Here are this week’s selection of photos – can you help put names to faces and facts to photos?
Click here to scroll to last week’s pictures
Photo 1
I recognise a young Alan Cooke, Alison Gordon (Broe), Phillip Bradbury, Jill Harris, Lisa Bellinger (Lomas) amongst the players. The referee is Aubrey Drapkin and second on the left Derek Schofield. The date is May 2, 1983 but venue and occasion unknown. Can you provide these details along with the other players, officials and coaches?
Photo 2 (copyright Stephen Line)
Beneficial Trust English Junior Open, Portsmouth. May 12, 1985. Players alongside England international footballer Jimmy Greaves include Andrea Holt, Matthew Syed and Joanne Shaw.
Photo 3
Two faces look familiar. Back row far left could be Peggy Piper and second right at the back is Jackie Head. They were both Surrey players of the 1950s/1960s. Any information would be appreciated.
Photos 4 and 5
These come from part of a collection of Harold Pearce’s, who is on the right of the fourth picture. Harold founded the famous Lensbury Table Tennis Club in 1935 and went on to be its Secretary and President before moving to Bournemouth, where he became a Hampshire County Table Tennis Association Honorary Life Member and a Life President of Bournemouth TTA.
Any information is requested about these two photographs and/or about the Lensbury Club.
An archive record of ‘Friday’s Photos’ is now under the ‘Our Sport’ section of the website if you want to look back over previous week’s photographs. Any additional information is always welcome. As always I can be contacted at [email protected]
Could I ask any Facebook followers if they could also email me directly as although messages are passed on where possible there is often contact between Facebook followers that does not reach me.
Several responses to last week’s feature have resulted in all but two of the players being identified. My thanks to all who have responded, especially to Phil Vickers, who has provided identification for many players as well as additional information about the photographs.
Photo 1
This is Diane Gard of Sussex.
Photo 2
This is Linda Woodcock (Sussex) who represented Eastbourne in the JM Rose Bowl along with Diane Gard (Griggs) and Carol Randall (now Eckersley). A report of the match along with the photograph is in the February 1971 Table Tennis News.
Photo 3
Left is Colin Monson, centre is Alan Rowden, right is possibly Arthur Downer. This could be a Sussex County team or maybe an Eastbourne or Brighton Wilmott Cup Team. Around 1971.
Photo 4
Karen Rogers (Smith) from Leicestershire playing the ball and partnered by Mandy Mellor of Derbyshire. This photo was taken at the National Junior Championships held on 20th & 21st April 1974 at Leicester Polytechnic Gymnasium where Karen and Mandy were runners-up in the Junior Girls Doubles to Anita Stevenson and Carole Knight (Moore) 21-13, 21-15.
Anita was the singles champion as well beating Carole in the final. Photo taken by Jim Cockayne from Kegworth in Leicestershire.
Pen picture – Karen Rogers (Smith). An England International who played in the 1977 World Championships, reaching the last 32 in the Women’s Doubles with Karen Witt. At the Commonwealth Championships that year Karen was part of the team that finished second, she also reached the quarter-finals in the Women’s Singles and the semi-final in the Mixed Doubles with John Hilton.
Karen had success in several English Opens – quarter-finalist in 1976 in the Women’s Singles, runner-up in the Women’s Doubles in 1976 and quarter-finalist in 1978, both with Carole Knight, and Mixed Doubles semi-finalist in 1978 with John Hilton.
At the National Championships, Karen reached the semi-finals of the Women’s Singles in 1979, 1981 and 1984; Women’s Doubles semi-finals in 1976 and 1984 (Carole Moore), 1979 and 1987 (Suzanne Airey); Mixed Doubles semi-finals 1976 (John Hilton), 1978 (John Kitchener), 1979 (Mark Mitchell). Still going strong, Karen is a regular player for Leicester in the English Leagues Cup Competition and she was a member of the winning team in 2009.
Photo 5
This is Mandy Smith (Sainsbury) England No 4/5 pictured at the National Senior Championships at Crawley Leisure Centre on February 27 1988. Mandy reached the Women’s Singles final, losing to Alison Gordon (Broe).
The event was sponsored by Leeds Permanent Building Society, who started to sponsor the ETTA for a number of years in August 1987.
Pen picture – Mandy Smith (Sainsbury). An England International in the 1970s and 1980s. Mandy, of Berkshire, was a silver medallist in the team event at the Commonwealth Championships in 1979. In 1985 she was a semi-finalist in the Women’s Singles and in the Women’s Doubles with Joanne Shaw. Two successful Quadrangular appearances saw a team gold in 1985 and silver in 1986.
On the home front, Mandy was Women’s Singles runner-up at the National Championships in 1988. A gold medal was gained in the Women’s Doubles in 1984 with Alison Gordon (Broe) and silver in 1982 with Sally Midgley and a further two silver medals in 1988 and 1989, both with Alison. Mixed Doubles saw success with four different partners, reaching the semi-finals with David Newman (1980), Alan Fletcher (1981), David Wells (1985) and Nicky Mason (1987).
Photo 6
John Beasley of Eastbourne, now living abroad.
Photo 7
Lindsay and Pam Stephenson (now Winter), another photograph of players from the Eastbourne League.
Photo 8
Russell King – County and British League player from Norwich.
Photos 9 and 10
No information on these two players.
Diane Webb
September 26, 2014