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1 Table Tennis Times 7: Late Spring 2017.

Table Tennis Times A quarterly, independent, newsletter from the world of

English Table Tennis Issue 7 Editorial Late Spring 2017

As we put together this issue spring seems to have arrived at last, a little late, but most welcome. No doubt the summer will soon be here and we can put table tennis aside for a month or two and concentrate on the garden. In our last issue the article on the 1977 World Championships obviously struck a chord as we received many comments from people who were there. One of these came from Eric Hall who sent us a piece he had written back in 1977 and which we are happy to include and share with you. Another ‘guest’ article is included from well-known Umpire Derek Sidaway, who sent us a report of his experiences umpiring in the Czech Republic. Thanks to Eric and Derek – we are always pleased to get suggestions for articles so why don’t you pick up a pen (or sit in front of your keyboard) and write something for a future edition. It is that time of year when competitions are at the forefront not only domestically but with the re-introduction of the European Championships Qualifiers a good smattering of international matches too, so there are several reports on major events. The World Championships are just around the corner so we have put the ‘Spotlight’ on Gunther Angenendt popularly known as the ‘Badge Man’ and an avid table tennis collector. Gunther will be at the Worlds displaying much of his collection so if you are in Dusseldorf make sure you go along and visit him. It is always a pleasure to be able to pass on congratulations and we are delighted to congratulate Kelly Sibley on her recent wedding. Conversely, it is with much sadness that we report the passing of two ETTA Vice-Presidents, Ray Yates and Derek Tyler. As always we must thank our photographers who generously supply their images to help enhance our publication. Enjoy your summer.

Harvey Webb Diane Webb ETTA Honorary Life Member ETTA Vice-President


National Championships 2017

A long weekend from Friday 3rd March to Sunday 5th March 2017 at the David Ross Sports Village, Nottingham University saw some excellent table tennis with patches of brilliance. Results never give the full story and this was certainly the case when Paul Drinkhall took his sixth Men’s Singles title to equal the number of wins by Alan Cooke and Denis Neale, only Desmond Douglas has more to his name and that record will take some beating. Paul is now second in the list of total number of senior titles won, with 20. Again, Des is the only one ahead with 30 to his name. Paul was so close to going out in the Quarter-finals to Helshan Weerasinghe who led 3-1 at one stage.

However, Paul is one of the most determined fighters in the game and you can never say never with him. He clawed his way back to eventually come out on top, a relieved Paul but a bitterly disappointed Helshan. Paul’s Semi-final was just as nail biting as he met his former Ormesby club mate, Danny Reed, who played well all weekend. Again, Paul was 3-1 down and again he fought back and so reached the final. Danny after taking time out for his studies came back this year with new enthusiasm and energy and will have been delighted to reach the Semi-finals in all his

three events. In the other half of the draw there were similar battles going on but it

was the number two and three seeds who met in the Semi-finals. The match was a repeat of last year and once again Sam Walker defeated Liam Pitchford. The Men’s Singles final was a repeat of last year’s match: Paul Drinkhall v Sam Walker. By now Paul had stepped up a gear and played his best table tennis of the weekend to win the English National Championships Men’s Singles title for the sixth time. Sam will be disappointed but it is certain his time will come.

The Women’s Singles had a surprise package in the Semi-finals as unseeded Denise Payet faced Number 2 seed Tin-Tin Ho. Denise had a brilliant weekend in defeating Karina Le Fevre, Number 3 seed, and then Yolanda King at Number 7 to get to the Semis. It was a step too far this time and Tin-Tin had a reasonably comfortable win against a spirited Denise. The second Semi-final saw Number 1

seed Kelly Sibley and Maria Tsaptsinos do battle with Kelly the victor. The final was again a

repeat of last year with Number 1 and 2 seeds facing each other.

Kelly, at Number 1, had had a flawless route to the finals but it was Tin-Tin who had the victory for the second successive year in a closely contested match.

Danny Reed in action. Photo courtesy of Alan Man.

Paul Drinkhall going flat out. Photo by Diane Webb.

Kelly Sibley going for a winning shot. Photo by Alan Man.

Tin-Tin Ho on her way to victory. Photo by Alan Man.


The partnership of Kelly Sibley and Jo Drinkhall was revived and they were placed as Number 1 seeds in the Women’s Doubles, maybe a little optimistic as they hadn’t played together since the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Jo probably wasn’t completely match fit having been out of competition after having two children. Last year’s champions, Tin-Tin Ho and Maria Tsaptsinos, were the Number 2 seeds but the experience they have gained playing together for some considerable time showed and they again took the title.

The Men’s Doubles was again a repeat of last year’s final with Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford against surprise finalists Michael O’Driscoll and Chris Doran. The latter had a good tournament defeating Tom Jarvis and Helshan Weerasinghe in the Semi-final who in their turn had beaten Number 2 seeds, David McBeath and Sam Walker, in the Quarters. Paul and Liam had a tough Semi-final against Danny Reed and Darius Knight but after winning this went on to become champions for the fifth time.

Mr and Mrs Drinkhall were ranked at Number 1 for the Mixed Doubles and lived up to their seeding with an absolutely delighted Jo and Paul adding another Mixed Doubles title to their long list, defeating last year’s winners, Sam Walker and Tin-Tin Ho. Jo improved throughout the tournament and sent some devastating chops over the net which both her opponents seemed to struggle against. This win meant that Paul for a second time won all three Senior National Titles, the last time being in 2009.

The U21 events saw Tin-Tin regain her title against Maria Tsaptsinos.

However, there was a scare against Denise Payet who took two games off Tin-Tin in the Quarter-finals. Tom Jarvis after a titanic battle defeated Helshan Weerasinghe in the Men’s U21 event to retain his title. There were three invitation Para events. Due to a player withdrawing there was no Women’s Class 3-5. The winners were: Class 3-5 Jack Hunter-Spivey, Class 6-8 Aaron McKibbin and Class 9-10 Kim Daybell.

Jack Hunter-Spivey Aaron McKibbin Kim Daybell

All photos courtesy of Alan Man.

A delighted Tin-Tin Ho and Maria Tsaptsinos. Photo by Alan Man.

Paul and Jo Drinkhall, winning ways. Photo by Alan Man.

Tom Jarvis receiving the U21 trophy from Nick Jarvis.

Photo by Alan Man.


Overall, it was a good weekend and certainly good to see Darius Knight and Danny Reed back this year. Disappointing though that Andrew Baggaley for the third year running did not turn up despite being given a wild card. A couple of youngsters had excellent weekends, Denise Payet and Josh Bennett. Josh defeated Lorestas Trumpauskas in his group to go through to the main draw in the Men’s Singles, reached the Quarter-finals with brother, Jack, in the Men’s Doubles and although unseeded in the U21s reached the semi-finals. Perhaps something was lost in the vastness of the hall and the crowd, although a sell out, it was never at full capacity. It was sometimes difficult to identify the players, particularly in the earlier rounds as it was a no announcement tournament and there was no master scoreboard to identify which players were on which tables. The programme was once again an excellent piece of work and the use of the youngsters escorting players on court with their leopards was a nice touch. But as always for us the best part of the whole weekend is catching up with so many old friends and we certainly made the most of every opportunity as such occasions are fewer and farther between these days.

Liam McTiernan and Yolanda King. Darcie Proud. The Lord Mayor of Nottingham Liam and Paul

Some of our favourite images from the Championships by Alan Man

Goodbye

The National Championships were the last major event that Zach Ferris worked at for TTE. Zach was the last surviving member of staff who moved from Hastings to Milton Keynes. He started his table tennis career as a youngster straight from school having previously passed his Tournament Organiser Level 2 Course, one of the youngest to do so. Zach learnt his trade and learnt it well; he was a well respected and well liked member of staff. A huge debt is owed to Zach during the transition from Hastings to Milton Keynes when he was the only member of staff in the Events Department and during this time single handedly managed all the events including a three week run of major tournaments of which the Cadet Six Nations was the most prestigious. Zach dealt with this event with professionalism and aplomb. It was partly as a result of this that Zach was awarded the Bill Vint Staff Award in 2014/15. Our best wishes to you, Zach, for the future, it has been a pleasure working with you.

Zach Ferris.


Swaythling Club International Meeting 2017

By Harvey Webb

The English Branch of the Swaythling Club International which has 22 members held its annual meeting during the National Championships in March 2017. We are indebted to Table Tennis England for once again supporting the Club by providing the necessary facilities. It was well supported by members and was considerably enhanced by the presence of Diane and Ebby Scholer, the current President and Past President of the SCI. Ebby Scholer was invited to address the meeting and gave some insights into the wider world of the SCI and some details of the next World Veterans Championships in Las Vegas in 2018. The SCI is open to players who have represented England in at least two World Championships or one Olympic Games, and to Non-playing team captains who have represented England in at least three World Championships or two Olympic Games. There is also provision for Associate Membership for outstanding personalities who have given special service to the SCI or to the game of table tennis.

Back Row: Alan Cooke, Richard Scruton, Tony Chatwin, Harvey Webb, Jill Parker, Alan Ransome, Jeff Ingber, Nick Jarvis.

Front Row: Jose Ransome, Ebby Scholer, Diane Scholer, Sandra Deaton. Photo by Diane Webb.

Each year at the National Championships the SCI present a Fair Play Award from nominations received from the Referee and Umpires. This year the Award went to Tin-Tin Ho and as Diane and Ebby were in the audience they were delighted to be asked to make the presentation.

Ebby and Diane Scholer present Tin-Tin Ho with the SCI Fair Play Award. Photo by Alan Man.

As the National Representative for England I would be pleased to hear from anybody who is eligible and would like to join.


World Championships Preview

It is good to see the World Championships a little closer to home this year as the last three years they have been held in Malaysia, China and Japan. Dusseldorf in Germany is the host city where the battle will be on for the individual titles from 29th May and 5th June 2017. England is sending four men: Paul Drinkhall, David McBeath, Liam Pitchford and Sam Walker. In the Men’s Singles Paul is seeded at 37 and Liam at 40. Ma Long is the Number 1 and China take the first four seeded positions with Dimitrij Ovtcharov the first European at Number 5. As in the Individual Championships in 2015 England are not sending any female players to the Championships. China and other far eastern countries also dominate the seedings in the Women’s Singles with China’s Ding Ning at Number 1. It is not until you reach number 12 that a player from a European country makes the list – Jia Liu of Austria. In the Men’s Doubles Paul and Liam are paired whilst David and Sam make up the second partnership. With no ladies from England there are no entries in the Women’s or the Mixed Doubles. In total there are 334 men and 274 women entered from 130 countries.

ITTF AGM

As well as the play there are always a plethora of meetings at a World Championships, including the ITTF AGM. This year there were three candidates initially standing for the position of President. They are the present incumbent, Thomas Weikert from Germany, who has been in post for two and a half years; the current Vice-President and Arab Table Tennis Union President, Khalil Al-Mohannadi; and that well known former World Number 1 from

Belgium, Jean-Michel Saive. Jean-Michel has been involved in various administrative capacities over the last

few years including being a member of the European Olympic Committee and ITTF Chairman of the Athletes Commission. Khalil Al-Mohannadi subsequently withdrew his nomination in early May leaving it a two horse race between Thomas Weikert of Germany and Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium. It will be an interesting contest.

Thomas Weikert. Photo courtesy of the ITTF.

Jean-Michel Saive. Photo courtesy of the ITTF.


Events Update: Grand Prix Series

Nottingham GP: 25th and 26th March 2017 A competitive field saw Chris Doran take the Men’s Singles title after defeating an in form Danny Reed in the Semi-finals before overcoming Darius Knight in the final. Darius had also beaten a higher ranked player in the form of David McBeath in the other Semi. Jenny Liu, the Chinese player, based at the University of Nottingham, took the Women’s Singles title with Karina Le Fevre the Runner-up. It will be a close run thing as to who takes the overall GP title for the season as there is little separating the two ladies in the Grand Prix points table.

Jersey Satellite GP: 14th – 16th April 2017 Easter means the Jersey Satellite Grand Prix which has now run for 11 years. There is always a warm welcome from the Jersey Association and the mixture of the usual events plus several team events makes it a three day extravaganza. Some top quality players from the UK as well as

good representation from the island of Jersey

made it another excellent tournament. In the Men’s Singles those frequent

protagonists, Chris Doran and Darius Knight met in the final with Chris emerging the winner. Two new faces to Jersey appeared in the Women’s Singles, Amelia Chan and Nicole Bird, and Amelia proved the stronger player to take the title and the trophy. Burgess Hill Satellite GP: 29th and 30th April 2017 An entry of 68 saw a win for Artur Daniel who had flown in especially from Poland for the event. Chris Doran kept his high level of GP points as the Runner-up. Due to the number of female entries there was no Women’s Singles event. Rory Scott as usual did the Refereeing honours at this Satellite Grand Prix which

he has run successfully for several years.

Place MS Winner WS Winner 25-26 March 2017 Nottingham Chris Doran Jenny Liu

14-16 April 2017 Jersey Satellite Chris Doran Amelia Chan

29-30 April 2017 Burgess Hill Satellite Artur Daniel (POL) No event

*STOP PRESS*

At the London Grand Prix Chris Doran won the Men’s Singles and the Overall Men’s title. Hannah Hicks won the Women’s Singles and Karina Le Fevre the Overall title. More details in the next issue.

Darius Knight and Chris Doran with the impressive Jersey Men's

Singles Trophy.

Chris Band, JTTA Organiser, with Nicole Bird and Amelia Chan. Photo

above and right courtesy of JTTA.

Artur Daniel with Chris Doran. Photo courtesy of Rory Scott.


An Englishman Abroad

From Derek Sidaway

I was selected to umpire at the ITTF World Junior Circuit Czech Junior and Cadet Open which was held from 8th to 12th February 2017 at the Sports Hall and Table Tennis Hall TEZA Hodonin. I travelled from Heathrow on 7th February to Vienna then had a two hour coach journey to Hodonin, Czech Republic, in time for dinner and the briefing. The Foreign Umpires stayed at the Hotel Krystal or Hotel Panon in Hodonin while the Czech Umpires were accommodated in a local school hostel. The hotels were comfortable although lacked tea/coffee making facilities. Breakfast in the hotels was basic

continental and an adequate lunch and evening meals were taken in the school restaurant. Juice, water and fruit were also provided. The transport between the hotels and venue was excellent. The officials briefing by the Referee, Constantina Crotta, of Greece was clear and was aided by a power point presentation. The Umpire Schedules were issued each evening for the following day. These were well organised to coincide with meal and rest periods. There were five Deputy Referees and 66 Umpires: 36 Czechs, 8 Slovakians, 7 Polish, 6 Hungarian, 3 Bulgarian, 2 Croats, 2 Dutch, 1 Mongolian and 1 English (yours truly). There was one Blue Badge International Umpire and 45 International Umpires along with 20 National Umpires. All officials were conversant with the Call Area procedures ie Racquet Inspection, shirt check, ball selection and coach declaration.

The Officials. Photo courtesy of the ITTF.

The floor in the playing hall was Stag red laid on the original surface. All tables were Joola 3000C. 19 tables were available for the tournament, 14 in the main hall and 5 in a second hall. 12 tables also were set up in a practice hall. One show court had TV coverage. 19 Tables were in full use on the first day and until noon on second day for Junior Events. After lunch in the main hall 14 tables were reduced to four for Junior singles and doubles semis and finals. The third and fourth days were devoted to Team events on 19 tables. Part of the fourth day and all the fifth day saw Cadet matches with Semis and Finals on four courts in the afternoon. The lighting could not be better.

Derek Sidaway. Photo courtesy of John Upham.


The whole five days went very smoothly. The 19 Junior matches started at 09:00 on the first day and the 25th session at 21:30. This day was the busiest. The remaining days were suitably spread for Team and Cadet events. Friday night was party night in the Panon Hotel where a three piece band and complimentary ample wine was flowing, supplied by a local winery owner, who was one of the tournament organisers. The Mongolian umpire, who was one of the better officials, sang a Beatles song. I, not to be outdone, sang ‘Wouldn't it be Lovely’ from My Fair Lady. I received a standing ovation; perhaps that was due to the wine on offer or to shut me up. At 12.15 AM, as I would be on court at 9 AM, I made my apologies to retire. I thought my performance wasn't half bad especially as I was chauffeured to my hotel. Next day I heard the party finished at about 4.30 AM. A Bulgarian umpire call out to me, “good morning Henry Higgins!". I was honoured to umpire the Junior Girls Doubles Final on the TV court, with a Bulgarian assistant, also the Cadet Consolation Final on table 19. Overall I had five matches on TV courts and shared one team match with a Czech umpire. The weather was kind for the period. There was snow on the verges and the temperature was below zero for the whole event. Although the weather was freezing it was calm and sunny. I thoroughly enjoyed the tournament and I will remember it as one of my best.

Did You Know?

The first National Championships weren’t held until January 1960. There were five events with the

earlier rounds held at Greenwich Baths and the Finals at the Royal Albert Hall. Diane Rowe and

Bryan Merrett were the two singles Champions.

Originally anyone affiliated, either directly or indirectly, through a league or club could enter.

In the Qualifying rounds a special exemption was given for anyone of a known standard who had to

travel for more than 50 miles.

The first Veterans Men’s Singles was played in 1980.

The first Veteran’s Women’s Singles was played in 1984.

Veteran’s Doubles weren’t introduced until 1990.

Under 21 events first appeared in 1998.

Sheffield was the home of the Nationals from to 2000 – 2014 with all but one event taking place at

Ponds Forge, the English Institute of Sport was the other venue.


In Memoriam

In March 2017 English Table Tennis lost two of its nonagenarian Vice-Presidents – Derek Tyler and Ray Yates. Both had given a lifetime to the sport they loved. Our condolences to both families.

Derek Tyler

ETTA Vice-President Derek Tyler passed away on 30th March 2017. He was born in Hastings in 1921 and was active in the Hastings League for many years being a President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Vice-President and General Secretary at different times. Derek was also active in his county of Sussex and was the Sussex Open official organiser from 1957-1975 and involved in various capacities prior to this, in recognition he was made a Vice-President of Sussex. At National level Derek was an ETTA Appeals Committee Member. It was as an umpire that Derek was perhaps better known in the wider table tennis community. He passed his National Umpires exam in 1958 and became an International Umpire in 1974. Derek umpired

at many tournaments at home and abroad officiating at three World Championships in 1957, 1977 and 1993 as well as Commonwealth Championships in Cardiff, European Championships, many English Opens, National Championships and International matches. Umpiring led to Derek’s marriage to Josine whom he met at the 1971 European Youth Championships which were held in Ostend. At this tournament Derek led a squad of 12 National Umpires. Derek was also an ITTF Umpire Assessor, a role he undertook at the 1991 and 1997 Worlds. In all, he carried out over 700 assessments for over 54 Federations.

Following his marriage Derek moved to Belgium where he lived for many years but returned annually to Hastings – to visit his dentist. He always dropped in at the ETTA offices and Rob Sinclair, General Secretary, used to take much pleasure in taking Derek out for lunch where he caught up with what was happening on the English scene. Derek came from a table tennis family and he told the tale of how his father, a dentist, drilled some grooves in his wooden bat to get more grip; unfortunately the bat has disappeared. Derek kept up a close friendship with Ivan Andreadis for 45 years after umpiring him on one occasion. It was this friendship that gave him the greatest satisfaction from all his table tennis activities which were many and varied.

Derek Tyler with wife, Josine, at the European Youth Championships, Paris, 1994.

Derek Tyler, D Spicer, Dennis George at the 1957 World Championships.


Ray Yates

Born on 4th April 1921 in Seaford, Sussex, Ray started playing table tennis as a boy soldier in 1936. He was severely wounded in the legs in World War II and after this table tennis became his passion as he was unable to participate in outdoor sports.

Ray had many and varied administrative posts including ETTA Southern Region Development Committee Chairman from 1981-1993, Hampshire County TTA President, Chairman, Honorary Life Member, npc of the Men’s Senior Team and manager of the Veteran’s Team. At Southampton TTA, Ray was the President, Chairman and Honorary Life Member. He played for Bitterne Park TTC in Southampton and also for Hursley TTC in the Winchester League.

As well as the honours at local and county level Ray received the ETTA Leslie Forrest Memorial Trophy in 1986 and was made an ETTA Vice-President in 1991. Ray also became a County Umpire in 1964. Ray was very interested in the history and origins of table tennis and how it changed from a pastime to a sport. He researched and wrote two short articles and one lengthy treatise. These included how a ball was produced that would be controllable and how a racket became suitable which could impart spin. They make interesting reading. Ray passed away on 21st March 2017.

Table Tennis England AGM

This is to be held at the Park Inn by Radisson, Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG5 2BT on 8th July 2017. The format has changed from the traditional way the meetings have been run in the past. In the morning there will be an Annual Conference from 11am - 1pm followed by an hour’s break for lunch. The AGM is designed to last for an hour from 2pm - 3pm followed by an hour of awards. In line with the Articles of Association the AGM will cover:-

Presentation of the accounts (Income and Expenditure and Balance Sheet) and reports

Appointment of Auditors

Resolutions, Special Resolutions and Amendments

Affiliations Fees With only one hour allocated for the AGM, and it is not clear whether the presentation of the Annual Report is on the agenda, it will be interesting to see if members will have the opportunity to pass comment on matters where they wish to fully express their views. We will wait and see.

Ray Yates, far left.


European Championships Qualifiers

The day after the National Championships the England Men’s team moved to Stoke-on-Trent and the Women flew out to Slovenia for their remaining Group matches.

Men Group G v Netherlands: The Men’s match was a dead rubber as they would finish in second

place in their group irrespective of the result against the Netherlands on 7th March, 2017. The team was David McBeath, Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford. It was David’s European Qualifier debut and he set about getting the team off to an excellent start by winning 3-1. Liam was next up and had to fight somewhat harder, eventually getting the win 3-2. Paul was on third and his comfortable victory, 4, 2, 6, sealed the win for the team.

England Team: David McBeath, Liam Pitchford, Paul Drinkhall, npc Alan Cooke. Photo by Michael Loveder.

Women Group A v Slovenia: In Slovenia it was a much harder task and an awful lot depended on the result. If the ladies won they would be in the play-offs with a possible chance of reaching the Championship Division in the European Championships in September. A loss would mean they finished in third place in their group and so would go into the Challenge Division.

Kelly Sibley lost a very tense first match; Tin-Tin Ho won a close second, 3-2, to level. Maria Tsaptsinos at Number three, despite putting up a fight, couldn’t get the win but Tin-Tin in her second match again levelled the score by winning 3-1. It was down to Kelly in the fifth and final game. Kelly won this fairly comfortably in three straight giving the girls the lifeline they needed to enter the play-offs.

Play-offs: First Leg: The first leg of the Play-offs for both the Men’s and Women’s Team were

played at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston on Tuesday, 11th April 2017.

Women v Spain: Home: The England team comprised the ever present Kelly Sibley, emerging Tin-Tin Ho and debutant, Denise Payet. All Spanish players were ranked considerably higher than all the England players and not surprisingly the result went Spain’s way with a 3-0 win. However, there were some good performances by the England ladies. Denise Payet (World 432) had the unenviable task of facing Sara Ramirez (World 118 in February 2017) in her first match in an England shirt at senior level. Despite Ramirez’s obvious greater experience Denise did not appear overawed by the occasion and conducted herself well. At 15 years of age she looks a good prospect for the future.

Debutant, Denise Payet. Photo by Alan Man.


Men v Slovakia: Home: A disappointing night for the men who lost 3-1. Liam Pitchford got the consolation match. Paul Drinkhall lost two and Sam Walker also lost his singles. This put England at a severe disadvantage for the return leg in Slovakia. Failure to get the required result would relegate England to the second tier in the European Championships. After flying so high last season all will be disappointed if they don’t qualify for the top division.

Play-offs: Second Leg

Women v Spain: Away: Tuesday, 18th April 2017 saw the second leg played in Spain. The squad of Tin-Tin Ho, Karina Le Fevre and Maria Tsaptsinos faced a pretty unassailable task to defeat the Spanish ladies. The Spaniards were World Team ranked at 16 compared to England at 33. A fairly young team from England performed well with all three matches going to 3-2; unfortunately they were on the wrong end of all the scorelines. Nevertheless, considering the difference in their respective rankings the girls can be proud of their fighting spirit. However, the result does mean that the England ladies will be in the Challenge Division in the European Championships in September in Luxembourg.

Men v Slovakia: Away: The England men travelled to the Slovak Republic for their second leg, also, on Tuesday, 18th April 2017. England had a squad of four; Paul Drinkhall, David McBeath, Liam Pitchford and Sam Walker. A must win match for the men. Liam was first out and won in a close encounter 3-2 with the score in the final end 11-9. The second match saw Paul Drinkhall on the table, a match he lost 3-1. The third man was Sam Walker who had a difficult job against defender Wang. Sam never seemed to get to grips with Wang’s chop, which he could turn into a counter attacking rally with ease, and went down 3-0.

With a scoreline of 1-2 it was now impossible for England to get a better game difference than Slovakia over the two legs but despite the overall result being decided there was still England pride to play for and David McBeath came to the table for the fourth match. Playing positively, David had a good 3-1 win. The final match saw Liam come out on top to give the win on the night to England 3-2. The overall games difference was 5-4 in favour of the Slovakia so it is the Slovak team who will play in the Championships Division in Luxembourg in September 2017 while the England men, like the Women, will play in the Challenge Division.

Liam Pitchford. Photo by Michael Loveder.

Maria Tsaptsinos. Photo by Alan Man.

David McBeath. Photo by Michael Loveder.


Junior, Cadet and U12 National Cups

Formerly known as the Masters, the competition for the top players in each age group all played against each other to make it a battle of the best – and the fittest. The Junior National Cup took place on 1st and 2nd April 2017 and the top two seeds and eventual champions, Tom Jarvis and Denise Payet never dropped a match over the two days of competition. In the Junior Boys, Matthew Leete was second and Luke Savill third. The Girls saw Mollie Patterson second and Jasmin Wong third.

The Cadet National Cups went to Ethan Walsh who lost only one match over the two days and Charlotte Bardsley, who kept a clean sheet throughout the tournament. The U12 trophies went to Sophie

Chiang who only dropped one game all tournament and Naphong Boonyaprapa who like Ethan lost one match over the two days of his event.

Junior and Cadet National Championships

The Junior and Cadet Championships were held in Medway on 6th and 7th May 2017 and the stars of the Junior and Cadet Cups shone brightly in these championships too. The Cadet Singles titles went to Ethan Walsh and Charlotte Bardsley whilst Tom Jarvis and Denise Payet won their respective Junior Singles events. Denise Payet, taking over the Junior Girls Singles crown from Tin-Tin Ho and Maria Tsaptsinos who have won this coveted title twice each over the last four years. Denise secured a hat trick of wins; with Kate Cheer in the Junior Girls Doubles and James Smith in the Junior Mixed Doubles.

In the Junior Boys Singles Tom Jarvis retained his title but it was the only one for him this year, he and Luke Savill having been knocked out at the Quarter-final stage in the Junior Boys Doubles by the young pairing of James Smith and Ethan Walsh. Matt Leete, the Runner-up in the Singles, got his hands on the Junior Boys Doubles Trophy partnered by Josh Bennett. The other Cadet titles went to Sam Chesterman and Amirul Hussain in the Cadet Boys Doubles. Charlotte Bardsley and Megan Gidney were the victors in the Cadet Girls Doubles.

Ethan Walsh. Photo courtesy of Michael Loveder.

Charlotte Bardsley. Photo courtesy of Michael Loveder.

Tom Jarvis. Photo courtesy of Michael Loveder.

Denise Payet. Photo courtesy of Michael Loveder.


World’s Eye View

A Retrospective Look at the 1977 World Table Tennis Championships

By Eric Hall (as written in 1977)

As all regular fans of table tennis are aware, and I hope a great number of people for whom the game previously had only a passing interest, the 34th World Table Tennis Championships have recently come to an end at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The Championships, staged by the English Table Tennis Association, were the biggest in their long history, and also the largest multi-national sporting event ever seen in this country, with over sixty countries taking part. The organisation of such an event is a massive task, and over 300 volunteers gave their free time willingly to ensure its success, many of them, like myself, sacrificing their annual holidays solely for the privilege of being part

of an occasion unlikely to be repeated in this country during this century. Politics played a role in these championships, as seems to be the case in all international sport these days, but fortunately only to a r e l a t i v e l y minor extent. Several black African countries did not take part due to the presence of New Zealand, and on one occasion a Chinese player conceded a match to an Israeli, the existence of whose country is not recognised in Peking. Table tennis, however, remains perhaps the most international of sports, where else could one find Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, or Greece and Turkey taking part in the same event, or North Korea exchanging forehand k i l l s with South Korea, instead of the more lethal variety? The atmosphere behind the scenes was certainly one of total harmony. The Championships too had their share of drama, controversy and memorable moments. They were subject also to the greatest television exposure ever seen in our so-called "minor" sport. I believe that table tennis owes a vote of thanks to the BBC for making available to the nation the best of our sport, and for taking pains to present i t in an interesting and informative way. I fear I cannot say the same for the Press, who seemed more intent on criticising our players rather than reporting their matches. It is true that as far as the England team was concerned there was little of note for them to report, and our players had a disappointing championship. What of the play itself? The World Table Tennis Championships are separated into two distinct parts, the first five days being devoted to the Team Events, with a rest day in the middle, and the five individual titles being settled in the closing five days. The Team Event is played on a group, or league basis, and is very arduous indeed, with each country having to play nine or ten full International matches over the five day period. The dominance of the Chinese was almost complete in both the Men's and Women's competitions. The only player who seemed to have their measure was the reigning Men's World Singles Champion, Istvan Jonyer from Hungary, who won two sets in a 5 - 3 defeat at the hands of China. Both Chinese teams went on to win their relative groups and also the finals with consummate ease. Everyone eagerly waited to see how they would fare in the individual events, since it was widely rumoured that the "spirit of friendship" would prevail; in other words, that individual honours were ins ignif icant compared with national prestige, and that they simply would not contest the individual events with total effort. Three of the Chinese men were defeated in their first matches, and the rumours


strengthened, but personally I remained unconvinced. A fourth Chinese, Li Yu-Hsiang, who did not take part in the Team Events, and whom according to the grape-vine was currently their best player (this view being supported to some extent by the book-makers), was beaten by Istvan Jonyer, who at this stage looked in good form and likely to retain the singles title he had gained at the last Championships in Calcutta in 1975. I think what finally convinced me that the "spirit of friendship" was a myth was an incredible result in a third round men's doubles match. Jonyer and his compatriot Tibor Klampar, No. 1 seeds, lost to Huang Liang and Lu Yuan-Sheng from China after leading 20 - 11 in the f i f t h and final game. I had it on very good authority that this defeat affected Jonyer so deeply that it contributed in no small way to his defeat in the singles a short time later against the much improved Patrick Birocheau of France. The defeat of Jonyer was a great loss to the tournament, since he, along with Jacques Secretin of France, had rapidly established himself as a firm favourite with the crowd because of his unpredictable and spectacular play.

The Chinese men continued to fall by the wayside one by one until only one remained, the No. 1 Kuo Yao-Hua, to contest the final against the Japanese Mitsuru Kohno, who had e a r l i e r defeated our own men's champion, Denis Neale. The relative ease of Kohno's v i c t o r y , by t h r e e g a m e s to one, was due in my opinion not to an act of "friendship" by the Chinese, nor to being faulted by t h e umpire , but rather due to his inability to cope with the speed of the Japanese over the table, and in particular to Kohno's unique ability to kill the ball on the backhand side with the penhold grip. Kohno was a very popular winner and his form had continued to improve as the week progressed after his disappointing showing in the Team f i n a l . At the age of t h i r t y , this was probably his last chance to take the supreme t i t l e , and, it is remarkable at this leve l to note that his only previous appearance in the final was ten years ago, losing to his compatriot Hasegawa on that occasion. The Women's Singles also provided moments of high drama, particularly from an English point of view. The English champion, Carole Knight, had a cruel draw, against the defending world champion Pak Yung Sun from North Korea in the very first round, and put up a marvellous fight

before losing 21 - 18 in the fifth game. Pak Yung Sun went on to retain her t i t l e , beating the top two Chinese girls on the way. Our own European Champion, J i l l Hammersley, ranked No. 6 in the world, suffered a hip injury during the Championships which was undoubtedly aggravated by the very hard concrete floor on which the tournament was played. After treatment by the local hospital, a faith healer and the much publicised "acu-pressure" administered by the Chinese Team Doctor, J i l l managed to win her f i r s t match against Liana Mihut of Romania, but could not maintain her form, losing in pain but only in the f i f t h game to the Japanese Kayoko Kawahigashi, a match she would probably have won had she been fully fit. The Men's and Women's Doubles were dominated almost entirely by the Chinese, and the Mixed Doubles

produced the only European winners of a title. This was won in impressive style by Jacques Secretin

and Claude Bergeret of France, and was a very popular win indeed.

The Finals Scores


The two principal points of controversy during the Championships both concerned the Chinese players, and have been well covered both by the Press and the television commentary team. Much was made of the service faulting by the English umpires of both the Chinese players in the singles finals, Kuo Yao-Hua and Chang Li, which happened to occur at critical points in the matches. I do not subscribe to the view that the Chinese were being victimised, and it is not true that they were faulted only in the finals. It must be remembered, as the Championship Referee John Wright pointed out in a television interview, that the umpires officiating in the finals were of the very highest standard. It may well have been that e a r l i e r in the tournament the umpires taking the matches in which Chinese players were involved, were not so highly qualified or experienced and gave the Chinese the benefit of the doubt. The controversy hinged around the point that the umpires were unable to see the ball leave the hand due to the position of the server's body in relation to the umpire. I had the opportunity of watching these high-thrown services at close range, and could see no evidence that the players concerned were gaining any advantage from shielding the ball, for example such as imparting spin with the thumb, and I remain convinced that the umpires were fully justified in their action. The other controversy concerned the type of bat used by the Chinese defensive players employing the so-called "shake hands" grip. One side of the bat is covered with a type of rubber relatively unknown in the West, with much longer and broader pimples than usual, whilst the other side of the bat is more conventional. This special rubber induces weird and unpredictable spin, and the main objection was that the Chinese were turning their bats in their hands, not only below the table when serving and out of sight of their opponents, but also during the rallies, thus making it virtually impossible to "read" the spin on the ball. I feel that two points are valid here. F i r s t l y , the bats were examined and declared legal by the Authorities, and secondly, it is no easy task to change the bat round during play at split-second notice and maintain control of the ball using a completely different surface. The history of table tennis is full of wonder strokes or new equipment which wreaked havoc and were considered unfair at the outset, but which soon became commonplace. Certainly, Mitsuru Kohno proved equal to the task, and even during the relatively short period of these Championships, the Chinese spin and services seemed to cause fewer problems to their opponents as each day went by. And so, the most unforgettable experience in my twenty-year table tennis career is at an end, and as a player, I am not yet sure whether the almost unbelievable standard of play I have witnessed will inspire me to greater things in the future, or whether it will frustrate me to the extent that I hang up my bat in sheer desperation --- I hope the former, but time alone will tell!

Programme front cover


Spotlight on Gunther Angenendt

Our feature this month widens the net and captures Gunther Angenendt, who is known throughout the Table Tennis world as ‘The Badge Man’. I have mentioned Gunther’s incredible badge collection before, some 4,500, but he is also one of the world’s leading collectors of all table tennis memorabilia and his incredible collection includes 700 books, 500 phonecards and some 16,000 photographs. I first met Gunther in 1998 at the World Veterans Championships in Manchester and it was that meeting that inspired me to start my own pin badge collection.

Born in 1946, Gunther’s early experience of table tennis will resonate with many born in that era. He started playing table tennis with his parents and two elder brothers on the dining room table, except when their parents went out the boys unhinged a door to make a better table! They had no net and so used books as a substitute. Gunther was given his first racket when he was eleven and this signalled a period when the three brothers would play at every available moment. This included several afternoons a week playing at a youth club that was a six mile walk from their home. Such dedication would be hard to find today but then seemed quite normal. Gunther experienced early success here and it aroused his ambition to improve. The boys also played at a local youth hostel and it was there he was spotted by a member of a proper table tennis club who invited him to train there. After persuading his parents to let him go to the evening training sessions Gunther eventually got to play against and beat some players from the clubs second team. He had arrived. Gunther’s playing career is full of local and regional success which continued through to Veteran level where his most notable achievements were in 1999 at the European Veterans Championships in Gothenburg where Gunther and his partner Heinz Blomeke, were Runners-up in Men’s Doubles, and at home Gunther was the Runner-up with Bernd Raue in the German National Championships One other highlight stands out and that is the remarkable run of success Gunther and his team achieved by qualifying for the final round of the German Senior Team Championship for ten straight years. In their first year they finished fifth but went on to achieve three titles, two Runners-up, and three third places. Unfortunately, Gunther’s playing career was then cut short by spinal surgery, which did not go perfectly, but it did give him more time to concentrate on his career as a collector which has made him world famous.

The famous badge collection started in 1988 when Gunther played in the Veterans World Championships in Zagreb. Two years earlier he had played in Rimini but had been embarrassed as he had been unaware of the tradition of exchanging small gifts with opponents and had nothing to give. So, in Zagreb he took pin badges from his home town in Essen and during the Championships he collected around 120 pins which decided him that this would be his new hobby.

Collecting autographs.


In 1989 the World Cup took place in Dortmund and in the run up to the event Gunther wrote to all the member associations of the ITTF requesting a pin, a pennant or another sign of their Association. He had 35 replies and a further 54 given to him by the General Secretary of the German Association. He now had nearly 100 envelopes with Association logos on them which he pasted into an album and when the event started he collected autographs of players and officials on the appropriate pages from each country. Another string to his hobby had started. From 1989 to 2000 Gunther was the School Sports Officer for the city of Essen and whilst attending a meeting in this role met the sister of Jupp Schlaf, former ETTU President, who had passed away earlier in the year. Frau Schlaf suggested Gunther get in touch with a nephew, Hans Georg Schlaf, who was taking care of the estate which included many table tennis related items. Gunther duly contacted the nephew and arranged to take the entire collection. This chance meeting moved Gunther into the top echelon of collectors. In 1992 Gunther decided to exhibit his pins now numbering 1,200 and his other memorabilia to a wider audience and his first venture was at the European Championships in Stuttgart. Since then his ‘mobile museum’ has been present at many major events and is always guaranteed an enthusiastic audience.

In 1996 another chance meeting really boosted his collection. Gunther was exhibiting at the German National Championships when a middle-aged man seemed to have a special interest in the exhibited books and introduced himself as Walter Grein. Walter had been the first full-time trainer of the Regional Association, TTVN, and wrote the book "Tischtennis" in 1953.

The following week Gunther received a parcel containing 30 books and two rackets designed by Walter Grein. Some years later Gunther

received a letter asking for the return of one of the two rackets as the city of Warendorf, Walter Grein’s hometown, wanted to start a museum in his honour. Gunther happily obliged.

Those of you lucky enough to be in Dusseldorf in June for the World Championships can see Gunther’s largest ever exhibit. He has a stand of some 3 x 8m2, there will be a ‘cinema’ showing the history of table tennis, a table with a selection of vintage rackets typical throughout the eras and a selection of books so visitors can sit down and have a rest from watching the play. With him will be Martin Holland from Barrow-in-Furness who has been at every major exhibition with Gunther since they met in 1994 at the European Championships in Birmingham. Gunther now has a website which means his collection can reach an even wider audience. Go to http://www.tischtennis-museum.com/ It is well worth a visit and is continually being added to. When asked why he has built such a remarkable collection Gunther says “that the most important reason for my collecting is to get in touch with people around the world and make new friends”. On the personal front Gunther, a happily retired teacher, married in 1974 and he and his wife Doris had two children, Markus and Mareike, and they now have three grandchildren who are their greatest joy. So in 2017, Gunther has a place at the table of the world’s pre-eminent collectors of table tennis memorabilia, but despite this venerable position he will ever be the ‘Badge Man’.

Gunther at home with some of his collection.

A selection of Gunther's 4,500 badges.

http://www.tischtennis-museum.com/


A Selection of Old Photographs from Gunther’s Collection

Best-ever England Women's Team. 1948, World Champions.

Front: Peggy Franks, Betty Steventon, Dora Beregi, Vera Dace (Thomas), Back: npc Margaret Knott.

1948 with the Corbillon Cup, Betty Steventon, Dora Beregi, Vera Dace (Thomas), npc Margaret Knott.

Lady Swaythling presenting the W J Pope Trophy to World Doubles Champions Rosalind and Diane Rowe.


Famous Internationals 1936/37.

England abroad. England Internationals, Ken Hyde and Ernie Bubley.

1933 World Championships, England Men's Team.

Alec Brook, David Jones, Adrian Haydon, Edward Rimer, Andy Millar.


What was Happening 70 Years Ago? 1947

The First World Championships held after the Second World War were held in Paris. The ETTA arranged an organised party which cost £28 1s 0d which included travel, second class rail and first class steamer, accommodation for eight nights, three meals a day, two half day sightseeing tours of Paris and a day trip to Versailles. Johnny Leach and Jack Carrington are Runners-up in the Men’s Doubles and Elizabeth Blackbourn is Runner-up in the Women’s Singles.

England ladies win the Corbillon Cup but the original Corbillon was not presented, it had disappeared since 1939. The team of Elizabeth Blackbourn, Vera Dace and Peggy Franks won every match 3-0, 21 in all.

England International, A J Wilmott, who was resplendent in his royal blue

blazer with white braid, and England badge on the pocket, was seated by a French waiter with the Americans on the basis that “such fine feathers could not belong to an Englishman”.

There were two English Opens held in 1947. In London in April where ticket prices ranged from 3/6d to 21/-. All 9,000 tickets for the finals were sold six weeks prior to the finals; those that attended had to fight their way through a blizzard to watch the matches on finals day. Profit from the tournament was £700, the best ever. There was success for Elizabeth Blackbourn and Vera Dace in the Women’s Doubles, Wilfred Rowe in the Junior Boys Singles and James Taylor in the Veterans Singles. Manchester was the host city in November 1947. Richard Bergmann won the Men’s Singles and with Tage Flisberg of Sweden the Men’s Doubles. Pinkie Barnes won the Women’s Singles and in the Junior events Michael Thornhill and Adele Wood were champions. A final gold was won by Edgar Reay in the Veterans Singles.

At the International Congress there were two rule changes agreed. One was to that no spin was to be imparted on serving, the ball must leave an open hand, flat, fingers straight and together, thumb free. The only spin to be imparted from the racket. The second rule was to adopt the American expedite rule to be used at the referees or umpires discretion with players to serve alternately and with the server either scoring within 12 strokes or forfeiting the point’.

The ETTA AGM was held in April 1947. The officials were elected by postal vote of all constituent members with the Proportional Representation Society conducting the count. Any member of an affiliated club could attend the AGM and was “free to put forward his or her views with complete frankness”.

After a fifteen year lapse table tennis was revived in Russia.

London beat Exeter 5-4 in the Wilmott Cup; North Middlesex beat Blackpool in the J M Rose Bowl.

The official ETTA magazine ‘Table Tennis’ costs 6d.

Johnny Leach and Jack Carrington.

Pinkie Barnes in action.


The ETTA Executive Committee agreed naturalised players could represent England. Richard Bergmann, formerly of Austria, and Victor Barna, formerly of Hungary, were granted British

nationality, both had several years’ association with England during the war.

Richard Bergmann Victor Barna

A blind American umpire, Chuck Medick, officiated at their National Championships. He was able to detect the various sounds which distinguish shots – a solid crack when the ball hits the table, a click when it hits the edge and also the subtle change when the ball hits the net. He was able to discern that a ball was cracked before the players were aware.

The ETTA celebrates its 21st birthday.

“Speaking in Glasgow recently, the assistant chief of police stressed the value of table tennis as a corrective to delinquency”. Table Tennis September 1947.

Clothing coupons were still in existence which made meeting ETTA clothing regulations difficult at times as coupons were needed for more basic needs.

The ETTA was re-organised into County Associations, with its membership at over 100,000 a

change was needed to decentralise various functions, including development.

England lost two prominent members, Teddy Stillwell, a former international player from Luton, died aged 44 years, and, George Ross, an original member of the All England Club at St Bride Institute. George was not only an international table tennis player but represented England at the Olympic Games in gymnastics and rifle shooting in Stockholm in 1912. George attended the meeting in Berlin in 1926 which initiated the ITTF and assisted with drafting the ITTF rules

Teddy Stillwell George Ross


What was Happening 35 Years Ago? 1982

The ETTA’s first ever computer ranking system showed Desmond Douglas and Jill Hammersley are the top seniors. In the European Ranking lists Des is fourth and Jill second.

The Juniors were dominated by Carl Prean and Lisa Bellinger who were ranked at Number 1. Both

won the Junior Closed Singles Titles at the end of the year. The two main titles in the English Closed Championships went to Desmond Douglas and Carole

Knight. Jill Hammersley gets in trouble for wearing a pink shirt with maroon collar and sleeve trim at the Nationals. Chris Wright was the Referee.

The English Open at Crawley was a clean sweep for China in the team and individual events. England wins five gold medals at the Commonwealth Championships in Bombay. The Men’s team,

Nigel Eckersley (12-1), Paul Day (11-4), Philip Bradbury (3-3) and Kenny Jackson (6-9) were the winning quartet. The Women’s team of Carole Knight (7-1), Alison Gordon (4-2), Joy Grundy (1-0) and Knight/Grundy (6-0) also took gold. The others came from Carole Knight

(Women’s Singles), Knight and Grundy (Women’s Doubles) and Eckersley and Grundy (Mixed Doubles).

To celebrate 60 years of the ETTA a Diamond Jubilee Dinner was organised by Doreen Stannard at

the Regent Centre Hotel in London, 168 people attended. An illuminated address was presented to Ivor Montagu, this now sits on the walls of TTE in Milton Keynes.

In the European Top 12 Jill Hammersley was second and Desmond Douglas third. At the European Championships England Women earn a bronze

medal, the men finish fifth. Desmond Douglas is the star of the Men’s Team winning 14 from 15 matches whilst Jill Hammersley won all her 13 matches. Jill added two further medals to her collection; in a close final in the Women’s Singles she lost 21-16 in the fifth to Bettine Vriesekoop of the Netherlands and with Linda Jarvis was a losing Semi-finalist in the Women’s Doubles. Linda retires from International play at the end of the season.

Two new categories of honours are created; a Roll of Honour and a Players’ Merit Award. The Roll of

Honour is to include the names of past officials and players who have contributed to the success of the Association. It was added that it would make interesting reading at the centenary celebrations.

Table Tennis News costs 45p. Ken Marchant is made a Vice-President of the ETTA, Carole Knight receives the Victor Barna Award,

Ian Whiteside the Ivor Montagu Award and George Yates the Malcolm E Scott Award.

Jill Hammersley and Linda Jarvis.

Alison Gordon, Carole Knight, Karen Witt.

Don Parker, Paul Day, Kenny Jackson, Nigel Eckersley, Phillip

Bradbury.


At the European Youth Championships Carl Prean is Cadet Boys Champion.

Junior Girls team is third and Junior Boys fourth.

The Norwich Union Trophy with prize money of over £3,000 is competed for by eight players from three continents. Wang Huiyan beat Jiang Jialiang in the final.

The First World Championships for the Disabled was held at Stoke

Mandeville, Great Britain won four gold, seven silver and five bronze. West Germany headed the medal table.

At the ITTF Congress a move to rationalise the racket surface was defeated

as the 75% majority to enable a rule change was not reached. Phyllis Lauder won the Women’s Over 70 Singles at the Veterans World Championships in

Gothenburg, Ron Etheridge also took home a gold medal in the Men’s Over 60s category. There are 313 Affiliated Leagues and Associations, 7,603 Affiliated Clubs and 19,281 Affiliated Teams

and 38 Organisations in Good Standing. Malcolm Gee of the Bradford League played his 500th consecutive league match for his club Lidget

Green, with cup matches the figure rose to 542 beating the previous known figure of 410. The ETTA signed an £80,000 contract with Dunlop Sports and John Jaques & Son Ltd. 1982 sees the passing of two former international players; Hymie Lurie from Manchester and Frank

Wilde who died at the age of 70. As well as an international table tennis player, Frank was a renowned tennis player who played in the Davis Cup in 1937, 1938 and 1939.

Frederick George (Jimmy) Mannooch of Kent passed away. An impressive administrator he was

instrumental in forming the Sittingbourne & District TTA in 1930, Kent County TTA and the Crescent Club – for girls – which he ran for over 20 years. Jimmy was an Honorary Life Member of the ETTA as well as being honoured within Kent. Ted Connell, ETTA Vice-President dies in June 1982, Ted was a founder member of Middlesex TTA and its Chairman from 1948-1976.

Frank Wilde Hymie Lurie Jimmy Mannooch

Carl Prean.


British Para Table Tennis National Championships 2017

All Photos courtesy of Michael Loveder

Until recently the British Para Table Tennis Association was entitled the British Table Tennis Association for People with Disabilities. The renaming is to bring it into line with the more commonly used term ‘Para’ which most of us recognise from the Olympic Games.

The name has changed but the desire to become national champion within the various categories has not and at their National Championships in March 2017 there were many familiar names as well as several new ones competing for the 20 titles. Sue Gilroy took the Ladies’ Open Wheelchair Champion for the 22nd time and Jack Hunter-Spivey, with a more conservative hair style, became the Open Wheelchair Champion. Jack added a second gold winning the Class 5 Singles and a third with Dan Bullen in the Wheelchair Doubles. Sue Gilroy also made it two golds adding the Class 4 Singles to her list of titles. Fliss Pickard took the Ladies Open Standing title and Ross Wilson, for the second time, was crowned Open Standing Champion and made it a double win in the Class 8 event.

Sue Gilroy Jack Hunter-Spivey Fliss Pickard Ross Wilson

The Junior events saw Lochlan O’Higgins become Junior Wheelchair and Wheelchair Open B champion and Jack Stockdale the Junior Standing event. The Player of the Tournament went to Martin Perry and Junior Player of the Tournament to Shae Thakker. Harry Fairchild who became the first Down’s Syndrome Coach, added to his achievements

by winning the Down’s Syndrome Class.

Shae Thakker Martin Perry Harry Fairchild (centre)

The other events winners went to: Open Standing Doubles: Billy Shilton and Will Bayley, Class 6 Singles: Martin Perry, Class 1-2: Rob Davies, Class 3: Kevin Plowman, Class 11: Adam Thompson, Standing Open B: Euan McLaughlin and Standing Open C: Dylan Tynan.

Lochlan O'Higgins Jack Stockdale


Congratulations

We have known Kelly Sibley for very many years and she has always been the epitome of professionalism, good sportsmanship and graciousness and has been the mainstay of the England ladies team since 2003. Kelly has played in 11 World Championships and eight European Championships as well as many Commonwealth Championships and Games and a huge range of other international matches. Who can forget Kelly’s exuberant leap at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 when she and Danny Reed won the Mixed Doubles bronze medal? Kelly also represented GB at the Olympic Games in 2012. 14 times a Senior National Champion as well as taking titles at U21, Junior and Cadet levels it has always been a pleasure to be in Kelly’s company. In her already long career Kelly has received many accolades including the prestigious ETTA Victor Barna Award in 2008. It was, therefore, with much pleasure that we heard of Kelly’s wedding to her long time partner, Laura Snow. We wish them both every happiness.

We thank Kelly for sharing these photos of her and Laura’s special day.


Future Dates

World Championships: 29th May-5th June 2017. Dusseldorf, Germany.

English Leagues Cup Competitions Finals (Wilmott Cup, J M Rose Bowl, Carter Cup, Bromfield

Trophy): 17th-18th June 2017. Westfield Table Tennis Club, Wellingborough.

U10-U13 National Championships: 17th-18th June 2017. Kettering.

European Veterans Championships: 26th June – 1st July 2017. Sweden.

Table Tennis England AGM: Saturday 8th July 2017. Nottingham.

European Youth Championships, Portugal: 14th-23rd July 2017.

First Grand Prix of the season, Liverpool: 19th-20th August 2017.

School Games, Loughborough: 31st August –3rd September 2017.

European Youth Top 10, Worcester: 8th-10th September 2017.

European Championships, Luxembourg: 13th-17th September 2017.

Para European Championships: 26th September-5th October 2017.

Our Contact Details

Diane and Harvey Webb Tel: 01424 216342 Pine Edge 12 Salvington Crescent Email: [email protected] Bexhill-on-Sea [email protected] East Sussex TN39 3NP

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