.”
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