This week we have three pictures of winning line-ups – can you help to identify the missing information.
Click here to scroll to last week’s pictures
Photo 1
Jill Hammersley, Karenza Mathews, x, Maurice Goldstein, Shelagh Hession, Diane Simpson at the National Club Championships. Date and venue unknown. Has anyone this information and/or more details about the event?
Photo 2
Can you identify who is with Joey Kennedy in this picture, along with date, event and venue?
Photo 3
Three likely lads – Andy Barden, x, Ian Horsham. Can you fill in the third player, date, venue and tournament?
Thanks as always for all the emails, phone calls and Facebook comments this week. All the information is adding enormously to our records.
Below is information gained for last week’s pictures along with pen pictures of some of the more prominent people in them which have not previously been covered. Any additional information or amendments are more than welcome.
Contact me on [email protected] for any comments on this or previous week’s images which can be found under ‘Our Sport’.
Photo 1 – News of the World Coaching Scheme.
Venue: Butlins Holiday Camp, Barry.
Date: Easter 1975.
Occasion: Finals of the News of the World Coaching Scheme.
Back Row: Beverley Green ( Wa) Girl of the Year, Mandy Wallis (Np), x, x, x, x, x, Keith Richardson (Ca) Boy of the Year, Gary Alden? (Np).
Middle Row: Alan Griffiths (WAL), Linda Howard, Susan Howard, Johnny Leach, Jill Hammersley, Richard Yule (SCO).
Front Row: Sam Harmer, Graham Sandley, John Hibberd (Dy), x, x, x.
Pen pictures
Linda Howard (Jarvis) – An England International reaching a world ranking of 24, Linda played in four World Championships with the highest Corbillon Cup Team position of fifth. Six European Championship appearances saw much success – with Jill Hammersley, she won Women’s Doubles gold in 1976 and was a semi-finalist in 1980 and 1982. In the Mixed Doubles, Linda gained another medal, silver with Desmond Douglas in 1980, and was quarter-finalist in 1974 and 1978 (both with Des) and 1982 with Douggie Johnson. In the European League, Linda made more than 40 appearances between 1974-1983.
Commonwealth Championships saw six gold medals – Women’s Doubles 1975 (Jill Hammersley), 1979 (Carole Knight), Mixed Doubles 1975 (Desmond Douglas), 1979 (Jimmy Walker), plus two team championships in 1973 and 1975. Linda also won four silver medals. There was further success at the 15 English Opens Linda played in: Gold in 1977 with Jill Hammersley in the Women’s Doubles, and in 1978 and 1979 in the Mixed Doubles with Desmond Douglas. She won silver in 1980 (Jill Hammersley), Mixed Doubles 1980 and team silver in 1973 and 1980. Linda reached the quarter-finals in the Women’s Singles in 1974, 1975 and 1976 and numerous other semi-final and quarter-final positions.
At the National Championships Linda excelled in the doubles, winning seven golds in the Women’s Doubles – 1973 and 1974 (Karenza Mathews), 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981 (Jill Hammersley) – and more in the Mixed Doubles in 1973 (Alan Hydes), 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982 (Desmond Douglas). Silver medals abounded in the Women’s Singles (1974, 1976, 1978), Women’s Doubles 1975 and 1978 (Jill Hammersley) and Mixed Doubles 1974 and 1980 (Desmond Douglas) and 1978 (Kevin Beardsley).
Truly one of the great doubles players of the English game and often proving the critical match in team competitions.
Johnny Leach, MBE – ETTA Honorary Life Vice-President (2011), ETTA President (1988-2011), ETTA Vice-President 1964, Malcolm Scott Award 1995, Victor Barna Award 1959, ITTF Hall of Fame 1997, MBE 1966.
Johnny Leach, MBE, who passed away earlier this year, was World Champion and England and World No 1 and an England International who made more than 150 appearances for his country and later became England Men’s team captain.
Johnny played in 14 World Championships in the post-war years in the heyday of English table tennis. A member of the wonderful Swaythling Cup Championship winning team in 1953, Johnny was also a team silver medallist in 1952 and gained bronze in 1949, 1950, 1954 and 1955. However, it is the two World Individual Men’s Singles titles in 1949 and 1951 for which Johnny is perhaps best known, and he also reached the semi-finals in 1947 and quarter-finals in 1955. In the Men’s Doubles, four silver medals were won, with Jack Carrington in 1947 and Richard Bergmann in 1952, 1953 and 1954, and he was a semi-finalist in 1951, also with Jack Carrington; Mixed Doubles also saw a silver position with Diane Rowe in 1952 and semi-final slot with Peggy Franks (1949) and Diane Rowe (1951).
Three European Championships appearances and a bronze team medal was added to the collection in 1960.
Fourteen English Open Championships saw further success – Men’s Doubles title holder in November 1950 (Jack Carrington), 1953 (Richard Bergmann), 1960 (Michael Thornhill), and runners-up placings in 1949 (Jack Carrington), November 1953 and 1955 (both Richard Bergmann); Mixed Doubles Gold medallist in 1950, 1952, November 1953, 1956 (all with Diane Rowe), and runner-up in November 1947 (Vera Thomas (Dace)) and April 1953 with Diane Rowe.
Despite the National Championships not commencing until in his late 30s and at the tail end of his playing career Johnny achieved a Men’s Doubles title in the first championships in January 1960 with Michael Thornhill and 1964 with David Creamer and was runner-up with Brian Kennedy in September 1960. The indomitable partnership with Diane Rowe in the Mixed Doubles gained two further gold medals in January 1960 and 1962.
Outstanding – not only for the incredible achievements on the table but for a lifetimes service to table tennis which brought so many honours.
Jill Hammersley (Parker), MBE – ETTA Vice-President 1989, Victor Barna Award 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979. ITTF Ranking Committee Member, ETTA Talent & Coaching Manager, National Coaching Manager. ETTA Level 4 Coach.
England and European No 1, World No 6 in 1976.
Jill played in seven World Championships with the highest finish of fifth in the Corbillon Cup in 1975. In 1979 she reached the last 16 in the Women’s Singles and the Women’s Doubles semi-finals in 1973 with Beatrix Kishazi of Hungary.
Europe was Jill’s supreme stage, playing in no less than 11 Europe Top 12s, with three titles and two second places. At seven European Championships, Jill was a member of the team which included one second and three third places. She was Women’s Singles Champion in 1976 and runner-up in 1978 and 1982; Women’s Doubles winner in 1976 with Linda Howard and runner-up with Beatrix Kishazi in 1972; Quarter-finalist in the Mixed Doubles in 1982 with Douggie Johnson. Between 1969 and 1982 Jill made more than 50 European League appearances.
Commonwealth Championships saw a plethora of medals – three team golds, three Women’s Singles golds, two Women’s Doubles golds (1973 with Susan Howard and 1975 with Linda Howard).
Another gold medal was added to the haul at the Quadrangular Championships in 1968 in the team event.
14 English Open appearances gained Jill Women’s Singles titles in 1976, 1978, 1980 and runner-up in 1970 and 1974; Women’s’ Doubles title in 1977 (Linda Howard) and runner-up in 1971 (Beatrix Kishazi) and 1979 (Linda Howard) and Team winner in 1971.
An unsurpassed record at the National Championships, with seven Women’s Singles titles (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981) and six runner-up places; eight Women’s Doubles titles in 1971 and 1972 (Karenza Mathews), 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981 (Linda Howard), 1983 (Karen Witt)) and two silver medal positions with Linda Howard in 1975 and 1980; two Mixed Doubles titles in 1975 with Nicky Jarvis and 1980 with John Hilton along with runners-up placings in 1976 (Nicky Jarvis), 1977 (Denis Neale), 1979 and 1981 (John Hilton), 1982 (Douggie Johnson).
A truly amazing playing record that brought well deserved honours.
Graham Sandley – An England International who played in two World Championships in 1983 and 1985. A member of the Swaythling Cup team that finished fourth in 1983. In the European Championships, Graham was a member of the 1982 team which finished fifth and with Douggie Johnson got to the quarter-finals of the Men’s Doubles too. Commonwealth Championships in 1985 earned a gold medal in the team event and bronze in 1983. Men’s Doubles saw a semi-final place with Bradley Billington in 1989.
1983 was a successful year in the Quadrangular Championships, winning a team gold, and the following year a runners-up spot with Alan Cooke in the Men’s Doubles at the English Open.
At the National Championships Graham had the misfortune to come against the incomparable Desmond Douglas for most of his playing career. He won one title with Alison Gordon in the Mixed Doubles. In the Men’s Singles he was runner-up in 1982, 1983 and 1984 and quarter-finalist in 1985, 1986 and 1988. The Men’s Doubles saw a silver in 1982 with Douggie Johnson and semi-final positions in 1979 and 1980 (Mark Mitchell), 1983 (Nigel Eckersley), 1984 (David Wells), 1989 (Philip Bradbury). As well as the gold in the Mixed Doubles, Graham was runner-up in 1986 and semi-finalist in 1980, 1983 and 1984, all with Alison Gordon.
Photo 2 – Middlesex Juniors.
Venue: Unknown.
Date: 1951/52.
Occasion: Unknown.
Copyright Peter Madge.
Players: Doreen Spooner, Victor Rappaport (USA), June Bottrill, Ivor Jones, Beverley Spooner, Sigmund Wickelholz (Aut). The team were runners-up to Kent in the Junior County Division in the 1951/52 season.
Photo 3 – Sussex Junior County Team from the Leslie Woollard collection.
Venue: Unknown.
Date: Possibly 1954/55.
Occasion: Unknown.
Copyright: Woods and Porter, Dartford, Kent.
Players: Jimmy Moore, x, Wendy Bates, George Gladwish, x, x. Bill Goldfinch.
Pen pictures
Wendy Bates – A Sussex County player and England International, making her debut against France in Dartford on November 13, 1954. Wendy contributed significantly to England’s 8-2 victory by winning both Singles and Women’s Doubles matches. 1955 was a most successful year for Wendy, winning the Girls’ Doubles at the European Youth Championships that year; at the English Open she won the Junior Mixed Doubles with E Klein (USA), was runner-up in the Junior Girls’ Singles and Junior Girls’ Doubles with Flo Wright, a quarter-finalist in Women’s Doubles with E Thorssen (Sweden) and reached the last 16 in the Women’s Singles.
Bill Goldfinch – Bill was made an ETTA Vice-President in 1973, he was a Sussex County TTA Honorary Life Member as well as being a Worthing TTL Honorary Life Member. Bill held many positions both within the ETTA and at County and Local League level: a National Executive Committee member in the 1950s; ETTA National Umpires and Referees Committee Secretary; Sussex County TTA Secretary; Worthing TTA Chairman; official for both Kent County TTA and Canterbury TTA. Bill became a National Umpire in 1970 and on the playing front played for Kent County.
Despite losing a leg in a motorcycle accident in 1939 Bill was one of the most active sportsmen around and never let his handicap defeat him. In his 90s he was still undertaking the London to Brighton bike ride as well as swimming each day, at the age of 80 Bill set himself the challenge of climbing the three peaks –which he achieved. At the time of his death aged 93, the order for his new mountain bike had to be cancelled.
A truly charming and delightful gentleman who kept himself fully informed with all that was going on in the table tennis world, attending meetings throughout Sussex whenever he could, right up to his passing.
Diane Webb
October 17, 2014