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.