This week there are some more very old photos that were passed on for safe keeping, at the Table Tennis England AGM last weekend, from Les Smith. At the meeting Les received the Keith Ponting President’s Memorial Trophy and very well deserved it was too.
Click here to scroll to last week’s pictures
All photos these photos were originally from Molly Jones (Mrs Hawkins) who played for England in the late 1940s and 1950s. Molly was born in Gloucester on 19th May 1918 and died in 2012. As well as being an England International she played in four World Championships, reaching the quarter-finals of the Women’s Doubles in 1948 with Betty Steventon. Molly also reached the Women’s Doubles semi-finals at the English Open in November 1947 with Jean Mackay.
Playing into her 80s, Molly took part in the World Veterans’ Championships in Manchester in 1998 and came away with two medals – silver in the Over-80s Women’s Singles and bronze in the Over-80s Women’s Doubles with Dorothy de Loew from Australia. She was also successful at European Veterans’ Championships, winning gold in 2003 in the Over-85 Women’s Singles and two bronze medals in the Over-80 Women’s Doubles in 2001 and 2003.
Associated with the Gloucester League and Gloucestershire TT Association, Molly was awarded the honour of Vice-President of Gloucestershire TTA.
Photo 1
England v Wales 15th January 1949, Swansea. England won 7-2.
Front Row: x, x, Joan Crosby (Brock), Molly Jones (Hawkins), x, x.
Back Row: Roy Evans, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, Ron Sharman, Ken Craigie, Eric Filby, x, Ron Crayden.
Welsh players : M Smith, W Sweetland, Miss B Gray, S Jones, Miss A G Bates, J Davies, npc Roy Evans.
Photo 2
England v Ireland 10th November 1949, Belfast.
England team: Johnny Leach, Peggy Franks, Ron Crayden, Molly Jones, Ronnie Allcock, Wally Poole.
Photo 3
All England Team v USA World Championships Team 21st February 1949, Cheltenham Town Hall.
Joan Brock (Crosby), Richard Bergmann, Marty Reisman, Thelma Thall, x, Peggy McLean, Molly Jones (Hawkins), Richard Miles.
Photo 4
Front Row: Molly Jones, x, x, Ivor Eyles, Aubrey Simons, x.
Back Row: none known.
Photo 5
X, x, x, x, Molly Jones, Victor Barna, Peggy Franks, Johnny Leach, Jack Carrington.
Photo 6
At the table: Victor Barna, Peggy Franks, Jack Carrington, Johnny Leach – not a bad exhibition match with three World Champions playing!
Photo 7
Molly Jones receiving a trophy from ?
Photo 8
Molly with her two medals from the World Veterans Championships, Manchester 1998.
As the photos are from so long ago it is more in hope than expectation that there will be any identifications of those not named or venue and dates. I hope, however, you enjoy looking at some of the photos from the golden days of English table tennis.
Please contact me on [email protected] if you do have any information.
The identifications from 10th July 2015:
I would like to thank those that have contacted me and for the input from those at the 100 Club Dinner after the Table Tennis England AGM last weekend and also from my club at Bexhill last night. Most of the pictures are around 50 years old so to get even some names was pretty impressive. Do get in touch if by looking at these again, with names, it brings back some memories and some information on the people, places or date.
Many thanks, as always.
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
Training course at Lilleshall. At the far side of the tables, Jack Carrington is standing with Adrian Haydon. On the right hand side, fourth down, is Adrian’s daughter, Ann Haydon – later Ann Jones the Wimbledon Champion.
Photo 5
Lilleshall Hall, 1966.
Front Row: From the right: x, Pat Wales, Susan Woodward, Margaret Peacock, Jane Branston, Rod Savage, Jack Carrington, Elsie Carrington, Graham Binney (Birmingham), x, Andrea Day, x.
Middle Row: From the right: Tony Sheldon, x, x, x, Peter Coleman, Dave Lawes, Ivor Purcell, Malcolm Gills, Brian Mitchell, Chris Hall, x, Stuart Benton, Mike Ballard, Mike Hughes.
Back Row: From the right: Reg Keighley, Dave Baker, John Broadman, Ian Knight, John Salmon, Reg Whyte, Ken Wolsley, Frank Roberts.
Rod Savage and Graham Binney are wearing the ETTA Coach badge so I assume that they were assisting Jack and Elsie with the coaching on this occasion.
Photo 6
Lilleshall Hall July 1966.
Jack and Elsie Carrington are in the centre and I think that could be Len Adams to their right. No other identifications.
Photo 7
Jack Carrington table tennis week 1966.
Jack and Elsie centre, front row. No other identifications.
Photo 8
Lilleshall Hall training camp 16th July 1966.
Jack and Elsie Carrington, centre with Graham Binney (again) sitting next to Jack.
No other identifications.
Photo 9
Butlin’s Holiday Camp, Bognor Regis, 1969.
Jack and Elsie Carrington centre, front. No other identifications.
Photo 10
Butlin’s with Jack and Elsie Carrington.
No other identifications.
Photo 11
Butlin’s coaching camp.
Jack and Elsie Carrington centre, seated. No other identifications.
Photo 12
Coaching camp with Jack and Elsie Carrington, centre, seated. On the far right of the second row it looks like Karenza Smith (Mathews) and on the far left, Lesley Bell (Radford). Is that Brian Hill sitting in front of Elsie too?
Diane Webb
July 17, 2015