There has been a considerable amount of interest this week in the Junior British League players photos shown last week. My thanks to Paul Stimpson for manning the fort whilst I was at the Island Games in Jersey.
It seems the weekly articles are viewed very widely, so a hello to all those I met last week who regularly look at ‘Friday Photos’, particularly those from the Cayman Islands.
Click here to scroll to last week’s pictures
This week the pictures area tribute to a remarkable and golden couple of English table tennis – Jack and Elsie Carrington. Elsie sadly passed away earlier this year at the wonderful age of 94 years. I was privileged to have met Elsie in the last few years and her niece has left a wonderful legacy to the Association of many photographs, trophies, medals and other material on long term loan. These are presently being catalogued.
Elsie’s niece would like to pass on her appreciation to all those who attended Elsie’s funeral and for all those who contributed to the £300 which was raised for the National Autistic Society.
As well as sharing some of the photographs with some known names there are also many, particularly at training camps (Lilleshall Hall and Butlin’s Holiday Camps included) where players are not known. Any help with identification in these would be most welcome.
Please contact me on [email protected]
Photo 1
Jack and Elsie Carrington
Photo 2
Jack in the RAF, middle row, far left. It was while in the RAF that Jack met Johnny Leach and went on to coach him to his World Championships medal as well as forming a very successful doubles partnership which included a silver medal in the 1947 World Championships and gold at the English Open in November 1950 and silver in 1949 and March 1950.
Photo 3
Jack with Vera Dace at the 1946 English Open where they reached the finals. Vera Dace (later Mrs Thomas) became a double world champion when she was a member of the winning Corbillon Cup team in 1947 and 1948.
Photo 4
A training camp, Jack is standing with Adrian Haydon and on the right hand side, fourth down, is Adrian’s daughter, Ann Haydon – later Ann Haydon-Jones the Wimbledon champion (a bit of topicality this week!)
Photo 5
Lilleshall Hall, 1966
Photo 6
Lilleshall Hall July 1966
Photo 7
Jack Carrington table tennis week 1966
Photo 8
Lilleshall Hall training camp 16th July 1966
Photo 9
Butlin’s Holiday Camp, Bognor Regis, 1969
Photo 10
Butlin’s with Jack and Elsie Carrington
Photo 11
Butlin’s training camp
Photo 12
Training camp with Jack and Elsie Carrington
The identifications from last week:
Photo 1
Mark Brook, Darren Wright, Wesley Holland – probably from Bradford or West Yorkshire.
Photo 2
John O’Leary, Simon Jablon, Gerry Ashison, David Purdy
Photo 3
Far right Robert Flowerday, others unknown
Photo 4
Unknown, Paul Smith, Scott Dawtry, Trevor Griffiths
Photo 5
Stuart Rose, Daniel Welsh, Nicky Hobson-West
Photo 6
Brian Fitzgerald, Damien Lynch, Paul Fitzpatrick, Ger Boyle (Irish Boys Team)
It is believed the pictures were from around 1994 at Bletchley/Milton Keynes, a Friendly hotel was used by the players for the tournament. A key card opened the hotel room doors. However, someone had mixed them all up, so everyone had to wait while each room was allocated by an engineer. Unfortunately, or not, two 15 year olds (no names) were allocated a room with a mini bar – by the morning it was empty!
Diane Webb
July 10, 2015