Two-Man NZ Team Tours Australia

It was no surprise when Murray Dunn and Alan Tomlinson were named as the two-man team to travel to Australia for two test matches and a series of lower level contests in Victoria and New South Wales. They were clearly our best players and if anyone was going to bring about a New Zealand victory against our trans-Tasman rivals it would be these two.

But there was a lot to overcome. Tomlinson’s form leading up to the trip, which began on 30 June and concluded on 21 July, had been below his best. Australia, yet to name their test team, had recently welcomed Austrian star Victor Hirsch to their ranks and Hirsch had disposed of all before him to win the Australian Championships. A trio of young players, all with World Championships experience (Cliff McDonald, Michael Wilcox and Murray Thomson) would vie for a place in the team alongside Hirsch. Wilcox, who had visited New Zealand in 1960, had changed to sandwich sponge and was reported to be a much-improved player with it. And, it had to be remembered, New Zealand had lost in 1960 to an Australian team without Hirsch and with a much less experienced Michael Wilcox. Offsetting that was a marked improvement in the New Zealand players since 1960.

The combination of Dunn and Tomlinson in doubles was also an imponderable. They were not an established pair (Dunn normally played with Garry Frew) but, surprisingly, had won a crucial doubles in the 1960 test by a wide margin.

Media pundits were at variance over New Zealand’s chances. “Backed by their experience at the World Championships at Peking, Dunn and Tomlinson should be capable of downing the Australians,” wrote Garry Frew in the Sports Digest. “They are world class players.”

Other commentators felt the New Zealanders faced a “gigantic task”.

Shaky Start

The New Zealanders started slowly in two invitation knock-out tournaments in Victoria but their confidence was restored when they beat the Victoria state team which included Victor Hirsch. Dunn beat the Australian Champion three straight while Tomlinson lost to him in five. NZ won the doubles and won the contest 3-2 after leading 3-0. Their quest for a successful test series was on track.

But not for long. The next night the first test was played in Melbourne. Australia selected Hirsch and Wilcox. In the opening singles Hirsch beat Tomlinson in four games. Then came the result we didn’t need: Dunn lost to Wilcox. It was a tight match – Wilcox won 23-21, 15-21, 21-16, 11-21, 21-18. It looked like things were coming right when New Zealand led 2 games to 1 in the doubles but then lost the fourth 21-23 and the fifth 15-21. The reverse singles were played despite Australia’s unbeatable 3-0 lead and some confidence was again restored when NZ won both in four games.

New Zealand’s Task Now – Square the Series

This left New Zealand with a chance to, at best, square the series. They played two minor contests during the following week and won both 5-0. Then, eight days after the first test, New Zealand prepared to play Australia again in Sydney.

Australia went ahead when Wilcox (again) scored a razor-thin victory over Dunn 21-12, 14-21, 16-21, 21-18, 21-19. Tomlinson was in trouble against Hirsch but recovered magnificently (helped by some lapses at the other end) to recover from 1-2 down to win in five, avenging his defeat in the first test. After they won the doubles three straight (13, 13, 17) New Zealand were in the box seat, leading 2-1. Then came the match of the series. Tomlinson came back from 8-17 down in his first game against Wilcox to win 23-21. Reeling from this, the much younger Wilcox lapsed to an 8-17 deficit in the second game only to, like Tomlinson in the previous game, stage a comeback to level at 18-18. But this time it was Tomlinson who prevailed from there, winning 22-20. One more game would secure the test for NZ. But Wilcox, not one to waste the experience of two World Championships, recognized the need to change tactics and slowed his game down. From there he took control and won the last three games 17, 15 and 18.

Over to Dunn

Dunn had already beaten Hirsch twice – once against Victoria and again in the first test but after the result had already been decided. This was different. The score was 2-2 and it was the match to decide the series. Dunn responded superbly. He lost the first game but from there took the match 21-10, 21-19, 21-13. New Zealand had saved the series.

The New Zealanders finished the tour with some good results in invitation tournaments played after the tests. Alan Tomlinson won the Cronulla Invitation Singles by beating, in succession, Wilcox, Murray Thomson and Hirsch, and, with Murray Dunn, won the NSW State Championships Doubles – beating Wilcox and Hirsch in the final 17-21, 21-4, 21-18, 21-19.

Also after the tests, NZ played New South Wales and won 3-2 with both New Zealanders beating another top Australian, Cliff McDonald.

With Tomlinson beating all of Australia’s top four players and Dunn beating their number one player three times, it could be claimed that New Zealand was unlucky not to win the test series. The tour was still a triumph for no other reason than that our two players proved they can hold their own against the best Australia can offer. Dunn’s private view however, was that Australia had the greater depth and New Zealand had work ahead of it to keep matching them.

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Bergmann Offer Too Expensive

What would have been the biggest table tennis event in this country at least since the 1957 Japanese visit and possibly ever, was proposed by former world champion Richard Bergmann. He was setting up “World Professional Table Tennis Promotions” and offered to bring a party of six world-class players and a commentator to New Zealand for a 22 day tour.

The logistics and economics of the exercise were daunting and nobody in this country was in any hurry to volunteer to co-ordinate the arrangements. It was calculated that audiences of about 1,300 would be required for each appearance by the group just to break even financially. Finding venues throughout the country capable of accommodating those numbers would have been difficult and then there was the challenge of drawing in that sort of crowd. The overseas promoters required 60% of the profits to meet their costs which they estimated at US$500 per day.

The NZTTA Executive Committee decided unanimously to decline the offer.

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Year of Three-in-a-Rows

It began with the South Island Championships. And kept going. By year’s end we had recorded, in open events alone, no less than eight national-level titles won by the same person or doubles pair for the third year in succession.

At the South Islands, Bryan Foster, Bryan Foster/Ron Foster, Thelma May/June Shadbolt, and Bryan Foster/Val Braumann all won their respective titles for the third time. And it may have only been the arrival of women’s title-winner Joan Green in Canterbury from Northland that denied June Shadbolt a third consecutive women’s singles.

Murray Dunn’s absence in Australia prevented three in a row for him and Garry Frew in the North Island men’s doubles but Garry still carried it off with Geoff Jennings and, while he was about it, scooped up the singles as well. No Dunn or Tomlinson against him but he still had to get past Bryan Foster.

Came the NZ Championships, Murray Dunn and Neti Davis both had their third successive singles wins as did Neti and Joan Green in the women’s doubles.

Other Features at NZ Champs

A highlight noted in all reports on the NZ Championships was the spectacular quarter-final between Alan Tomlinson and Geoff Jennings. It was Jennings high looping defence followed by blistering counter-attacks that thrilled the crowd but the tradesman-like Tomlinson eventually prevailed 21-18 in the fifth game.

Wellington swept the A Grade men’s team competition with Murray Dunn, Geoff Jennings, Ron Foster and Warren Evans winning 60 of their 64 matches. Northland scraped home against Canterbury in the women’s final on a games count-back. Their team had the rare distinction of containing three sisters (Norma, Noreen and Zoe Attwood), ably backed up by Neti Davis.

It was a truly remarkable tournament for Norma Attwood. She entered nine events and reached the final of every one, winning five of them.

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Dedicated Player Threatens at Nationals

In probably his best of many New Zealand Championships, Canterbury stalwart John Armstrong did what he was to spend the best part of two decades doing: worrying, if not actually beating, some of New Zealand’s best players. This year he beat Garry Frew (23-21 in the fifth) in the NZ Championships quarter-finals and took New Zealand No 1 Murray Dunn to four games in the semi-final. Earlier in the teams contests he had a superb win over former Australian champion Geoff Jennings.

Armstrong’s career was remarkable not just for its longevity. In 1954 he came very close to NZ selection for the World Championships, having beaten selected players in the trials. He was South Island Champion in 1958, 1959 and 1966 – punctuating Bryan Foster’s record-breaking reign. He was a loyal supporter of provincial open tournaments as far away as the lower North Island, and won many of them. He first achieved top ten ranking in 1952 and maintained it continuously from 1958 to 1968. His moving and memorable swansong was at the 1972 NZ Championships when, close to the age of 40, he came within two points of beating title-holder Richard Lee in the quarter-finals, in front of a foot-stomping Canterbury home crowd. As he left the playing area some ten minutes after the match finished, clutching his trademark small suitcase, another generous ovation erupted. He played his way on to the ranking list yet again that year at No 9, twenty years after his first appearance on it in 1952.

John Armstrong was a tenacious defensive chopper with clean but rarely used attacking shots.

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Ballinger Cup for NZ Junior of the Year Introduced

At the time of his retirement from the position of NZTTA Treasurer (refer later article), Norm Ballinger donated a cup specifically for the encouragement of junior players. The Executive Committee decided, with Mr Ballinger’s approval, to associate the trophy with a new annual award: New Zealand Junior of the Year. Nominations were to be sought from Associations and the criteria was wide-ranging: playing results, enthusiasm as a player and club member, interest in club and association management, sportsmanship, potential, personality and a well-presented appearance.

The inaugural winner was Tim Underdown (South Canterbury) and Norm Ballinger himself presented the trophy at a function in Timaru.

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Major Rule Changes – Light Colours Out, Expedite In

The International Table Tennis Federation World Congress resolved to ban light colours and reflecting surfaces on bats and clothing from this season.

At the same time a new rule to discourage “pushing play” was introduced. Named the “Expedite” rule, it applied when any game was unfinished after 15 minutes. Thereafter the server was required to win the point within 13 strokes, or lose it. Service alternated every point.

An early instance of the rule being applied at national level was Warren Evans beating George Wilkinson 21-19 in the fifth game at the North Island Championships. Even then, the match lasted over an hour.

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Long and Short Debates at AGM

A proposal requiring the annual National Coaching Schools to be held in the South Island every third year generated a debate of absurd proportions. Only after arguments for and against had raged for 90 minutes was the motion put to the vote. It was carried.

In stark contrast, it took just minutes to throw out a proposal to hold the New Zealand Championships in either Wellington or Hutt Valley every year, with the tournament controlled by NZ Association officials.

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Norm Ballinger Steps Down

Ill-health forced long-serving NZTTA Treasurer Norm Ballinger to relinquish the position after 22 years continuous service. And for the first nine years he was managing more than just finance - his designation for that period was Secretary/Treasurer. In 1949 the separate position of Secretary was created and taken up by Ken Wilkinson.

Norm Ballinger had the distinction of being this country’s first representative on the International Table Tennis Federation, becoming Vice-President (Oceania) in 1949. He also managed our first official team at the World Championships in 1954.

His table tennis administrative career began when he was elected Secretary/Treasurer of the Otago Association in 1936. He became NZ Secretary/Treasurer in 1940.

He was elected NZTTA Life Member this year, along with five others (refer next article).

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Five New Life Members Elected

The largest batch of new Life Members to be elected at the same time in our entire first 75 years was elected at this year’s NZTTA Annual Meeting. Until now only three persons had been granted this honour: Arthur Marshall in 1949, Keith Longmore in 1955 and Vern Mitchell in 1958 .

The five added this year were Norm Ballinger (refer above article), Bill Mullins, Errol Cheal, Paddy O’Driscoll and Tommy Williams.

Bill Mullins had served 21 years on the NZTTA Executive, five of them as Chairman. Errol Cheal was the first New Zealand Men’s Champion and has a long record of service to the Auckland Association. Paddy O’Driscoll gave 25 years of service to the Otago Association and was NZTTA President in 1953/4. Tommy Williams is credited with setting up NZTTA and has served on its Executive for the last 16 years.

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Table Tennis OE for NZ Group

Three players were given clearance to compete in overseas tournaments while they travelled overseas in 1962/63. Alan Tomlinson played in the 1962 Australian Championships where he beat Murray Thomson.

Joan Brown and Jeanette Crosby travelled to England on a working holiday. They applied for approval to compete at the 1963 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia as an un-selected (therefore unofficial) New Zealand team. Approval was granted and Alan Tomlinson was appointed non-playing captain. All three were authorized to also enter the individual events.

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New Age-Group Added to NZ Championships

An event for players over 35 but under 45 was added to the NZ Championships programme this year. Without any apparent explanation it was limited to men only. The inaugural winner was Trevor Flint who prevailed over a field of 14. A women’s event was later added and the category morphed in senior men and women (as opposed to veterans for over 45s), and eventually changed again to Over 35 with no upper age limit.

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