End of War in Sight – Big Plans for TT Revival

Amid an atmosphere of increasing optimism, NZTTA Executive member Vern Mitchell was asked to prepare and submit a post-war plan. The sport had endured hard times - falling membership, a shortage of balls and other equipment, and financial difficulties. But it had survived, and a functioning infrastructure remained in place.

The Mitchell plan contained some creative ideas. One was to utilise the services of Government-employed Physical Welfare Officers to ascertain the level of table tennis activity in churches and businesses throughout the country and report the details to NZTTA, with a view to affiliating them directly or through existing Associations. An extremely novel thought was that soldiers returning wounded from the war and no longer able to play other sports might choose to take up table tennis if it’s suggested to them. More traditionally, the plan called for increased newspaper publicity; the promotion of table tennis by prominent citizens in each town; representative contests among Associations (this led to a wave of trophy presentations – refer 1943); school and inter-school tournaments; sending top players to international events including the World Championships; a range of fund-raising ventures, and most important of all – the revival of the New Zealand Championships, last played in 1940.

The plan generated discussion and further ideas emerged. The sport was poised for a spectacular post-war resurgence.

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Servicemen Conduct Pacific Championship - New Zealander Wins

A New Zealand table tennis player serving at an Air Force station in New Hebrides (Vanuatu) was asked by his PT instructor to round up all the table tennis players in the unit and conduct a tournament to establish the best two. A championship featuring two from each unit on the island was scheduled to be played in just one week so it was a rushed job.

The player concerned was Aviation Craftsman First Class Alf Harding. His table tennis pedigree included fourteen years as a player and the distinction of being the founder of a club in his home area, Petone. He would later become widely-known as the Chairman of the NZ Table Tennis Association, serving in that role for twelve years from 1970.

But his task in 1944 was to organise facilities, conduct a tournament, and endeavour to bring his own game up to speed as he had not held a bat for some while. The facilities were the first problem. There were some good players in the unit, including 1938 NZ Champion Harry Boys, and they were familiar with reasonable, if not first class, playing equipment. But to train for this event they had to make do with an old table-top mounted on two uneven and rickety carpenter’s horses, yielding a very low and slow bounce. Weather conditions were also trying: 92 degrees fahrenheit (33 celsius).

As a commissioned officer, Harry Boys was not eligible for the championship. Alf Harding and fellow-Hutt Valley representative Lionel Pyne won the right to represent their unit. For the big event, the United States Recreation and Welfare Association took charge of the arrangements and the playing facilities were excellent. Sixty-four players participated and the two New Zealanders reached the final eight. Lionel Pyne was eliminated at that stage but Alf Harding went through to the final where he met an American opponent. Playing in front of a large audience of servicemen, pen-gripper Alf won 21-8, 21-11, 19-21, 21-10.

He was in demand thereafter, receiving invitations to play exhibitions at the American Red Cross Club and several other military camps.

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Military Table Tennis A-Plenty

The event described above was part of a wide range of table tennis activity in military circles, both overseas and in New Zealand. On the home front there was a proposal to hold a championship for each of the three services and to bring the three winners to Wellington for a round-robin final. On the same night a “Forces” v “Civilians” test match could be played.

Max Gosling, serving in the Middle East, was picked for a British United Services team to play an “international” against Egypt in Cairo. Gosling had played for New Zealand against Barna and Bellak in 1938 and England No 1, Ken Hyde, was also in the team. Hyde had beaten Barna. The contest was left unfinished with the Egyptian team leading.

On a slightly more modest level, a tournament was played on the high seas aboard a hospital ship. New Zealander Jack Hurcomb, a wooden bat player at Wellington’s Boys Institute Club before the war, was the winner.

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Marlborough Emerges from Recess; Canterbury Follows

Due in part to the location of the Woodbourne Air Force base near Blenheim, and also to energetic promotional work by Marlborough TTA official, Mr C Webby, the Marlborough Association was re-activated this year after several years in wartime recess. Ten teams participated in interclub and the Marlborough Championships were held for the first time since the start of the war.

The re-activation of the Association was linked to the Woodbourne air base in more than just one sense. A team from Wellington visited and played a match against Delta Force located there, another against a team from the Blenheim Rowing Club, and yet another against a team selected from the entire Woodbourne base. These events generated publicity for table tennis in Marlborough.

While Marlborough was bursting back to life, table tennis in Canterbury was also re-awakening thanks in part to a promotional visit to Christchurch by NZTTA Secretary Norm Ballinger (pictured). This helped to kick-start things and Canterbury became fully operational again in 1945.

 

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Long Debate Over Junior Age-Groups

Since junior events were added to the NZ Championships in 1936 the age limit had been 18. Competitors could play the whole year in junior events provided they were under 18 on 1 April that year.

An unusually lengthy debate took place at the AGM over a motion to reduce the age to 16. An amendment was put, proposing 17. After further discussion another amendment called for the existing category of Under 18 to continue and the addition of Under 16 as a second age category. That amendment was agreed to, but only after more robust discussion. The new Under 16 age-group was first contested in 1945.

There were to be no further changes until 1977 when an Under 14 category was added, followed by Under 12 in 1978. By this time the date for qualification had changed from 1 April in the current year to 31 December the previous year. A major shift occurred in 1987 when the upper limits of all four age-categories were raised by one year: Under 18, 16, 14, 12 became Under 19, 17, 15, 13. The final change occurred after 2006 when Under 19 reverted back to Under 18 and Under 17 was discontinued. In 2008 the categories are Under 18, Under 15 and Under 13.

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Finances Helped by Art Union

Table Tennis was given a financial boost by an energetically promoted and supported art union (raffle, lottery), the first nationwide fundraising venture entered into by NZTTA. A first prize of £10 and second of £5 were on offer and 8,300 tickets were distributed with a sale price of one shilling. The aggregate profit to Associations was £96.7.5 while the national body benefitted by £16.17.10.

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Young Table Tennis Talent Lost

One of many wartime tragedies was the loss of Pilot Officer KA Ross, missing in action on a bomber flight from Fiji to New Zealand. He had been the 1942 Wellington Junior Champion.

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Signs of Slow Improvement in Ball Supply Situation

News was gladly received that export restrictions on balls from England had now been removed and the rate of manufacture was increasing. But a shortage of labour in England was a problem and difficulties in obtaining adequate supplies of balls in New Zealand continued throughout the year. Things would finally begin to improve in 1945.

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