THE 60-year career of a veteran table tennis champion has been saved – after he feared he was becoming "too deaf to play".

Jack Bullock, 80, from Beddau, Pontypridd, has been playing in some of the world’s top leagues since he was 20.

He is the current British table tennis champion for over-65s and has played in tournaments across the globe.

But he thought he might have to hang up his bat after struggling to differentiate his pings from his pongs.

After growing accustomed to the different noises he could pre-empt the speed of the ball and the direction it would bounce, which saw him rocket to the top of his game.

So when his hearing started to fail Mr Bullock was worried he would no longer be able to keep up his high standards.

He said: “I was terrified it would go altogether and I knew I had to act fast to save my game.

“I heard that there were some pretty hi-tech gadgets out there that could help people like me so I visited AIHHP Member Hearing Aid Solutions in The Optic Shop in Pontypridd and they carried out some tests and fitted me with hearing aids.”

He is now training up to seven times a week at Duffy’s Ex-Serviceman club on Sardis Road in Pontypridd and will soon compete in the European Table Tennis Championships in Croatia in June.

Jack added: “It’s superb. Every sound is so much crisper and I can hear the ball bounce again – just in time for the championships. It was such a relief.

“I want to continue to play table tennis for as long as I can. Before I retired, I was a carpenter and builder so I’ve always led a very active life.

“I loved cricket and football too when I was younger, but as I’ve got older it was table tennis that became my real passion. I don’t see why my age should stop me. I’m fighting fit and I have plenty of time to train.

“It keeps my mind, as well as my body, active and I get to share my experiences with young people who are just taking up the sport.”

Gareth Morris, the hearing aid audiologist from Hearing Aid Solutions who saw Jack, said: “Hearing loss usually develops slowly over time and it can be hard to spot at first.

“There aren’t many 80-year-olds that notice it because they can’t hear the table tennis ball anymore! Jack is a fantastic table tennis player and a really active man so we wanted to ensure he could carry on with the game. We have not fitted many 80-year-olds with this model, but then again, there aren’t many 80-year-olds out who spend two nights a week running around a table tennis table!

“We are so pleased that he can now go on to the British European Championships and wish him lots of luck for the title.”