Japanese World Champions Visit NZ

A jovial face was welcomed back when a trio of Japanese visitors arrived on 3 June. The face belonged to Mr Hitoshi Shimizu, well-remembered from his extensive tour of New Zealand as manager of Japanese stars Toshiaki Tanaka and Ichiro Ogimura in 1957. This time he was managing a team of two women, world singles champion Kimiyo Matsuzaki and world doubles champion Kazuko Yamaizumi. It was an indication of the negotiating skills of the NZ Table Tennis Association’s leading administrators that a second visit by world class Japanese players could be arranged and meticulously organized a mere three years after the first.

Honouring the plea expressed by Mr Shimizu at the end of the 1957 visit, NZTTA ensured that this tour would be shorter and less tiring for the players. Nonetheless, 23 contests were played over 33 days, including tests at Christchurch, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North and Auckland. Scores in double figures for the NZ players were a rarity as the tourists made their way down the country beginning in Northland, wielding the Asian pen-grip last seen when the men visited in 1957. On 18 June in Invercargill they faced an invitation team including NZ’s top woman, Joyce Williamson, who thrilled the crowd with a narrow 21-23; 18-21 loss to Yamaizumi. The Japanese wins were more decisive in the first test four days later in Christchurch where Joyce Williamson and June Magorian represented New Zealand. Barbara Packwood and teenager Neti Davis were brought into the team for the second test (Neti for the doubles only, partnering Joyce). The roles were reversed for the third test, with Neti playing singles and Barbara doubles only, with Joyce. New Zealand was improving in confidence by then and set audiences’ hearts pounding in the early stages of some matches. Joyce held the world singles champion to 16-16 in their first game, and with the support of left-handed Barbara, led the tourists 11-9 in the first game of the doubles. In both cases their talented opponents then piled on the pressure to win the matches comfortably.

The same team was retained for the final test on 2 July in Auckland which, like the other three, was lost 5-0 in straight games.

Wellington’s Evening Post reported that the New Zealand players were caught off balance time and again – they simply had no idea where the next shot would be fired at them. NZTTA Chairman Bill Mullins described the Japanese players as “…moving like leopards. They were terrific hitters, showed amazing speed and were superbly fit.” The tourists’ deep serves into the corners were also troubling for the New Zealanders.

Joyce Williamson’s strong backhand and Neti Davis’s exploitation of the pen-grippers’ slight weakness deep in the backhand corner were features of the New Zealand performances.

Exhibition matches between the two World Champions impressed, amused and entertained audiences throughout the country.

The NZ Women’s Weekly interviewed the visitors and reported that at home they began their day with a 1,500 metre run, ten minutes of gym work and then practised at the table for five hours. Both were Buddhists and believed this helped them train their minds to peak concentration.

When the popular trio departed on 6 July, the manager Mr Shimizu said he felt New Zealand Table Tennis had improved since he was last here in 1957. “But you need to send your top players overseas for competition against foreign stars,” he said. “This would result in a rise of the standard here.”

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Hutt Valley Does Its Pen-Grip Homework

Nobody could accuse the Hutt Valley team of being ill-prepared when they faced the visiting Japanese World Champions. They spent an evening practising against a quartet of male pen-grip players in an attempt to develop techniques suited to that style of play – the style utilized to devastating effect by Asians but rarely used by female players in New Zealand. The session was a learning experience if nothing else. But on the big night, despite having the current NZ singles runner up (Mary Anderson) and the current North Island Champion (Joan Brown) in the team, nobody scored higher than 12 and one doubles game was lost 21-1.

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Small Town New Zealand Runs the Nationals

“Taranaki’s Greatest Seven Days of Table Tennis”, ran the double-column headline in the Daily News shortly before the start of the New Zealand Championships. The allocation of the Nationals to the South Taranaki town of Hawera, the smallest centre ever to host them, was passed without dissent at the 1959 AGM. But as the tournament approached doubts were being expressed. Will there be enough accommodation available? Can an inexperienced management team handle it? How will they cope with play spread around three halls? And why is the tournament manager based in a High Street office, connected to the three venues only by telephone? As it turned out, while they needed to utilize accommodation in the neighbouring towns of Eltham and Stratford, under the leadership of tournament manager Bill Donovan the organizing team dealt with all other logistical issues more than adequately. It was a good tournament and well supported. A crowd of 700 watched the finals.

Two new champions emerged. The men’s winner was Murray Dunn who dominated a hard-hitting final against 1959 champion Alan Tomlinson. Both were deserving of their successive titles, having had to ride out the early part of their careers while one of New Zealand’s greatest ever players, Bob Jackson, was at his peak.

The new women’s champion was Neti Davis. The final was record-breaking on two counts. At 16, Neti was the youngest person ever to win a New Zealand singles title, and her opponent, Norma Attwood (just turned 14) was the youngest ever to reach a NZ singles final. Davis was seeded second and Attwood fifth so their success was not unexpected but they had to overcome a field including international campaigners June Magorian, Barbara Packwood and Joan Green and former champion Thelma Hale. But it was yet another 16 year old, Ann Mutch, who eliminated 1955 champion and current NZ Representative June Magorian. To reach the final, Norma Attwood had to beat Ann Mutch and top seed Joan Green. This came one year after she had beaten top seed, Joan Brown, at the 1959 championships as a 13 year old.

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Northland’s Rise to Power

A remarkable aspect of the list of open title-winners at the New Zealand Championships was that, with the exception of Murray Dunn, every player on it was from Northland. Garry Frew, of course, had been carrying the torch for Northland since 1954 when he was selected for New Zealand while still a teenager. When 14 year old Neti Davis (pictured) combined with him to win the open mixed doubles in 1958 she became the youngest person to win a NZ title. The pair retained the title in 1959 and this year. Then came Joan Green, a former Australian representative who moved to New Zealand in late January and, playing for Northland, swept aside the entire field at the North Island Championships. At the NZ championships she and Neti Davis won the women’s doubles. Neti won the singles as noted above and Garry Frew won the men’s doubles with Murray Dunn. Alongside all of this, women’s finalist Norma Attwood (14), also of Northland, was waiting to pounce and destined to win her first open title in 1962 while still under 16.

Northland’s frequent appearance among open NZ Championship winners continued throughout the decade.

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Another Overseas Team: Australia

A mere two weeks after the popular Japanese women had left New Zealand, two highly-ranked Australian men arrived for a three week tour. Geoff Jennings and Michael Wilcox were officially ranked 3 and 5 but at the time of their visit regarded as the two best in Australia after Cliff McDonald who was unavailable. It was a significant tour as no Australian team had ever visited before and, despite our proximity, the only official contact between the countries had been a New Zealand men’s team visiting Australia in 1939 and two off-shore contests in 1954: one in Aylesbury, England as a warm-up for the World Championships and the other at the championships themselves in London. NZ lost the first and won the second. In 1939 there was no contest against a full Australian team.

The Australians visited fifteen centres including Taumarunui and Westport. Prior to the one test match at the end of the tour, they breezed through the country winning all their contests comfortably but in more than half they dropped at least one match, often the doubles. Wilcox, a mere 16 years old, lost several singles early in the tour. He had clean attacking strokes and a heavy chop. Despite his youth, he had the 1959 World Championships under his belt. Jennings, a veteran of two World Championships, was the stronger player and it wasn’t until the Australia/Auckland match two days before the end of the tour that he was finally beaten, by Alan Tomlinson. George Wilkinson beat Wilcox in the same contest which Australia won 3-2 after having won the first three matches fairly comfortably.

The Auckland result added further interest to the test match which was already being eagerly anticipated. The venue was Whangarei, hosting its first sporting test match of any code. And with Northland having produced a bevy of national stars, table tennis was big in Whangarei.

The New Zealand team was Tomlinson and Bryan Foster for the singles and Tomlinson and Murray Dunn for the doubles. Now in the process of bowing out of top level table tennis, Bob Jackson was not selected although he had declared himself available for just the test match.

Jennings beat Foster, Tomlinson beat Wilcox and Tomlinson/Dunn had a surprisingly easy win in the doubles. This left Australia down 1-2 with work ahead of them – they had to win both reverse singles to save the test. New Zealand were confident – Foster had to play Wilcox who he had beaten in the Australia/South Island contest, and Tomlinson had to play Jennings who he had beaten in their Auckland match. But Wilcox turned the tables on Foster, winning 21-12, 21-14. Fittingly, the two captains faced each other in the deciding match. It was a battle of tactics, with Jennings often having to come from behind in the first game which he won 21-19. He was in some trouble at 6-9 down in the second but recovered to 10-10 and was dominant from then on, winning 21-15. Australia therefore won the test 3-2.

From here on, the two countries resolved to play each other every two years on a home and away basis.

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Major Developments in Central North Island

As mentioned above, Taumarunui was the proud host of a contest featuring four local players and the visiting Australian team, topped off with an exhibition between the two Australians. Some weeks earlier Taumarunui and Districts had become newly affiliated to NZTTA, entering the national system with a healthy muster of 25 interclub teams. New Zealand Chairman Bill Mullins escorted top players Alan Tomlinson and Garry Frew on a visit to the district to give talks and exhibition matches. A men’s team from the new Association competed in the inter-Association team events at the NZ Championships in Hawera.

Another event which brought Taumarunui into the news on a much wider basis was an agreement between Auckland and Wellington to reactivate their Gordon Cup contest, formerly a regular event between them and last played in 1950. It was suspended due to the reluctance of both associations to travel. The problem was overcome this year by a compromise – meet each other half-way, at Taumarunui. The contest, played on 18 June and well supported by an impartial local audience, was won comfortably by Auckland.

The year also saw the introduction of the Rotorua Open. Affiliated to NZTTA since 1946 but competing in the NZ team championships only occasionally, Rotorua appeared to rejuvenate around 1959. In 1960 its first open tournament was well supported by players from Waikato and Bay of Plenty and in later years by top players from much further afield.

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Eventful Year on the Raffle Front

The launch of a nationwide raffle by NZTTA, a bizarre prosecution in Dunedin, and the donation of a racehorse to raise money for a stadium in Wellington all added up to an unusual year in the fundraising department.

The national raffle was the first since 1953 and only the third ever. It netted £1,997 for NZTTA’s development and overseas tour fund and £912 for distribution to Associations. Canterbury sold the most tickets, more than twice as many as the second best, Waikato. For the record, the first prize was £200 cash followed by prizes of a movie camera, motor mower, transistor radio, electric blanket, power tool and pop-up toaster.

When the Otago Association decided to raffle a car to raise money for their building fund, failure to seek a license resulted in their Treasurer having to face a charge of conducting an illegal lottery. The Association could not be charged collectively as it was not an incorporated society. There was no conviction and the Association retained its profit. It was noted in court that the officer involved, Treasurer Jim Steedman, was a citizen of good standing and had donated a substantial amount of his own money to the Association.

Also raising money for its proposed building was the Wellington Association. They were keen to move their interclub and tournaments out of the cold and draughty winter show building and in response to this, trotting enthusiast, breeder and philanthropist Mr R A McKenzie very kindly donated a well-bred filly as a prize for the building fund raffle.

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Lively, and Lengthy, Debate at AGM

Three hours was devoted to an Annual Meeting debate on whether to increase fees per interclub team by two shillings (20 cents). Amid uproar, three amendments and two disputed votes a final decision in favour of the increase was recorded. Ever the whimsical observer of table tennis politics, NZ Truth newspaper suggested that these regular long-winded debates could be the reason why Wellington is dubbed the “windy city”.

Discontent also rumbled over the 1959 emergency decision to approve New Zealand’s entry to the World Championships after a ballot of Associations had earlier rejected the proposal.

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High Profile Official Insulted

A circular letter that was intended as a means of purging inactive badge-holding umpires was sent to immediate past-President and long-term Chairman of NZTTA, Mr Vern Mitchell. The letter told him that, as he appeared to now be inactive as an umpire, he may wish to be removed from the Umpires Scheme and return his badge.

Mr Mitchell, newly elected as President of Hutt Valley, expressed his indignation over the letter at the New Zealand AGM. He reminded delegates that he was the person who set up the umpires scheme in 1954 and had since worked hard to promote it.

An embarrassed Executive Chairman apologized to Mr Mitchell on behalf of the Secretary who had written the letter.

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New Leader for Coaching Schools

National coaching schools, introduced last year, were continued this year with John Stewart taking over the leadership from Tommy Williams. There was a very positive response to the schools with trainees and parents alike expressing gratitude to the organizers and the top players who participated. A notable aspect of the girls school in Tauranga was the number of spectators attending.

Valuable work was also done by Joyce Williamson who conducted weekly coaching clinics in Christchurch and ran a weekend school in Timaru attended by young players from throughout Canterbury. NZ Champion in 1954 and NZ representative at the 1959 World Championships, Joyce later returned to England where she had been based for two years prior to 1959.

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New Zealand Will Attend 1961 World Championships

The decision to send a men’s and women’s team to the 1961 World Championships in Peking (Beijing), China was a landmark one. Male players had attended previous Worlds as individuals and, in 1954, as an official NZ team; a women’s team had competed in 1959 (albeit in highly unusual circumstances) but this would be the first team combining both genders. The official records state that the team was being sent “….to give our players needed international competition and as an incentive for other players to strive for national representation….”

The selections were made in October and released publicly in November. The men’s team was Murray Dunn, Alan Tomlinson, Garry Frew and Bryan Foster; the women’s Joan Green, Neti Davis and Norma Attwood. Approval was also given for Barbara Packwood to play the individual events. Ken Wilkinson was named as manager.

After the players had all agreed to meet a share of the costs came the welcome news that China would pay half the airfares and provide free accommodation for three days before and after the championships. This generous offer reduced the cost per player to about £125 ($250).

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