Follow That! THE NEWS that England's men had crowned a successful season with a bronze medal in the European Championships followed by another in the World Team Cup proves that our sport is really on the march at top level. In both championships it took the World and European Champions, Sweden, to beat us. England also won the Hungarian Open Gold Medal and it took China at full power to put them out of the Leeds English Open at the Semi-Final stage. No wonder Donald Parker has been quoted throughout the season as saying that this is the best team he has ever managed, the best for a decade. Off Court Success The good times have continued to roll off court as well as on. The Leeds English Open in Manchester was a marketing triumph, with a brand new format and presentational style which has set the trend throughout the World. Now the promoters of the World Cup, World Championships and many other events are starting to use the coloured vinyl flooring, blue tables and specially constructed centre courts which have been pioneered in England over the past three years. BBC TV executives were delighted with the format at Manchester and screened over 90 minutes of prime coverage on Grandstand, including a sensational Women's victory by Mika Hoshino and a dramatic performance by the new Englishman, Chen Xinhua. We also appeared on BBC for a further two hours with the Leeds Mastersand the USSR Tour, a good total. The press too have broken all records for coverage of the sport. Admittedly a good deal behind the Chen issue, but this has spawned larger space everywhere. Of course there have been some downs. England's women have not yet matched the men's success but hard work is being put in by the women's committee to generate female enthusiasm at all levels. The loss of the Leeds sponsorship, after three amazingly successful years, also hurt. But if there is any justice the sterling efforts being made to find a replacement will bear fruit. So overall 1989/90 must be rated a Grade 'A' success. The Year of the Member But all this success and activity is wasted if we don't achieve our main ambition by using the publicity positively, to attract more and more players to Table Tennis. So it was particularly refreshing to report that in 1990/91 the ETTA will be pouring £100,000 into development schemes created by local leagues to recruit new members. Only three years after being technically bankrupt, finances have improved to such a degree that much of the surplus generated by John Prean's team this season is being returned directly to where it will do the most good, the grass roots of the sport. What is now needed are hard initiatives from the leagues to use this tremendous opportunity to bring in new players. The growth of play and enthusiasm in the veterans area is heartening to see, but unless we replace the 'missing generation' ofplayers the sport will surely die. So why don't you act as a prompter of action in your league. Direct some effort to schools, youngsters, women, leisure centres - where we really need growth. Finance is available. Ideas are bursting from the ETTA Development department. Last season was just the ammunition for future growth. Let's go for it! TED WALLBUTON In this issue European News 2 - 6 The official• magazine of The Chairman writes 7 - 9 the English Table Tennis Spot the Ball - competition result 8 Association. Published ETTA Computer Ranking Scheme 10/11 eight times a year. Personality Piece - Desmond Douglas 12 Editor The Leeds National Championships 15 - 20 ALAN PICKARD The Leeds British League 21 - 23 Women in Table Tennis 24 - 26 Advertisements: JIM BECKLEY The Leeds County Championships 27 - 30 Sports PR, PO Box 8, Sponsors see the Light 31 Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Regional News 32 Cheshire SK8 7RG The Maurice Goldstein Trophy 33 Tel: 061 4884002 Sun Life Bristol 2 Star 34/35 Subscriptions and Irish Junior Open 36 distribution: Farewell to Friends 37 Bethan Davies, ETTA, Third Floor, Barclays Essex 3 Star Open 38/39 Queensbury House, Havelock Rd., The Grove Table Tennis Club 40 Hastings TN34 IHF. "lTOP PRESS - TSP World Team Cup 40 Tel: 0424 722525 Grass Roots 41/42 COpy DATE Yorkshire Junior Select 43 Sept I Schools 44/45 Issue 192, ~ct 1990 Mail box 46 - 48 Table Tennis ~ ~~ws accepts advertisements Events '.' 48 in good faith, but cannot accept respon­ sibility for the goods or services described in advertisements. If you have any queries, these should be made directly to the advertiser. COVER FIONA ELLIOT captured the elusive triple of titles: Singles, Women's Doubles and Pril)ted by: Mixed Doubles at the Leeds National Championships, the first time it has been done * BIDNALLS PRINTERS PICTURE since Karenza 'Mathews in 1972. (Picture: John F. A. Wood) Unit 28a Peddars Lane Beccles, Suffolk Big Apple in Gothenburg by GEORGE R. YATES SWEDEN'S Mikael Appelgren won an unprecedented third European men's singles title when, in Gothenburg's Scandinavium, he retained his crown - won in Paris in 1988 - with a final win over Andrzej Grubba of Poland. In the counterpart women's event Daniela Guergueltcheva of Bulgaria was also a popular winner when she took over the title, not defended by Fliura Bulatova of the Soviet Union, with a final victory over Yong Tu, a Chinese Swiss resident. Undoubtedly the best doubles F.R.Germany, Dmitrij Mazunov of round 19 and 21 for a tremendous and were beaten by Gunnel Borg­ pairings in Europe, if not the world, the USSR and I1ija Lupulescu and Win. strom and Lotta Erlman of the host battled out the men's doubles final Primorac of Yugoslavia. Prean and Andrew were taken association. with Yugoslavia's I1ija Lupulescu Evergreen Desmond Douglas out in the last sixteen by the Skylet and Fiona figured as the and Zoran Primorac beating the collected the scalps of such fine Mazunov brothers. Top seed in the only English pair in the mixed reigning world champions, Steffen players as Haldan, Loukov, the two men's singles was Jan-Ove Waldner doubles and progressed to the last Fetzner and Jorg Rosskopf of the Manunovs and all while Andrew, but the reigning world champion sixteen before losing to Gatien and Federal Republic of Germany. vacating the bench for the first time fell to Gatien in a captivating Wang Xiaoming, the eventual Hungary's Csilla Batorfi and against Yugoslavia in the final quarter-final tie with the French­ winners. Andrea joined forces with Gabriella Wirth survived an match, accounting for Zoran man coming back from a 0-2 deficit Siobodan Grucic of Yugoslavia and opening game deficit in the Kalinic and Lupulescu. to win the next three 14,24 and 20! their stay was short lived being women's doubles final to beat the On the distaff side Lisa distin­ Fascinating stuff to be sure. beaten by Jaroslaw Kolodziejczyk Soviet Union's Irina Palina and guished herself in beating Alessia Jorgen Persson, seeded No.2, fell and Anna Januszyk of Poland. Yelena Timina while in the mixed Arisi of Italy, Renata Kasalova of . at his first hurdle when beaten by It was good to have players from doubles final Jean-Philippe Gatien Czechoslovakia, Otilia Badescu of Norway's Chinese immigrant Wang four different countries contesting and Wang Xiaoming of France ran Romania and Olga Nemes of Yansheng over five while Andrew, the semi-finals in both the men's up the tricolour with a win over F.R.Germany! England's fourth man lost to and women's singles with Sweden, Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium part­ Cooke was undoubtedly our star Sandor Varga of Hungary after an Appelgren apart, not so dominant nered by Miss Wirth. man in the men's singles reaching the initial win over Gennaro Di Napoli as hitherto although winning the of Italy. men's team title and the prestigious Sweden Again quarter-finals in beating Euan Walker of Scotland, Massimo Andrea Holt was England's first men's singles. In the team events Sweden Costantini of Italy, Jean-Michel faller in the women's singles losing No doubting the splendour ofthe retained their men's title with a final Saive of Belgium and Andrei to the Czech, Alena Safarova, but in Scandinavium arena with seating 5-2 win over F.R.Germany and Mazunov of the USSR hefore falling the next round it was total demise for 12,000 spectators but only Hungary jumped up from their to the eventual winner Appelgren who for Alison, beaten by Gerdie Keen boasting some 4,000 as the previous sixth position obtained in remained unbeaten throughout the of the Netherlands, Lisa beaten by maximum attendance. Could it be France by a final 3-0 success against championships. Otilia Badescu of Romania and that Swedish successes have become Czechoslovakia in the ladies' event. all t60 predictable? Cooke in Quarters Fiona by Csilla Batorfi of Hungary. What then of England's two In the doubles Alison and However, a well organised cham­ quartets in the team events? Well Cookie, in partnership with Andrea had a good win over Yong pionships with remarkable tele­ the men fell one rung down the Douglas, also reached the quarters Tu of Switzerland partnered by vision coverage, at least by English ladder exchanging silver, as won in in the men's doubles where they Emily Noor of the Netherlands, but standards, and which is so vital in Paris, for bronze in Gothenburg.