TABLE TENNIS NEWS Published on the 1st of each month, October to May inclusive. Norwich Union Postal subscriptions £1 for eight issues. Advertisements: Derek R. Tre­ mayne, General Secretary, English Table Tennis Association, 21 Clare­ English Championships mont, Hastings, Sussex, 'Phone: Hastings 33121. Circulation: Albert W. Shipley, Administrative Secretary, 21 Clare­ BACK ON THE ROSTRUM mont, Hastings, Sussex. 'Phone: Hastings 33121. Distribution: Mrs. E. D. Yates, 43 Knowsley Road, Smithills, Bolton, Lanes. BL1 6JH. 'Phone: Bolton 42223 Editorial: George R. Yates, 43 Knowsley Road, Smithills, Bolton, Lanes., BL1 6JH. 'Phone: Bolton 42223 (h) 061-228 2141. Ext. 2698 (b) . A TASTE OF HONEY The,re is no denying that when Chester Barne'S deigns to e'merge 'from his contractua,1 obligations to put hi.s head on the chopping block provided by competiti:ve pla,y the media swa.rm like be'e's to provide the ne,etarr so thi:rsted for by those concerned wirth the publicity of our sport. Say what you win, the drawing power of G. C. Ba:rne,s, craftsm,an extraordinary, has in no way dimini'shed since he opted out from repre,senrting England in the ~1 st World Charmpionship.s played in Na,goya; Japan in April, 1971. The exploits of the Essex inter­ nafional in the recent Norwich Union Engl'i,sh Cha1mpionshi:ps acted like a magne:t on pla1yers and spectators alike at Crystal' Pala,c,e. Play on all tables was brought to a halt as the de'ciding ga,m,e between Barnels and Jiim,my W'aliker went into naU-biting protraction and Cheste'r B'arnes holds aloft the 50th Anniversary Tro,phry of the Gue,rnsey ITA won by England on the an aura was cre.ated that comple'tely Channel Isle in May, 1972. Photo by Peter Madge. overcame the cathedral-Iike proce,ed­ ings surrounding most othe'r Havin,g accounted for D1avid encounters. CAPlTULAT'E Buoyant Barnes Skedge of Norfolk in the first, round, It was an onslaught that never Points to emerge quite clearly are to be followed up with that nail-biter really materialised albeit the game that the ga,me is sadly lacking in remains afloat against Walker, Barnes then allowed reached 'deuce' before Barnes edged crowd-puUing p,ersonarl:ities and that Staffordshire's John Pugh a game home 24-22. Having then given his Crystal Palace because of its verry by GEO'RGE YATES start before demolishing the Mid­ all the Yorkshireman seemed to complexity in providing fa-eiliti,es for lander's stout defensive tactics in the capitulate in the decider' when beaten a variety of sports is not the ans,wer Not particularly noted for fighting next three. 21-10. O'rmesby major domo Alan for a major eha:mpionship venue. lost causes on the table tennis front, Next in line was T'revor Taylor and Ransome was of the opinion that his Granted the adja:cent swimim1ing having witnessed his many failings what he and Barnes don't know about pride and joy was physically spent pool-its conourrent use long' being both at home and, more particularly each other's game is not worth know­ having, in the previous round, been a bone of contention-fitted well abroad, there can be no denying that ing. Suffice it to say that Barnes hard-pressed by Alan Hydes. Could into the sehenle of things on the Cheste~r Barnes 'came good' in this knew too much and out went the this be the reason ? season's Norwich Union English day, ilf only to 'drown' the sorrows holder sadly bemoaning the luck of Na such pre-final statement was of the beaten finali'st and to splash Championships played at the National the dra,v which had earlier pitted Sports Centre, Crystal Palace over forthcoming from Denis Neale who, cold walter on the fond ambitions him against his younger brother, without shedding more than one game the period Jan. 3/5, 1974. of others less Iike,ly to comlmland Peter. -to Tony Clayton in the quarters­ attention. Four times taken to the brink of But could the Ess;e'x man continue was so confident of success that he defeat when Jimmy Walker had set to erode the Srtructure of the national was bold enough to promise in the ENGLISH TABLE TENNIS point in the deciding game of five, ranking list? y e~s he could and pro­ event of being beaten he would pIunge ..ASSOCIATION Barnes clawed his way back to ceeded to stag:e yet anothe'r come­ fully clothed from the high diving equality and eventually triumphed back when OppOIS'ed by Nicky Jarvis board into the adjacent swimming Patron: Her Majesty the Queen 28-26 in the second round before winner of hoth the Humbe,rside and pool. President: M. Goldstein going on to win the men's singles Middles'ex 3·Sta,r Opens. But jump he did, true to his word, Life Vice-President: crown. when Barnes still in cork-like fashion, Hon. Ivor Montagu Jarvis went into a 2-0 lead when I t was for the fifth time in his taking the opening games 21-18 and after losing the first game, bounced Chairman: C. M. Wyles, O.B.E. chequered career that the Essex 22-20 but from thereon a depression back to take the next three by closer Deputy Chairman: G. R. Yates international claimed the title leaving set in and the Yorkshire loop expert and closer margins. He was still there Hon. Treasurer: T. Blunn in his wake, like so much flotsam, could only manage 5 points in a third at the side of the pool after Neale Management 'Committee: a further trio of O-rmesbyites who, game which could have been inter­ had jumped, just to lend a hand to I. R. Crickmer, M. Goldstein, two seasons back, won the European preted as the breather before the lift .Neale from his watery 'grave'. A. E. Upton and K. Watts CI ub Championship title! onslaught. Barnes apart, the championships Page 2 from her nigh:rnare and was nev(-'1' Hession but, all in all, there were again troubled - indeed her fina1 few surprises and I am sure, the tele­ m,eeting with Linda Howard could vised women's singles final, did little not have been easier. to advance the cause of greater screenage. Overawed, perhaps, by the occasion this was not the Linda who had Neale I'everted to his old and trusted almost snatched the H umberside partnership with Alan Hyde's in the 3-Star title from Jill and who had men's doubles and for the fourth accounted for Lesley Radford in the time in six seasons the Tyke cornbine final of the Midland Counties, and, won the title bea~ing Jarvis and at Crystal p'alace, had ousted the Walker in the final having overcome No. 2 seed Karenza Mathews in the the obstacle provided by Barnes and semis. Trevor Taylor-the latter holder last season with Neale,------in the semis. Mrs. Mathews had been hard pressed to keep her prospects alive F'or some inexplicable reason Parker in the quarters when trailing 0-2 had not been paired in this event to Cheshire's Susan Lisle but as with which for an international squad the men, this was anoth~r event member was a strange omission to say which produced little in the way of the least! However, if an error it gian~-killing feats. was, matters were righted when Douglas found himself without a Only Leicestershire's Karen I{ogers partner when B~ian Burn was reported succeeded in breaking through the injured and absent seeded barriers when she accounted for Di Court in the third round her TESTIMONY county team-mate, Anita Steve~son, Four 3-straight successes for the after beating Lesley King of Rants, Warwicks./Lancs. pair, over Gunnion/ going out in straight games io Mrs. Pugh (14, 10, 13), Ian Robertson/ Radford. E. S. Worsman (Yorks.) (13, 12, 10), UNQUENCHED K. A. Horton/C. Wells (Sussex) (13, 9, 11) and Brian and Mike Johns in Yorkshire's Carole Knight began in the quarters stand as testimony to "(he devasta~ing fashion with a 6,4,2 win harmonious relationship which stood over Mandy Smith of Berkshire' and, upwell to Jarvis and Walker in the despite losing the first two games penultimate :r:ound. to Mrs. Hammersley, -7, -13, was sufficiently unquenched in spirit to Barden and Day, the (whiz kids', take the champion to 'deuce' in the ,reached the quarters by overcoming third conceding the set. Horsham and Peter Taylor, Barry Hill and Clive Morris Graham Blom­ Hampshire" acquired Worthing field and D. J. Boulter before going resident, Linda \Vales, had a ,good down with all guns blazing to Barnes first round win over Suzanna Kaval­ and T.1'. lJnseeded but always a lierou before going under to Shelagh threat Laurie Landry and Tony A word of congratu'lations from John McDonnell, P'ublic Relations Manager of the Norwich Union Insurance Group for Jill HammlerS'ley on her retention of the women's singles title. Photo by Peter Madge. threw up no other surprises and cdl rnade any impact, the former with the top-seeded players, with the wins over Graham Blomfield thF exception of Walker, reached their veteran Cooper, Ian Horsham' and quarter-final objectives. "Connie" Warren. But it was a poor, Not one of England's up-and­ poor show that Warwickshire's great coming juniors did himself justice. hope put up against Neale.