Editorls CONTENTS Note Manrellous, we won lots of medals Highlights of this month's issue in Nairobi and put up a good show in Chiba, but most ofall we turned TABLE TENNIS NEWS up and competed to the best ofour May/June 1991- Issue 199 ability. The official magazine of The •••••••••••••••••••••• Our men's team won gold in English TableTennis Association ,..,J;~ Nairobi, but our two youngestlads . t . 1 stole the show in Africa, with Chris Third Floor .-4 , ' , _, 11 Oldfield and Michael O'Driscoll Queensbury House ~~~., ~ ~ ·~f~·!. winning gold in the Men's Doubles, Havelock Road ,.... beat the reigning champions Nicky Hastings TN341HF /.~ _~ Tel: 0424 722525 ,. II: Mason and Skylet Andrew, in the Fax: 0424422103 final. Little Nicola Deaton deserves a •••••••••••••••••••••• mention, because she really flew the President J A Leach MBE JORGEN KATHRYN ALAN COOKE flag for England winning three PERSSON WOODWARD Page 22 Chairman J Prean bronze medals in her very first Pages 9/16 Page 30 CommonwealthGames. Advertisement Offices: In the Worlds atChiba City, life Jim Beckley, Sports PR proved a little tougher for the POBox 8, Cheadle Hulme I NEWSDESK England team, with the very best Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 7RG Alan Cooke moves to Sweden on display, but Alan Cooke pulled Tel: 061-488 4002 off a remarkable victory over Sweden's Michael Appelgren, in Editor John F A Wood liN MY VIEW the 1st round of the Men's Singles. Editorial Office: Smooth transition New World Champion Jorgen 5 The Brackens, Persson and runner-upJanOve Hemel Hempstead Waldner proved that the Chinese Herts HP2 5JA 10th COMMONWEALTH GAMES Team titles retained In Nairobi are not invincible by reaching the Tel/Fax: 0442 244547 6 final for the second time, proving that there is lightat the end of the Table Tennis News tunnel for other European players, is published 8 times a year 41st WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS including ourselves. August/September to May/June. Eight page special report 9 But in the Women's singles the Subscription rates - £11 p.a. Chinese really do seem untouchable, £13.30 Europe & Irish Republic COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS with tiny Deng Yaping, the new £15.30 Sea Mail/£17.80 Air Mail Yorkshire take two titles world champion, who is only 4 ft 4 18 ins. tall, standing head and shoul­ Photographers ders above the rest. Dennis George, Mike Loveder BARCLAYS ESSEX 5 STAR Meanwhile back on the home Jose Ransome, John Wood,Alan Cooke topples Prean 22 front, I visited two tournaments for Pascoe Associated, Carlisle Evening this issue, the Barclays Essex 5 Star News, Oldham Evening Chronicle, SCHOOL REPORT and the BP Essex Junior Select and Raymonds Photographers enjoyed them both immensely, Penlel stole the limelight 24 es~allythehos¢talityprovided Subscriptions and distributions: by Frances Wayland. Bethan Davies As this is the last issue that ETTA. Third Floor BRITISH LEAGUE retiring ChairmanJohn Prean will Queensbury House Penlei hurt Grove 261 be writing his 1n my View' column, Havelock Road, HASTINGS I I would like to thank himon behalf Tel: 0424 722525 EUROPEAN REPORT ofTable Tennis News, for his past services to the sport that we all love. Printed by: ~uper Hungarians John's typewriter won't be Bidnalls Printers 281 I gathering dust just yet though, Unit 28a, Peddars Lane Beccles, Suffolk BP ESSEX JUNIOR SELECT because he will probably be a reg­ ular correspondent to 'Mailbox' and Kathryn the Great triumphs! COpy DATE 30 supplier ofinformation for News­ 15th July 1991 desk'. Issue 200 Aug/Sept 1991 NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM This is also the last issue that Unsolicited articles are welcome for possible The new magnificent seven David Lomas will be writing for publication, but the publishers will accept no 32 the 'School Report' column, on responsibility for return of manuscripts and/or photographs. Whilst every effort is taken to behalf of ESTTA. ensure reports and facts arerorrectat the time of REGIONAL NOTES So I would li-ke to thank lI"ing to press, no responsibility will be aroepted David for the many years that he OX the Publishers should errors be published, Southern and South West eIther for errors or matters arising as a result. 34 has spent, supplying copy to The views expressed in Table Tennis News are Table Tennis News. those of the rontributors and are not necessarily Next season starts earlier with official EllA poliey.Similarly TIN accepts WOMEN IN TABLE TENNIS advertisements in gocx:t faith, but cannotaccept an August/September edition, so responsibility for tlie goods orservice; described Cotswold Ladles League 35 in advertisements Ifyou have any queries these don't forget that the copy deadline should beaddressed directly to the advertiser. is 15thJuly. No part of this magazine may be reproduced MAILBOX Also, please don't forget to witliout written pennission from the publishers. send in your annual subscription to All your views Frontpage: Michael o 'Driscoll I 361 Bethan at Hastings, before you go and Chris Oldfield the new on holiday! An order fonn appears Commonwealth Men's Doubles DISABLED PEOPLE IN TABLE TENNIS opposite page 21. Champions. Have a good sununer Honours for disabled (Photograph by John FA.Wood) 38 John F. A. Wood PAGEl NEWSDE season by his own high standards. Cooke off Five He was defeated in the ETTU Cup by Chen Shibin, last season's to Sweden No.1 for Saarbrlicken, which gave Star the German Club a 5-4 victory over Sweden's Champions, ALAN COOKE marked his 25th status Malmo. There were many who birthday by clinching a lucrative advised Rebmann to retain the contract with the Swedish club At the ETTA Man­ mercurial but inconsistent Malmo. Next season he will be agement Commit­ Chinese star. Persson and Reb­ living in Sweden and returning tee Meeting held mann gave their answer in Chiba for a few events. in April it was and Rebmann now has the crowd NFD Grove (Market Dray­ decided the fol­ pleaser he needs. He also has the ton) will be sorry to lose him, he lowing tournam­ best player in the world. is sorry to leave Grove, but the ents would be With Carl Prean at No.2, and lure of playing in Sweden is given 5 star status Andras Podpinka, this will be a understandably too great at a for the 1991/92 hard team to beat. vital stage of his professional career. Like Carl Prean, Chen season. Xinhua, Nicky Mason and Wiltshire,Essex, European Skylet Andrew - professionals Cleveland, must operate where the condit­ M &GClassic Ranking... ions are right and the money is (PenieIAcademy) best. His new team-mate will be We are often asked who compiles Ulf Bengtsson, Thomas von Alan Cooke, the new Malmo player the European Ranking Lists, Scheele and Goran Wrana, all which now play an important members of the Swedish nation­ part in the English 'Halex' Ran­ al squad. Alan will play in the Another king System. No.I. position for Malmo, a sure There is a committee of sign that they rate him highly Baby which Mr. Andre Damman is and that he can justify such a Chairman. The members are (in high spot. Chen alphabetical order) Alexander Most of this present cam­ Beljakov (Soviet Union), Claude paign, Alan has looked an in­ Bergeret (France and former creasingly powerful player. His JEANETTE CHEN has conjured international), Hans Bolena athletic style, fearsome top-spin up a second son for Xinhua - on (Austria, a former English Open and general determination has Sunday, March 24 at Rotherham, Veterans Champion), Zlatko been clear for all to see. It start­ Cordas (Coach to the German Liang is the name, mother, baby Team, former Yugoslav inter­ ed in November when he play­ and father are doing well. ed so well in Lyons to'reach the national), Dusan Osmanagic Presumably, the baby's name (former coach to the Yugoslav quarters at the French Open. A Harry Spraggs slight lapse at Stourbridge but Liang has connections with the Team) Glenn Osth (former coach another cracking show at Brent­ former world champion Liang Ke to Sweden's all conquering side, wood when he managed to Liang, one of China's best players including world title 1989) and overpower in the last two or in the seventies and a team-mate IHarry's final! I Ferenc Sido (many times world three minutes of the final the champion, mainly in the hard for some ten years in the Chinese bat era). There is not an English­ stop-seeded Prean. national squad with Chen Xinhua. HARRY SPRAGGS, International He commented recently, "I man in sight. We cannot recall umpire and referee made his fare­ when there was. was very happy at Grove and Essex 5 Star well International appearance at a may one day return to them, but A brother for Tamar did how­ top world event in Chiba. He was this was an offer I could not ever bring an acute baby-sitting given the most important assign­ refuse." Farewell problem on the week-end of the ment in the world - in charge of the Barclays 5-star Essex Open at mens singles final between Jorgen Persson and Jan-Ove Waldner. Harry Walk-Overs Brentwood that resulted in Chen It was believed that the choice of not being able to make the journey THE Ashton Table Tennis Leag­ At least 7 nations were reported as the popular Hampshire-based to the disappointment of the umpire was because of his retire­ ue is mourning the loss of its not having turned up for their president, Mr Harry Renshaw, matches in the recent World Cham­ organisers and the sponsors. ment under the 6O-limit clause and The Chen's normal baby-sitter also in recognition of England's who died on Friday, 23rd March pionships in Chiba, Japan.