The table tennis star who went from making history to studying it: Charlotte Bardsley

In the following years, he won national championships at the U15, U18 and U19 levels. He was England’s junior champion in 2021 and U21 champion in 2022.

After completing her A-levels and desperate to compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Charlotte decided to drop out to focus on her professional table tennis career. He moved to Germany to train six hours a day in one of the most competitive table tennis environments in the world and play in the Bundesliga. He thrived in this new environment despite the sport’s emotional rollercoaster and eventually made the England team in Birmingham, competing in four events and winning a crucial singles match to take the national team to the Commonwealth quarter-finals.

Charlotte has just finished her first year at Sidney, studying History and Politics. In June, he was announced as the joint winner of the Cambridge Sports Awards 2023 Rookie of the Year award.

So tell me how you got into table tennis.

When I was in elementary school, I went to an after-school badminton club and there weren’t enough courts, so the teacher said, Oh, just play table tennis over there. I just remember these boys absolutely destroying me the year before. I was competitive and it annoyed me that I had lost.

I then joined a weekly session in the village hall and eventually became a table tennis scout, so I started going to regional training in Birmingham. I joined a club where my coach was Desmond Douglas, who is the best player in England. I represented England for the first time when I was 14 years old.

So after completing your A-levels you moved to Germany to give yourself the best chance of getting into Birmingham.

Yes, I had to. There was no other possible way. I had to play full time every day with top class players. In Germany, I played for about six hours every day, and of course that’s what it takes to become a professional or to get to a higher level.

I lived and trained in the center near Munich. And then I would travel on weekends to my matches or I would travel to competitions where I represented England. I played in a club called TTC Langweid for two seasons in the second division of the Bundesliga.

Was it difficult to move abroad when you were 18?

I was very focused on my goal, so I didn’t think about moving out too much. Sometimes I got homesick or lonely, but the training was hard, which I liked, the level of training was very high and the people were very welcoming. I improved a lot and that meant I could reach my goals. Living alone in another country was difficult at times, but overall it was an incredibly rewarding experience.

The qualifying process for the Commonwealth Games was a round robin tournament between England’s best players and team selection was based on these results. That is, four years of hard work from myself, my coaches and my family members led to a top performance in two days.

The pressure to succeed was huge, which was hard to deal with at times because it was felt over the years, not just on that qualifying weekend. But I did it and that experience has made me who I am today. I think that’s why I can cope with stressful situations.

So you get to the Commonwealth Games. What it was like?

I’d say it was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. In fact, to be honest, the two best things that have happened in my life so far have probably been the Commonwealth Games and Cambridge! But the Commonwealths, it was great: it was in England, so my family could come and see me and my friends; and it was also in Birmingham, which is basically my hometown. It felt very special to play in front of the home crowd.

The athletes’ village and the dining hall were huge, and there was every possible food. And then we played in this massive arena with all the fans, media and TV cameras.

We had a crucial match against Nigeria which we had to win to reach the quarter-finals. I think we won 2-0. And then all of a sudden Nigeria made this comeback and it was 2-2 and I had to play the last singles game to win. It went to the fifth set and it was nine, and then I ended up winning 11-9! It was an amazing moment.

So you’ve just finished your first year at Cambridge studying history and politics. How do you find it?

I love it. It’s definitely the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s just so much fun and I find it so interesting. I love the tutorials, the lectures and all the books and everything. It’s just really good. Everything I could wish for is here and I couldn’t ask for more. I feel very lucky.

Was it always your goal to come to Cambridge?

No, it wasn’t. Nobody really talked to me about Cambridge at school or at home. I didn’t know much about it. It wasn’t until I thought about moving to Germany to play full-time and qualify for the Commonwealth Games that I also thought about university education. I started doing research online and watched some videos and really liked what Cambridge had to offer. I thought I might as well try because why not? I never wanted to put down the racket or the books and wanted to find a way to pursue both sport and education to the best of my ability.

You must have had a lot of time in Germany to think about what to do next. Is that when you decided on history and politics?

Yes, that’s when I decided I wanted to study history and politics at Cambridge. It sounds silly, but I had never read a proper history book before I applied. My dad and I spent a lot of time together traveling to tournaments and training camps all over the world: all over the UK and Oman, China, Japan, Denmark, Slovenia…We spent many hours sitting in the car or at the airport just talking about the world and watching YouTube. Nothing particularly academic, but I enjoy discussing and thinking about why the world is the way it is and the curious people in it.

And then one day I think I literally typed into Google: What is history? A book called What is History. It’s a pretty famous book, and a bit old fashioned and outdated now, but I actually like the way it’s written. I find it funny and something clicked for me. Between my German sessions, I started reading a lot, especially the history of ideas, and I just remember thinking, this is so good. I love this! Why didn’t I think of this before?

And why did you choose Sidney?

I chose Sidney because it has a good reputation in history. I also asked about the transferred year because I was concerned that some colleges might not agree to it, but Sidney agreed.

And I really liked how professional and committed my research director Dr. Fulda was – and he is now my supervisor as well. Sidney has beautiful gardens and one of its best features is its central location, with almost everything less than 10 minutes away – Sidgwick area, shops, Cambridge Union.”

And how have you found it in practice?

I have loved it. I couldn’t have asked for more. Every day I’m just very grateful that I’ve been given this opportunity and sometimes I pinch myself that I’m here because I really didn’t expect my life to be like this.

So you put your studies on hold to focus on table tennis. Has the situation now reversed?

Yes, now a little. I play a lot less. There are many reasons, time constraints, and I came to Cambridge to do a degree, not to play table tennis. So I want to dedicate my time to that.

I have played in college BUCs where I got a silver medal and then captained the team in our Varsity win. I now have Full Blue. I’m in CUTTCcommittee and I want to encourage greater participation of women.

I’m also doing my coaching degree because I enjoy helping people and I want to use my experience to give back to the sport.

Do you see yourself going back to playing top class table tennis?

Possibly. I haven’t ruled it out, but I’ll just see what other opportunities come my way. I haven’t decided what career I want yet. I am open to many ideas.