Vol. VIII. No.2

OCTOBER,

1949

Official Magazine of the Publishers:

E,NGLISH TABLE TENNIS WALTHAMSTOW ASSOCIATION PRESS. LTD.•

69. Victoria Street. Guardian House. London. S.W.I London. E.17

THE PRESS AND TABLE TENNIS WE have always acknowledged the valuable sup­

port given to table tennis by the Press, both local and national, and it is a special pleasure to draw attention to two large-scale schemes of prac­tical development which are being sponsored by national journals this winter.

The " SPORTING RECORD" Schools' Tournament enters its second year with every prospect of a greatly increased entry.

Last year's semi-finals brought together such far-flung teams as Oldham, Rhondda, Sitting­bourn;e and Bournemouth; who can doubt the value of such meetings of young talent?

Now the " DAILY MiRROR" announces an all-Britain tournament which has several uriique features. It is the first championship on a nation­wide scale, and the ~rst to include competitors not only from England but from our sister associations of Wales and Scotland.

Although th'e' contests are for individuals (Men's, Women's, Boys' and Girls'), the monetary prizes are to go mainly to the leagues and clubs nomi­nated by the winners at the start of the tournament! By finding a junior boy or girl win­ner, a league can become £40 rich·er and a club ,£10. Perhaps this w~ll help to find those shy young ladies we are looking for for our junior teams.

Furthermor,e, to encourage the " rank and file," entry in each of the four events is restricted to

E.T.T.A. EDITORIAL BOARD General Editor: JACK CARRINGTON.

A ssociate Editors: GEORGE WHITE and LESLIE WOOLLARD.

1. MONTAGU, W. J. POPE, A. K. VINT, W. F. ATKINS Copy for Ithe November issue should reach Mr. L. S. W'oollard at 12, Campbell Road,

Bedford, not later than 20th October.

Circulation Manager: GEOFFREY HARROWER. 68, Gloucester Road, New Barnet, Herts. "TABLE TENNIS" is published on the first

Thursday of each month, September to May. Subscription: Single issue, 7d., post free;

Full year (9 issues), 5s. Od., post fre'e.

those who have never represented t~eir country or won an open championship in that particular class.

* * * IN LIGHTER VEIN

Just as a woman feels naked without cosmetics, some firemen whose dentures froze in bedside tumblers admitted feeling nude without their customary disguise. To emphasize the point, the story is told of a burglar who used table tennis balls to puff his cheeks and alter his appearance. He became so much of a table tennis ball fan that, wearing them in off-duty hours, he was recognised and-- ! A sad story of misapplied interest.

Retold from an article on !Beauty tn "The Leader," June 11th, 1949.

* * * NOT HOBSON'S CHOICE

Television critic Harold Hobson is either no table tennis fan or he's been reading too much Beachcomber. In" The Listener" for last March he wrote:­

"Perhaps the most interesting thing I have seen, apart from 'Macbeth,' was the transn1ission of the quarter-final n1atches in the Men's Table Tennis Championships at Wembley. This programn1e did manage to convey an emotion. The sight of two men, one of whom periodically made sub-human or animal noises, hitting a tiny celluloid ball back and forth endlessly with an unseen crowd wildly applauding every time a hit was, successful, offered a strange commentary on the pro.gress of civilisa­tion. I daresay that if two grown men entered a bubble-blowing' competition, a crowd could be collected to cheer them on. And I daresay, too, that the contest would be televised."

* * * A CROSSWORD 'ON THE GAME

You may have often heard that table tennis is a gflme for the brainy.intellect. We recently en­countered it in the lordly squares of " THE TIMES" crossword puzzle, clued a~ "Game is 'on' and the service quick, where you sit down to dinner." A correspondent further assures us that he met "Table Tennis" in three different crosswords in a single week, and we personally have met at

· least three T.T. players who haven't got a clue!

A WELSHMAN LOOKS AT THE WORLD

by, JOHN DAVIES

Welsh Champion

MY trip to Stockholm last _spring re:ally was my first look at the " World " of big table tennis.

Mark you, I count nlyself very lucky to have had this chance of a " look" so early in nlY play­ing career. True, I had represented my country against England a little earlier in the season, but I had no illusions about that. I knew my game \vas still decidedly raw, and I was fortunate that the Welsh selectors were looking to future possi­bilities rather than present performance!

My luck continued . . . although not chosen for the Welsh team to go to the World Champion­ships, WALTER SWEETLAND, our fine all-rounder, found himself unable to travel and a place fell open for me.

The greatest players I had seen up to then were BERGMANN, LEACH and BARNA, and I was eaten up with curiosity to see what sort of players could possibly cause trouble to such as these. Surely they would have to have something extra special. I think I expected some of them to chop three or four times heavier than myself (not very difficult!) and others to hit a forehand drive six times as fast as my own at that time. I was not dis­appointed.

Sixty hours of travelling via Holland, Germany and Denmark didn't do much to dispel my nervous eagerness, and it wasn't only the dazzling neon lights of Stockholm that made sleep difficult that firs t night.

Nevertheless, the dawn could hardly come quick enough for me, and I was an early caller at the ERIKSDALSHALLE, where the Swaythling Cup Inatches had just started.

A doz.en players were in action on the centre tables and a crowd of a thousand or so were milling to their seats as I took my first look aro~nd. For a while it was hard to sort anything out at all, until . . . C: R A C K ! ... Above the babble this noise like a pistol shot rang out.

All heads turned to No. 3 table, where a tall, pale youth stood carelessly twirling his bat wait­ing for his opponent to retrieve I the ball-which we felt must surely be' embedded in a waH some-whe're.

This was MARTY REISMAN, of U.S.A.., intro­ducing hin1self to the Swedish spectators!

As my eyes ranged the other tables I espied a master of a different type. Deftly sending the ball streaming to all parts of the table, while apparently ~noring ilie strenuous e~rts of h~ oppone~ ~

Page Two

stem the tide, was a tall, well-built and kindly looking fellow whom I realised was the great IVAN ANDREADIS.

Before long I was to see in the flesh many other stars of the \vorld stage who up to that time had been only descriptions in Table Tennis to me.

The very large man in very snlall shorts bUlnp­ing the ball with sledgehammer blows, either

'backhand or forehand, was SIDO. In complete contrast, hopping around retrieving these mighty hits from out of the blue, little JOSEF KOCZIAN practised religiously with his colossal team-mate vvhenever a table became free for a moment.

n Those guys ain't bad," I said to myself, relapsing into the American language to give my­self a little of the confidence I didn't feel!

At this' moment I espied what I thought was an enlpty American-badged lumber-jacket swing­ing a table tennis bat, but on closer inspection it turned out to be inhabited by the wispy RICHARD MILES. I was rather shaken. How could this frail, nlonk-like individual be the favourite for the World Title?

As if to answer my question, Miles rolled his . dark grey flannels nearly~)up to his knees and" got cracking." Tiny feet darting into position, slender wrist flashing his bat in rapier fashion • • • I saw how a table tennis ball could re'ally travel.

By comparison, the hitting of the Swede, Continued on page 3

OUR

COVER

PICTURE

JOHN DAVIES, 22-year-old art student. is an all-round player with a preference for attack. He has an attractive style, and since returning from Stockholm and undergoing special summer practice with the Welsh captain, Roy Evans, seems to be able to

combine style with effectiveness. John certainly learned quickly at Stockholm.

for he modestly omits to mention ·~hat in the match against America he took both Reisman and IMiles to 3 games, and only lost to Koczian of Hungary at deuce scores.

.I~~~__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I

FLISBERG, and the older French players rather disappointed me: The young LANSKOY, however, looked really graceful with his adapted American style, although in effectiveness one could see that he was not yet in the highest company.

had heard much of GUY AMOURETTI'S chop, and was glad of. the chance to study it at close quarters. It was certainly heavy, even aggressive, but to me it looked reasonably "hittable"-not like the stuff Miles dished 01.1t.

The American girls went for the ball with the same gusto as their men did; in fact, I thought I could get along quite well with a PEGGY McLEAN forehand drive. She and THELMA THALL were very popular for their obyious enjoyment of their games. Naturally this sonletimes led to careless­ness, a fa l "1lt which I soon realised could never be laid at the door of the European girl wizards. The Czechs, HRUSICOVA and FUERSTOVA, ,were won­derfully stea<;ly in defence and cautious in attack; but, of course, it was left to TRUDI PRITZl (Austria) and GIZI FARKAS (Hungary) to show me " carefulness " carried to the last extreme.

I had heard that no World Championship is complete without its much-debated "' chiselling match," and I did not think I could possibly watch one with any interest. But 1, like the spectators, found myself compelled to watch the Pritzi-Farkas time-limit games out of utter anlazem:ent and a certain amount of adnliration for the marvellous concentration of these two girls.

M interested me also to se~ some penholder-style players in world class. All the Brazilians played this way, in addition to the wooden bat experts MARINKO and DOLINAR. However, their shortcomings were apparent when they played the top men, and in the case of our Brazilian friends, I heard that they went home to revise their styles to the -modern pattern.

I have so far omitted one famous name. It was not until the second day that I saw the one and only BOHUMIL VANA, of Czechoslovakia, but I found him worth waiting for. He impressed me deeply by his machine-like top­spinning forehand, his footwork and his precise drop­shot.. One has to see Van,a to appreciate the "' tightness" 9f hIS game, the sense of purpose in every move of his play.

* * * So you can bet I enjoyed my first international

expedition in the W'elsh colours. Did I learn from it too?

Well, when I left Wales my game consisted of a rather exaggerated topspin forehand drive, a backhand drive on the same lines, but less reliable, and my defence was ,plain weak. I came home, r beIieve, with the be­ginnings of a much more effective drive, and far better idea of tactics, although needing further practice to work everything out properly. As for my defence, I .. can assure you that improved over there, out of sheer necessity.

Now, looking back., my m.ost encouraging memory is of tbe great variety of styles by which al top,-class player can assert himse,lf. In other wG'rds, nobody ne'ed despair.

Summing up, I came homle from thel big" world" much more experienced, a' little less awed--8iDd more than a little hopeful.

NEWS FROM E.T.T.A. HEADQUARTERS TOUR OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

The following team has been selected to tour Czecho- ... slovakia during the first fortnight in November; A. W. Simons, Bristol; K. Craigie, Middlesex; D. Miller, Middlesex; L. Devereaux, Torquay; Mrs. J. Crosby, Exeter; Miss R. Rowe, Ealing; Non-playing Captain, A. K. Vint.

"THE J.M. ROSE BOWL 11 AND THEII

I' WILMOTT CUP" These national team competitions-the " Wilmott

Cup" for teams of three men, and the "J .M. Rose Bowl" for women, are now being organised. Details have been sent to secretaries, but late entries can still be sent in to the E.T.T.A. office at 69, Victoria Street, London, S.W.I. Closing date October 15th.

THE RULES OF TABLE TENNIS' Complete and up-to-date Rules, printed on cardboard,

are now available from E.T.T.A. office (as above). Each sheet is 21 t x 14t inches, with hanging cord attached.

Single copies cost Is. plus postage 4td.; bulk orders 1s. per copy with reduced figure for postage.

THE FLAT-HAND SERVICE RULEII !I

1949 AMENDMENT Ball must tra"el Upwards from the

Open Palm In the experience of this m1agazine, no subject

has elver promlpted so many letters as the "IOpen­Hand Service" rule"

And the strange part of thils is that no letter ever says' "T'OIS IS A G\OOD RlJLE." T'hey either say 6' THIS IS A BAD RULE" or "AS THIS RUL:E. IS NIOW WITiH US, WE MUST DO MIORE TO ENSURE THAT IT IS PROPERLY OBSERVED."

This d'nes not prove anything of itself; it ma.y simply mean tha!t those who are happy with the rule do not bother to write letters abc'llt it.

Yet the rule does not seem, to be growing nlore populail' in spite of the conscientious efforts o.f the majority" However, the International Federation cc,nfirm,ed it at tbis year's Congress and la.id it down that in future the bali must clearly be pro· jected verticalily UPW:ARDS from the open pallm -the'service may not be m,ade by dropping'the baH downwards or drawing the band a'wa,y.

So th~ rule is with us for at least another season and we shall all do our best to resp'ect it. Mean­while it would be interesting to hear from readers (aictive pblyers) who ccnsidelr that it is an improve­ment on' the previous rule (whereby the ball cDuld be rele!31sed from the fingers so long as no spin was imparted).

GRIMSBY Finishing strongly in the second division, a team con­

sisting of four veteran members of the Grimsby T.T.A. -only one of them was born in this century! -are now looking around for challengers.

Total "handicap" carried is 206 years, and they wish to try their strength with any foursome of similar n1aturity.

Come on, the Vets, don't let thenl get away with it. Acceptances to: A. V. Cordiner,

2, Reynolds Street, Cleethorpes, Lincs.

(Telephone: Cleethorpes 61561.)

Page Three

EAST OF ENGLAND OPEN SKEGNESS, 24-25 SEPTEMBER RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS: An infectiou~ gaiety nlade the East of England Open

more of a happy, holiday reunion of old friends more interested in enjoying some lively table tennis than in pot-hunting.

The 154 entries, more than double last year, came from as far afield as Cheshire and Lancs. to Kent and Surrey. It needed snlart work to get through, and an extension of play to midnight, but the efficient combination of M·erryweather-Brown-Sendell-Atkinson kept the ball rolling rapidly.

Results of a pre-season tournament can frequently be misleading for selectors, but can be useful pointers. The keynote here was some crisp action, hard-hitting and very little chiselling. Shorts were favourite masculine attire.

There were many little flashes which sparkled the eye and warnled the heart. Two of the brightest sparklets were I8-year PETER SKERRATT and I6-year DOROTHIE MUNNINGS, both of Scunthorpe.

Small, pugnacious shock-headed Peter is a natural player, impressing us with sound defence and very nice hard driving, and a great will-to-win. It needed Ken Craigie to knock him out with a keenly disputed quarter­final in the M.S. Then, partnered by KATHLEEN PEAKE, came the great home victory in the Mixed Doubles over Bernard Crouch and Mrs. Lammin. (Incidentally, Peter and Kathleen were finalists in the N orth-East England last April.)

,DOROTHIE MUNNINGS, with .still two years as a junior, brought the first surprise with a two-straight win over MARGERY LIGHTFOOT, the holder, and while we may temper this result with caution, DOROTHIE is a lassie with a sound, steady game and temperament who seems well worth developing, and it's good to hear her performance has earned ,her No, 1 place in the County team.

Local talent seems on the upward grade, and among others, BUTTERY was noted in giving the winner RONNIE ALLCOCK, a close match. M. MEDD (Hull) took a game off KENNEDY, and ,G. KIDD picked one off Carrington.

It was a delightful pleasure to see the flashing bats of NORMA BISHOP and EILEEN GRIMSTONE emphasising that the ladies can play games which should attract the audience, and SHELAGH WOOD looks like a sure-and­steady winner in the future. There was a brave fight in the Women's Singles, when AUDREY BRAY, at 12-'-2 down fought back to level scores, although finally losing to a very determined lEAN SMURlHWAITE (Sheffield).

And "now we are reminded of the Proffittical " Notes" of September: '" RONNIE ALLCOCK is destit;led for the spotlight," and in view of Ronnie's great win, wise youngsters might note that Stan Proffitt also mentioned that Ronnie hasn't missed a day's practice since he came from the forces.

Ronnie, one of the few left-handers here, played dourly throughout, and didn't appear worked in until ' his second game of the Final with Ken Craigie. Craigie went straight to the attack, hitting very hard forehand from the backhand side of the table, his favourite tactics which brought him the first game for 9 against. Then Ronnie got going, getting in some brilliant counterhits, while Craigie was set running round his forehand. The third game showed clever tactics at a fast pace, each trying to out-position the other. Allcock, with a wider range of shots, had the advantage and hauled out a good lead, which, despite Craigie's great efforts, gave him a very worthy victory.

Page Four

M.S. K. Craigie (London) bt. B. Kennedy (Le.eds): 15, 15. R. Allcock (Manchester) bt. J. Head (Surrey): 20, 15.

W.S. Miss J. Smurthwaite (Sheffielll) bt. Mrs. Heading (Surrey): -20, 10, 14.

Miss A. Bray (Huddersfield) ht. Miss D. Munnings (Scunthorpe), 16, -16, 17.

J.S. B. Cartwright (Sheffield) bt. D. Burridge (London): 19,10.

B. Hunt (Sheffield) bt. G. Ellis (Grimsby): 12, 14. FINALS:

M.S. R. 1t\lIcock bt. K. Craigie: -9, 15, 18. W.S. Miss J. Smurthwaite bt. Miss A. Bray: 9, -19, 15. M.D. B. ,Crouch and R. Turner bt. J. Head and K.

Hurlock: 19, -18, 17. X.D. P. Skerratt and Miss K. Peake bt. B. Crouch and

Mrs. Lammin: -14,18,23. W.D. Miss M. Lightfoot and Miss S. Wood bt. Miss

Grimston and Mrs. Bishop: .19, -19, 13. Y.S. B. Cartwright bt. B. Hunt: 12, 13.

PETER SKERRATT (Scunthorpe). winner of the Mixed Doubles with Kathleen Peake.

" Sma II, pug nacious, shoe k-headed I" says our correspondent. Most of the shocks occur at the other end of the table when Peter gets going with his Reisman-type forehand.

(Photo by courtesy of Butlin's Ltd.)

IN THE WEST WESTERN C10UNTIES LEAGUE is running on a

restricted scale this year. The men's first division '.con­tains only four teams. The ladies' division has been abandoned for the time being, and so BIRMINGHA~l

ladies, the holders, are looking for matches against strong teams. Any takersl?

NORTHERNER'S NOTE-BOOK yOUTH, the life's blood of every p,rogressive

sport, has a golden opportunity to advance in table tennis d~ring the present winter. In Northern circles ambitious steps are being taken· to further their interest. Although the season is only in its infancy, officials have not been dormant. In fact, they have been very much awake and. plans ~re under way to visit Civic Youtb Clubs with a series of; exhibition matches. Man behind the scheme is maestro BILL WORSLEY.

Names blueprinted to take part are .not the established internationals, but the potentIal stars such as ALLCOCK, ELLISON, PIERCE, BAKER, DALY, SMITH and the like. The idea is two-fold. First, it will be a heaven-sent opportunity for these star­lets to be in continual practice against each other, while previously they have met in competiti?n onl.y on rare occasions. Secondly, a young audIence IS

apt to look with awe upon th~ int~rnational and then proceed to plod along wIth hIS or her own practice in the normal w~y. .

It is thought that the IncentIve for t.he youth menlbers to improve their ow.n standards woul? be sharpened if they were to vIew. ex~er~s of theIr own age performing. To my mInd It IS a great scheme. All of thos·e of whom I have seen recently .are playing magnificently, hitting with the,

(International of Barna and Brook) Complete Sports Specialist & Outfitter. A nything in Sport ? We can supply it.

The Bat everyone wa nts THE NEW

ALEC BROOK (Baily) BAT has perfect balance a,nd the orthodo~ grip. Made

according to your own requirements. Handle-Cork (I). ..

Wooden. Small hand (2). II Av. (3).

Blade-Attack (a). Defensive (b). Medium (c).

COST-I 0/-. Please quote number and letter.

Table Tennis bat rubber. Fast, Medium or Slow, 1/­per piece. Zip Bat Covers, 6~6d. How to PI~y Ta~le Tennis, by Victor Barna, 1/2, inC. post.. Special Shirts in Royal, Navy, Maroon, ,Green and White, 26/6 each. Super de Luxe T.T. posts, the latest type, 12/3 pa ir.I' . Tournament Table Tennis Tables, 35 Gns., Jaques £40. Football Bladders, size 5, Clearance 3/- each. Boys' and Youths' Boxing Gloves from 10/-. Air Beds for

lawn or beach, 52/6d. I EAST STREET HORSHAM SUSSEX I

Telephone 1833.

by STANLEY PROFFITT

speed of fork-lightnin~ and d~fentfing res~lutely; thus, as well as servIng admI~ably the two-fold purpose, the spectacle is destined to. be, of good entertainnlent value. In order to aId the push, ARTHUR WAITE is to demonstrate strokes and com­pere the show. Arthur has ~ow fo.und his niche in the game other than Journahs!U and ~as geveloped into as grand a pers.onahty speakll~g through the microphone as he IS .aw~y from It.

The time to stage such events IS rIpe, for no longer do adolescents skulk t~rough the streets \vith racquets concealed on theIr person. To-d~y they stroll along nlain thoroughfares proudl.y dIS­playing them, and often are to be heard In hot discussions on the game en route. In day schools where th·e Civic Youth Movements take place in the evening, league t'ables and comments tal<e up most of the notice boards. This all indicates a popularity far in advance of the ~eri?d be~ween the two world wars, and should In tIme gIve a new-look to the general standards in the North. The 'time cannot come too soon'!

Hopeful reports have been received on the form of WENDY BLADES (first mentioned) in this column last season). Wendy hails fronl Leeds, and though still at school, is being tutored. by old­timer STAN ROSENBERG. Probably she IS far to immature to foreshadow stardom, but along with DOROTIIEA MUNNINGS, of Scunthorpe, is progre~s­ing on nl0re than favourable lines. .

It is a worth-while ainl for these two gIrl.s, or any other for that 'matter, to strive for the highest honours. The country's need in the women's department is urgent. ~o, of cou:se, is that of t~e men. But whereas our Swaythhng Cup team IS running on an even keel, the Corbill.on Cup ~~m­bination in the past have set a glorIOUS tradItIon and we must not let it slip from our grasp. ~ERA THOMAS, PBGGY FRANKS and company have done yeomen's work but cannot be 'expected to carry on indefinitely. . . .

Meanwhile, the County ChampIonshIp gOSSIp holds the stage. No" great shakes" in t!te com­petition are predicted for .the Red or WhIte Rose counties. Nevertheless, wIth an eye to the future, and still on the sartl·e youthful strain, the selectors are building.

Great interest is centred on the LANCASHIRE v. WARWICKSHIRE clash at Oldham on October 8th, and that of LANCASHIRE v. GLOUCESTER at Cheltenham on October 29th. Both are of gr~at attraction, and I hear that for the home match the tickets are going so well that it is, likely to b,e a "sell out."

Page Five

RICHAR:D

BERGMANN World Singles Title holder 1936/7, 1938/9,

and 1947/8. Three times Open Champion of England, also France, Holland, Wales, Scotland, Barcelona, etc., now writes ex­clusivel'y for CAVALCADE.

His comprehensive survey touches every aspect of the Sport - Match Report·s­Technique - Sidelights 00 Personalities-­Events at home and abroad-and" Behi-nd the Scenes."

No Table Tennis fan can afford to miss this fascinating commentary by the foremost exponent of the Sport, appearing each we'ek throughout the season in

On sale ev~ry Monday 3d. at all newsagents and bookstalls or from the' publisher 4d. (post free) 44, Hopton Street, London, S.E.I.

Page Six

Table Tennis Trains Says LESLIE FORREST

TABLE tennis in Yorkshire has always had a great following among the outdoor sportsmen

for whom the county is famous·. Typical of the friendly interest shown by York­

shire's all-round athletes are these messages from TED LESTER and DICK WILLIAMS, each nationally famous in their sphere.

'fed Lester, a Scarborough League table tennis player, has become a county batsman of great

SHELAGH WOO.D with DENNIS COMPTON

value-in t\VO successive innings during August he scored 140 and 186, in spite of a full day's fielding in the hot sun in between the two knocks. Ted \vas actually awarded his Yorkshire county cap (for cricket I mean) before BRIAN CLOSE.

Incidentally, 18-year-old Brian Close, who got his England Test cap and then his Yorkshire cap, in that order, ~s himself a keen T.T. player.

Dick Williams, that tough Rugby man from Leeds, plays for the Victoria Table Tennis Club in that city; last season he turned up as an unexpec­ted addition to the ranks of Yorkshire supporters at the away match with Gloucestershire at Gloucester.

* * * Of course, this co-operation betw,een sports is

a two-way affair. For instance SHELAGH WOOD, the youngster who shared the county Doubles title with Margery Lightfoot last season, and the North­East Open with Adele Wood, is an ardent cricket fan - witness the names of h'er favourites embroidered into her sweater. r

Yorkshire Sports Stars

DICK

WILLIAMS

WRITES-

I'm not setting up as an expert on i'able tennis, in fad' I sha II have to steer clear of the technicalities if I don't want my leg pulled by Alan Thompson and my other frionds in Hle Yorkshire team.

In most ways Rugby league football and table tennis are poles apart, but in one way table tenni~ definitely helps me in my major game.

Table 1'ennis is essentially a battle of wits, and to make things more difficult, all the thinking must be done in split seconds. This quick thinking is vital to the game, and coupled with it must be a complei'e co-ordination between mind and body so that they work almost simultaneously.

Many people who watch Rugby League don't associate it with split-second thinking, or with brains in any shape or form! But I can assure you they are needed, and I am still grateful to table tennis for the chance it gives me of sharpening up my impulses.

On the othor side of the balance. I'd like to say )-hat R.L. football demands a standard of physical fitness at least as high as in any other sport. I can heartily recommend our training routino to any would­be candidates for the English Open!

TED

LESTER

WRITES-

When I first staded to play ta ble tennis during the early days of the war, it never occurred to me that it would serve to improve my cricket.

However I have since realised that there is no better win'ter game for helping batsmen. Table tennis tends to cultivate a keen eye, and calls for rematka bly quick footwork; these are weir known to be the two main essentials of good batsmanship.

I can recommend any cricketer, especially ambitious batsmen, who do not already play table tennis during i'he winter, to start immediately. In addition to the enjoyment they will derive, their cricket will most surely benefit.

Page Seven

TOURING Suzy Barna tells the story

LOOKING back on the last two months, they seem more like years. So much has happened since we left

England on June 21 st. We have covered thousands of miles, met hundreds of people, met old friends and made new ones.

But let me start from the beginning. The three weeks on board the" ORCADES" were restful, yet full of events. ,We needed the rest, as the last few weeks before our departure were rather hectic. After a good rest, however, we all rallied. Viktor and Richard excelled in the chess -and deck tennis competitions; Richard also won first prize for the most original fancy dress. We dressed him up as a 'Chines.e coolie, and his costum-e consisted of one sheet

Suzy and a straw hat which I bought in Port Said. I made his fac'e up,Barna

and then Viktor had a brainwave-he must be carrying water; sowith husband Viktor. we found a broomstick and two laundry bags, and the result was

most effective.

,My costume was less original. I went as a Hawaiian girl, but, alas, there were four others! Next time I intend to wear lace panties and go as (iorgeousGussi,e!

KEEPING THE LAUNDRY BUSY Eastern States, but T.rr. in the West is a new pE,OPLE in IColombo got to know that we we~e game, and they are tremendously keen.

on the" ORCADES -" and there were several tele­grams asking for an exhibition while in port. It THE FIRST TEST was difficult to decide which invitation to take. We were met by an old friend, Erin de Selfa, who AFTER a pleasant week in. Perth we flew to was in the Stoll Revue, " Crying Out Loud," with Adelaide, where the first Test Match took Viktor. Erin and her husband, Andree, gave us a plae-e. England won without the loss of a game. lovely day. The exhibition at the Silver Fawn . DR. WALTER LOWEN, MARK DANKIN, JOHN Club was a tremendous success. The crowd of MEHAFFEY and R"EG CLEMENTS were representing about 600-many could not get in-shouted for Australia. Dr. Lowen is the Australian title­more an~ more. The boys were wringing wet; holder and is a good steady all-rounder. He Viktor had to change his shirt four times! played for Poland before the war and" was a team­

The heat was unbearable at times. The mate of Ehrlich's. Mark Dankin also hails from humidity was so intense that whatever you touched Poland, and he has an extremely hard ~hop.

was damp. After Ceylon we passed through the Mehaffey and Clements are Adelaide boys, and monsoon area; the ship began to roll, but our both show great promise. In my opinion they little party proved to be good sailors. Neverthe­ would improve considerably if they would con­less, we were glad to arrive at Fremantle and to centra~e more on defence. Mehaffey is a first­have West Australian hospitality at its best class footballer, and Reg Cle'ments is No. 3 lawn bestow·ed upon us. After a warm civic reception, tennis player in South Australia. we took a look around in Perth, which city is

I must mention here the most wonderful way fortunate enough to have the climate which in which MR. and MRS. RON CARDON have looked California boasts about. The boys gave several

exhibitions and played matches. The standard of after us. Ron is the President of the Australian play in West Australia is not as high as in the T.T.A. His wife; Betty, is a charming girl and

Page Eight

AUSTRALIA TH E PICTU RES:

Right-Richard Bergmann,

their companion on the

tour.

Left-The Australian team.

j he had no top-class competition for the past 12 years. - Class will tell!

.Over to Sydney-ouf last stop infJ Australia. MR. and MRS. SCHACHTEL, President of the New South Wales\ Association, and Marie and Michael Szabados have left no stone unturned to give us a most Inemorable week.

The match at the Sydney ~ Stadium caused' tremendous interest. Six thousand people we were great friend's. We left Southern Australia turned up, causing a traffic jam in front of the

with regrets, but the wonderful view over Tas­Stadium.

mania cheered us up and it reminded us of the Our tour was given great prominence in the

Scandinavian fjords. papers. Action pictures on the front pages, Tasmania's way of living is very English. They broadcasts, newsreels, etc. I did a few broadcasts,

are a gr~nd lot of people~ I had an interesting too, and have expressed opinions on several sub­chat with the Lady Mayoress, who informed me jects. ~ The Australian people are most interested that not since the visit of Sir Lawrence and Lady in World Affairs, but sport is their main interest.

We were assured by all officials that this tourOlivier have Hobart people flocked to see any­will benefit table tennis out here. Their greatthing in so many numbers. The tour there, \too, ambition is to send a team to the World Cham­• \vas a great success. RALPH WILCOX is their best pionships.player, and we believe that he should be ranked

. amongst Australia's best. Richard is playing very well. He is on top form and is very fit and confident, and should be

THE 'MUSKATEERS' MEET AGAIN reckoned with in the neICt Worlg's. Viktor, too, is , \ BACK to the mainland to Melbourne and the playing better than I have steen him play for a

second T~st. This is where the first meeting long time. In spite of the good food, he has lost between MICHAEL SZABADOS and Viktor took weigh~ and looks ten years younger. place. They were delighted to see each other after The standard of 'play amongst the ladies is not so many years, and it was not long before Michael very high. I ente-red a small tournamen,t and won produced a pack of cards and they started the it. I be-Iieve that s'peaks for itself! The Australian inevitable Belotte. Michael's wife, .Marie,. is a "voman is very fashion-conscious and is very well tall attractive blonde, who takes a keen interest in dressed. She is probably the world's hardest the game and is the mother of a lovely five-year­ working housewife, as domestic help is non­old miniature edition of Szabados, the only existent. They do a lot of entertaining and take difference being t1)at Sandor has plenty of hair keen interest in sports, both playing and watching, and does not play' T.T.-yet ! and att,,;ch great importance to the social life.

The second Test was again a victory for And so good-bye to Australia ... on our way England. No less than 10,000 people watched the to New Zealand. The end ·of six most memorable matches during our three days in Melboume. weeks. This strenuous but enjoyable tour is an Szabados played extremely well considering that experience I would not have missed for anything.

Page Nine

LANes & CHESHIRE OUT OF N. MIDLAND DIVISION A FIRST-CLASS sensation has been caused by

.the withdrawal of Cheshire and Lancashire 2nds from the North_ Midland Division. It is understood that finance and travelling p,layed the biggest parts in this decision. It will be remem­bered that only a few months ago Cheshire were challenging Yorkshire for a plaee in the Premier Division.

This change means that the North Midl~nd

Division will now consist of four counties (Derby­shire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Yor'kshire West Riding) playing honle and away matches. In actual fact, each of these four counties will get one extra match.

The other main item of news conoerns Devon­shire. You will recall that last month I reported that both Kent and Surrey had agreed to play home and away matches with Devon, and news is now to hand that Hampshire have agreed like­wise. The other county in this division, Sussex, will play Devon one nlatch only, for four points, in Sussex.

Devonshire may be new members, but they cer­tainly set an example to many other counties by the way they are going about arranging fixtures. Two matches with Kent and one with Surrey have already been fixed, whilst a match with Hampshire at the end of October has been suggested.

Of course, J realise that J am only the Sec-retary of the Championships, and therefore the last chap to get to know about fixtures, but it would help out all round if counties took more notice of Rule

Geoffrey Harrower's

County Championship R·eview

10, which requires them to notify their fixtures \vhen arranged. Gloucestershire, Kent and York­shire are other counties who conform rigidly to this rule: and let's hope that in the next issue I will be able to give you all th~ November fixtures, instead of just a selection, as is happening with the October fixtures this issue.

Below I show all the fixtures that are due to be played in Octob·er, together with such information as is to hand at the time of writing this article.

PREMIER DIVISION Yorks:hire v. Middlesex ~O'ctober 29th, Bradford). Surrey v~ Esse:x (O'ctober 10th, Wimbledon Ba,ths). Lancashire v. Warwickshire (October 8th, IOldham). Gloucestersbire v. Lancashire (October 29th,

Cheltenham). A surprise has been caused by the decision of

Surrey to leave out Swaythling Cup player RON SHARMAN from their team to play Essex. Team: RON CRAYDEN, JACKIE HEAD, HARRY VENNER, PINKIE BARNES and ELSIE WEAVER. This will be the first appearance that Venner has lllade for the first team, and Elsie Weaver's first appearance in county matches.

SOUTHERN DIVISION Sussex Vo Haim.pshire. Kent v. Surr'ey (IOctober 28th, Sheerness).

CHAMPION COUNTY v. THE REST Although the only publicity so far given to this match has been last month's story in the

Magazine and a few brief notes in the daily press, nevertheless advance sales of tickets have already accounte~ fo.r nearly ·half the capacity. A leaflet is being sent to some 1,500 clubs in early October, an~ it is therefore anticipated that a full-house notice will be exhibited before the actual day. '

There is no dd\ubt that the controversy which is at present raging as to the merHs or other­wise of white clothi'ng, whether or not it interferes with your sight of the ball, whe'~her or not players would keep their whites clean under certain tournament. conditions, etc., has created more ,than usual interest in the match.

It should be stressed that this is an experiment conducted at the request of the International Table Tennis Federation. It does not mean that the English Table .,Tennis Association are in favour of white for .table tennis: the National Execui"ive Committee have not yet ~ven discussed its practica bility: they prefer to wa it for some evidence for or against before deliberating on a subject of such importance.

The Association will be very pleased to have opinions as a result of this match, and indeed any evidence in favour or against the use of white clothing, as a Report will be made to the International Federation in due course.

1'0 revert to the match. Friday, 21 st October, 7 p.m. at the Paddington Baths, Qu-eensway, W.2. Tickets at 7/6 and 5/- (reserved) and 3/- (un reserved). Specia I red uction to Cou nty Association mem bers, reserved seats available at 6/- and 4/- ·respectiveJy.

Tickets from G. R. Harrower, 68, Gloucester Road, New Barnet, Herts.

Page Ten

Atherton Paints White Clothing Too Black County Championships, contin,!cd from page 10

EAST ANGLIAN DIVISION. Ca:m,bridgesbire v. SufIolik. Middlesex v. Nc'rfolk (November 2nd, Norwich). Norfolk and Suffolk have arranged to play both

their fixtures with Middlesex at home, and, in fact, they will on each occasion be played on con­secutive days; therefore Middlesex will play Suffolk at Lowestoft on November 3rd.

HOME COUNTIES DIVISION Bucki'Dghamsbire v. Hertfordshire (October 14th,

Aylesbury). Bedfordshire v. Berkshire.

NORTH MIDLAND DIVISION Lincolnshire v. Yorkshire (W.Riding) (October 22nd,

Spalding). Yorkshire v. Leicestershire. Leicest:ersbire v. Derbyshire.

NORTHERN DIVISION . CUDlberland v'. Northumberland (October 15th,

Carlisle)" Durham v. Yorkshire N. & E. Riding (October 22nd,

Bishop Auckland). JUNIOR DIVISION

Essex v. Snrre'y (October 29th, S,t. Andrew's Han~ Billericay)"

Surrey v. Bedfordshire (October 19th, Weybridge). Hertfords'hil'e v. Cambridgeshire (October 22nd, St.

Albans). Middlesex v. Kent (October 15th, Sittingbourne).

Every Week

VICTOR BARNA writes in

SPORTING RECORD

The Family All-Sports Weekly. Giving News and Views of

Table Tennis and its Personalities

SPORTI,N,G RECORD • The Best News on all sports by an

unrivalled team of contributors.

• The Woman's View

• Junior Recorders' Club • The Paper for all the fan1ily

Make sure and tell your newsagent to leaveyour copy regularly Wee'kly 3d.

Says well-known journalist I read with unusual interest in the current issue of

Table Tennis reader R. Atherton's letter headed, "This White Clothing." I have for some tim'e now been strongly pressing for white wear because I feel it will lend to tournaments an air of elegance and dignity they lack.

I maintain that the game will not attract or make any lasting impression on the general public-as distinct from the T.T. public-until and unless- con1petition players are attired cleanly, uniforn1ly and attractively. I ma:ke no bonesaibout salying that even our top-flight tc~urname'Dts are disgraced by shoddOy and incongruously garbed com.petitors.

Every tournament player has s,een men in golf stock­ings, Army socks and green, blue, black ditto; he has seen blue, grey, P.T. and khaki shorts; he has seen puce, mauve, yellow, green and black shirts; he has seen black, grey, khaki, blue and white plimsolls. And all in varying states of cleanliness-or dirtiness. He has seen how t.his clash of colours and styles has given an indescribable air of garishness to halls.

I really do n9t think that our Mr. Athertons, if they have the interests of the game at heart, can afford to sit back and deride a positive attempt to put an end to this state of affairs. Table Tennis will n~ver be regarded as a major sport while players are allowed to, and do, appear like tramps. In no other major sport is there such a laxity over clothes. In no other major sport are players permitted to wear what they like.

Mr. Atherton envisages, with grim pessimism, count­less difficulties with white. He doesn't see a single advantage. / He should take a look over the fence. He mentions, laundry bills, wardrobes, the horror of dirty whites. Does a white shirt cost more to launder than a black one? Will the addition of a couple of white shirts and a pair or two of white shorts to our w'ardrobe cripp,l,e us financial~y? Are dirty white shirts more disgusting thalD black ones (prlayelrs will halve to wash them fre­quently, it's true; but that would surely put a damper on the Dirty Daniels a:mongst us)?

I think the truth of the matter is that most of us have for too long now been content with things as they are. Habits are hard to break and the thought of a reform s,eems to scare us. SOlne of us. I know-I have been gitter'ly attacked for saying and writing that we need to 'shelve our slovenly wear and makie a move to smarten ou'rselves.

It is by no means enough for our Mr. Athertons to make semi-facetious remarks, airily pass off a suggested reform as "nonsense~' even before it has been tried out, and to end up by asking players to please take luore pride in their personal appearanc~. The ,-ery reason why white is to be tried is because p,lalyers take not 21!l ato'm of pride in their looks.

SAM KIRKWOOD.

DERBY Special hopes are being pinned on the Derby junior,

E. TRANTER, who showed wonderful improvement late last year. He beat Ron Baker and Doug Evans in the North of England junior s~ngles, and only lost to the boy international, Bill Pierce, by -19, -17.

Page Eleven

SOUTH AMERICAN CHAM,PIONSHIPS Despatch from SEBASTIAN SAFIANU

IN the sweltering June heat of Rio de Janeiro, table tennis players canle from all parts of the

sub-continent to contest the 4th South American Championships, and the organisers met with a success that surprised ,even the most optimistic.

An audience of 1,500 or so is unprecedented in South America, and the tremendous interest

OLGA C,ARREIRA

II A dangerous

adversary I'

demonstrated should do much to merit the official recognition of table tennis.

There was considerable disappointment that South America was unable to compete in the World Championships, for our play needs to be modernised. It is based at present almost entirely on passive defence, one game of the Men's Singles Final, for' instance, being decided on the time­limit rule at 14-8.

The most surprising ,and spectacular play of the tournament was provided by the ladies who, though having all-round skill, showed strongest in attack.

OLGA CARREIRA, classed third of the Ladies' Singles, was especially noted for her powerful attack, and it is considered that the South American ladies would be dangerous adversaries to .a European team.

Entrants came from ARGENTINE, BOLIVIA, CHILE, PERU and BRAZIL, and all events were keenly contested. Argentine, who had won the previous three South, American championships, had this year to slide down to third place, while Chile were second, and Brazil winners of the team event.

In the individual results Argentine claimed first four places in the Men's Singles. Brazil had four Men's Doubles finalists, Chile fOUf IMixed finalists.

Men's Singles: E. CONSENTINIO bt. o. LANCE­LOT[A 3-0.

'Wome'D's Singles: M. ZAMORA bt. I. VEROUGO '2-0.

Do You Know The Champions? NATIONAL SINGLES CHAMPIONS,

SEASON 1948/49

The list below will show you how the national title honours were distributed, and incidentally will illustrate the trem'endous competition which exists among the leaders.

We see that a Pole holds the Irish title, an American the English, two English players hold the French men's and women's crowns ... in fact only 18 of the 39 titles are held by home players, and 13 of these 18 instances are accounted for by Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, U.S.A., Norway, and Greece, countries sufficiently remote to r'ender "invasion" unlikely.

Strange to reflect also that VANA, considered by many to be the world's best still, does not even figure in the list this time. N or does our own JOHNNY LEACH, but of course a world title outranks all the others.

Association Men's Women's Australia - LOWEN SHIPP Austria - KOCZIAN FARKAS Belgium - LEJEUNE DETOURNAY Canada - REISMAN McLEAN Czechoslovakia - SIDO PRITZl England - REISMAN McLEAN I"inland - BIESE LINDBLAD France - BERGMANN FRANKS Greece - LEVENDIS VOULTZOU Hungary - KOCZIAN FARKAS Indial - CHANDRANA Title Vacant Ireland - EHRLICH BOYLE Netherlands - BERGMANN BARNES New Zealand - FOGARTY HOAR Norwa:y - R'EITAN HEIDENREICH Rumania - KOCZIAN ROZEANU Scotland - BERGMANN ELLIOT Singapore - - CHUA KIM HEARN JUEN LAI FONG U.S.A. - MILES L. THALL Wales - BERGMANN PRITZl

The Indian Women's Singles title is vacant because .both finalists were scratched for exceeding the time-limit. (This happened once before, in the women's singles final of the World Championships of 1936/37.)

This Season's Dates Early Nov. Austrian Championships. Nov. 19-20 Nordic Championships (at Copen­

hagen). Early Dec. Egyptian Championships. Dec. 20-30 All-Indian Open. Early Jan. Rumanian Open. Jan. 7-10 French Open.

21-22 Netherlands Open (probable). Feb. 8-12 Czechoslovak Open and Danube Cup

(probable) (for invitation teams only). Mar. 17-18 Irish Open (probable). Mar. 31-April 2 U.S. Championships (probable). Early April Hungarian Open.

Page Thirteen

HERE AND THERE

SOME idea of MAURICE GOLDSTEIN'S capacity for work will b~ gained 'Nhen W~ nlention that UIRMING ..

HAM & DIST'RIC'T T.T.A. will this year have no less than 32 divisions! And not small divisions either-each of them has 12 teams. .

Even if there are 32 willing slaves to act as divisional secretaries, this still represents a tidy total of responsi­bility for Maurice and his central committee, as those who have ever tried to keep up correspondence with even a dozen individuals will know.

Of course, a few" extras" are needed to while away the spare time of these Birmingham organisers, and one of these is the Birmingham ,Open Chalmpionships, which will take place from October 15th to 22nd. Those living over 50 n1iles away will be exempt until the morning of Saturday, October 22nd.

Johnny Leach will be defending his title then at the Indoor Sports Stadiun1. For details see page 16.

Barna Testinlonia'D Fund.-Each club in the Associa­tion area is being asked to subscribe one shilling as a nucleus to be further improved upon.

Back from the R.A.F. now, Davis Cup star HOWARD WALTON will strengthen the cup-holders, Central, who can already call upon M,ACKAY, MOHTADI, SMITH and ~1TSS JEAN MACKAY. They will constitute a tough nut for any other club to crack, the best chance lying per­haps with City, based on WALLY HALL and ALDERTON, Erdington Y.M.C.A., led by POOLE, and the newly pro­moted Jewish Lads' Brigade for whom MAURICE KRISS may prove an inspiration.

In D~EVONSHIRE, Exeter's previous monopoly of honours is now being 8hared by Torquay and Plymouth

Page Fourteen

-and we happen to know that N.E.C. member Harry An1ery and the Exeter leaders welcome this as a healthy sign for the county. Harry and Lionel Kerslake have done much to encourage the promise shown by their young neighbours; no question of hanging grimly on to their prizes here; the seniors started coaching the juniors as soon' as the latter showed keenness. ·

Mind you, things have been really stirring in the two coastal centres of Plyn10uth and Torquay for the past two years, and so we find the Devon County trials producing this very equitable ranking:

1, SQUIRES (Exeter)~ 2, DEVEREUX (Torquay); 3, MOLE (Plymouth).

With Dora Beregi and Joan Crosby around, there could not be many vacancies for new girls yet, but by sheer determination, Plymouth's JOAN WILLCOCKS got there at No.3.

Nineteen-year-old JOHNNY TINK from Plymouth gave satisfaction, too, but he will have a lot to contend with from NUTTALL, GILBERT and the rest of Terry Gill's Torquay squad.

Mrss MARGARET FRY, of BRISTOL~ who \von the Thameside Open singles title towards 'the end of last season, is determined that this shall be the stepping­stone to further achievements. Instead of resting on her laurels, she gave up a week of her holiday to take special coaching in London, and appears to have added considerable speed to her footwork.

Maybe this helped her to win the "Bristol Eveninlg World" Lawn Tennis singles and mixed doubles~ she had previously been an unsuccessful finalist twice.

TABLE COMES

TENNIS OF AGE

by Sol Schiff With an Introduction by

THE HON. IVOR MONTAGU . . . . The complete boo., of the Game; how to play it, with special instructional pictures; brief critical biographies of all the international stars; the laws of the game, up-to-da e; and complete championship

resu Its. 40 Illustrations

RICH & COWAN 7/6 net

/\,

~ \ \

'),;--, " •.<

'The Use of

The Backhand Flick-bY Hymie Lurie

MY favourite stroke is the backhand flick, which I have always used from any spot on the

table. T find that by standing with my right leg slightly

in front of my left leg, and my body half turned left, this helps me to put extra power into my hits, as there is nothing behind the bat to impede illy stroke. It is very handy to use against an opponent who uses the half volley to a great advantage, as th'e flick· is a much quicker stroke to make than the forehand drive, and you will find that a ball returned with the half volley is back on your own side of the table much quicker than if returned by the ball being chopped.

To try and win points from opponents who use the half volley a great deal - penholder style pIayers, too - I flick the ball cross-court from backhand to backhand until I feel the right ball has come along for me to change direction, then I send it down the line to my opponent's fore­hand, thus getting hinl off the table. If the ball is returned, T make the winner down the back­hand side (I hope!) But with the open style type of player, I like trying this 'system best of all:­

First I drive with my forehand, cross-court, turn my body and change over to the backhand flick using this with swerve to move my opponent away from the table on his forehand side, leaving it wide open, then make the winner down the line. A similar type of play is to make your opponent run

Last month's NORTHERNER'S NOTE­BOOK mentioned that HYMIE LURIE, dapper backhand ~tylist, who ranked In England's top three just before the war, is thinking of retiring.

Here Lurie describes some of the very telling tactics which you can use when you are the possessor of a reliable backhand flick. Those who know him well recall just how neat and fast his footwork is. allowing him to take advantage of the slightest opening for attack.

down to the backhand side thinking you ar·e going to' put your winner there, then hit the ball again down his forehand, catching him on the wrong foot. This stroke is extremely effective when com­ing in to a deep shot on your backhand side, by flicking it down the line. You will find that your . opponent will nearly always move to his backhand side and will be caught off balance.

One Ball .... 81

ON Hearing somebody voice the modern theory that table tennis

balls "last longer in play .if they have been kept in stock for a while," Mr. O. Tarrant, the Swindon veteran decided to make a practical test.

With great patience and care he has tested out 6 balls purchased in 1940-41, and another 6 of current season's pur­chase, all being of a well-known ." two." grade as used by clubs.

Playing on the 'same table each time~ with concrete floor, 12 ft. run-back, brick walls at ends and sides, Mr. Tarrant tabulated the life-span of every ball, the results being:­

Games!

Mr. TARRANT. 72-year­old'Swindon player, is going to carryon playing after his re­

cent marriage.

CAN YOU BEAT THIS?

Old balls: total 313 games, i.e. average 52 games per ball.

New balls: total 366 games, i.e.,average 61 games per ball.

Club and tournament secretaries responsible for issuing balls to their

. players will note these figures with interest, not to say surprise! One hardy celluloid warrior lasted out the record score of 81 games-and this was one of the "old" batch.

It is obvious that much more work would have to be done before any authoritative~ conclusions could be announced about the behaviour of our fascinating little spheres; perhaps our readers will- care to pursue the investiga­tion now that Mr. Tarrant has in such tantalising fashion "set the ball rolling."

ttage Fifteen

F,ORTHCOMING EVENTS Readers will note from the revised list below that the popular Central London Open Tournament

has been restored to the calendar. It was originally feared that the difficulties in finding a satisfactory venue would prove too much.

Date Toumamlent or Event Venue Tickets or Informa'tion from: O:ct. 14-15 Yorkshire Open Thos. Holdsworth Welfare Club. A. P. F. Cook, 54, Lines Way,

(Senior events) Drighlington, Nr. Bradford Barnsley, Yorks. Oct. 21 Cham1pion County

v. Rest of Eng- Paddington Raths, Queensway, G. R. Harrower, 68, ,Gloucester Road, Ia!nd London, W.2 New Barnet, Herts.

Oct. 20-22 Birm.ingham Open Indoor Sports Stadium, Pershore M. Goldstein, 415, Moseley Road, (JB, JG, VS) ... Road, Birmingham ... . Birminghanl, 12.

Oct. 29-30 Sussex Open (JB and Consolation C. Senior, Flat 2, Quarry Bank, Singles) Pier End Pavilion, Hastings St. Leonards-on-Sea.

Nov. 5 Hull & East Riding St. John Ambulance H.Q., 194, H. Flinton, 28, Albert Avenue, Anlaby Open (JSX) Anlaby Road, Hull Road, Hull.

Nov. 10 IRELAND v. N. Wilson, 128, Sandown Road, ENGLAND Belfast Belfast.

Nov. 11-12 Ulster IOpen Chaolps

Nov. 7-12 Eastern Suburban North Ilford L.r.C., with finals at A. J. P. Leeks, 21, Rutland, Road, Open Ilford Baths Hall Ilford, Essex.

Nov. 19-20 .. South of England A.C.C & T.,A.B., Aurelia Road, C. E. Bourne, 46, Elm Park Gardens, Open (JB, JS) ... Croydon Selsdon, Surrey.

Nov. 30-Dec. 3 Merseyside Open Liverpool W. Stamp, 3, Farmdale Close, Liver­pool, 15.

Dec. 2...3 Pontefract IOpen ... Town Hall, Pontefract' S. Hansen, 22, St. Bernard's Avenue, Pontefract.

Dec. 9-10 Welsh O'pen Cardiff ... Mrs. H. Roy Evans, 16, The Rise, Tymawr Road, Rumney, Cardiff.

Dec. 10 Bournemouth S. F. Brown, 124, Bournemouth Road, Open Town Hall, Bournemouth Parkstone, Dorset.

Dec. 12-17 Central London Open Kentish Town ...

Dec. 16 ENGLAND v. FRANCE Wolverhampton

SOME LATER LANDMARKS 1950 Jan. 2-7 Metropolitan Open.

14 ENGLAND v. WALES (at Plymouth). 22 Kent Open. ' 24-28 South London Open. 29 Southampton Open. 29-Feb. 5 llHE WIORLD CHAMPIOINSHIPS

(at Budapest). Feb. 11 North of England Open.

13-18 Middlesex (Herga) Open. 23-25 Midland Open. 27-Mar. 3 Surrey Open.

Mar. 4 y orkshire Junior Open. 7-11 THE ENGLISH OPEN CHAMPION­

SHIPS (in London). 17-18 West of England Open (at Torquay). 25 Grimsby Open.

April 1-2 Buckinghamshire Open (at Slough). 8-10 N'orth-East England Open.

12-14 and 17-22 West Middlesex Open.

April 1 WALES v. ENGLAND JUNI'O,R INTERNATIONAL (in Wales).

May 1-6 Thameside Open.

PREPAID ADVERTISEMENTS (2/- per line. Box Nos. 1/- extra.)

TWO VILLA Tournament Tabl,es, excel'lent condition. £30 each.-Apply Chapman, "Deerhurst," Farnan Road, Streatham, S.W.16.

WEEK-END BY THE SEA HE HASTINGS ASSOCIATION is well advancedT in its preparation for the Sussex Open which will

be held, as usuaL in the Sea End Pavilion on Hastings Pier. This year it will be the last week-end in October-Saturday and Sunday, the 29th and 30th.

The Saturday' evening BuHet Dante has become feature of this popular social and sporting event. All cornpei-itors are invited free of charge. Those who don't dance can eat, and those who don't eat or dance-well, there is also a table tennis tourna­ment l

Many will remember our experience of last ye'ar when the Association found itself up agaiflst the Lord's Day Observance Society, and had, at short notice, to withdraw, all the tickets sold for the Sunday evening" finals" session and let the public in free.

Forewarned is, of course, forearmed. and this year we are adopting a policy of Admission Free.II

Reserved Seat, so much." This is the first time that this method has been used in an Open Tournament to comply with the various Acts controlling Sunday entertainments, and the outcome will be of more than local interest. Admission Free II in theseII

cases is unconditional; i.e., anyone who demands admission must be admitted; but Hastin'gs always produces stewards of tact. Last year was competition No. 13. and it survived. No. 14 can surely do no less?

Entries close October 17th. first post. Details as above.

Printed and published by The Walthamstow Press, Ltd., Guardian House, London, E.17.

0