On home soil for this week’s photos which show all the Men’s Singles National Champions from 1960 when the first competition first ran and the tournament was known as the English “Closed” Championships. Originally blocked by Ivor Montagu on the basis that if England’s players could not win the English Open they did not deserve to have their own National Championships, this view was eventually overcome.

In the first Championships, the qualifying rounds were held at Greenwich Baths with the finals at the Royal Albert Hall. There were five events: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. The players below are listed in chronological order from the date of their first title.

This is then followed by a brief history of the Guernsey trophy which was used for the Men’s Singles title from 1973 onwards.

A lot of original photos are missing, so if anyone has any that they can let us have that would be much appreciated. Contact me on [email protected] if you can help.

Bryan Merrett (1959/60)

 

Ian Harrison (1960/61, 1966/67)

 

Robert (Bobby) Stevens (1961/62)

Bobby has been the only unseeded player to win the title.

 

Chester Barnes (1962/63, 1963/64, 1964/65, 1970/71, 1973/74)

 

Denis Neale (1965/66, 1967/68, 1968/69, 1969/70, 1974/75, 1976/77)

 

Trevor Taylor (1971/72, 1972/73)

Trevor is pictured with John McDonnell of sponsors Norwich Union.

 

Desmond Douglas (1975/76, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1989/90)

 

Paul Day (1977/78)

Paul is pictured with ETTA president Maurice Goldstein.

 

Alan Cooke (1987/88, 1988/89, 1995/96, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05)

 

Carl Prean (1990/91, 1992/93, 1994/95)

 

Chen Xinhua (1991/92, 1993/94)

 

Matthew Syed (1996/97, 1997/98, 1999/2000, 2000/01)

 

Alex Perry (1998/99, 2005/06)

 

Andrew Baggaley (2001/02, 2007/08, 2009/10)

 

Paul Drinkhall (2006/07, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2011/12)

 

Liam Pitchford (2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15)

 

The Guernsey Trophy

The Guernsey Trophy has been used as the Men’s Singles National Championships Trophy since 1973. It superseded the original trophy following the England team’s success at the Guernsey Table Tennis Association’s 50th Anniversary Tournament held in May 1972.

Eight teams competed for the solid silver trophy and the title of team champions. David Alderson, Karenza Mathews, Nicky Jarvis and Denis Neale, captained by Bryan Merrett, were the England team. The players comfortably won their group against Wales, Guernsey and the Netherlands before defeating Scotland in the first round of the play-offs 4-1. The final against West Germany’s team of Klaus Schmittinger, Gunter Kocher and Wiebke Hendrikson was another 4-1 victory.

Denis went on to complete a hat-trick of individual titles, the Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles with Nicky Jarvis and the Mixed Doubles with Karenza Mathews. Karenza also won the Women’s Singles event. All in all a very successful and profitable tournament.

It was subsequently decided to use the trophy for the Men’s Singles champion of the National Championships, with Trevor Taylor being the first recipient in 1973. Denis Neale was the only player who helped win the trophy who actually held it as National Champion.