Silver Medal at Commonwealths Championships

A superb performance by Anne Stonestreet and Neti Traill in the women’s doubles resulted in New Zealand’s first ever appearance in a final in the Commonwealth Championships individual events. The New Zealand pair was unseeded but with Anne’s relentless attacking skills and Neti’s reliable defence they dovetailed into a formidable unit. Their defeat of second seeds Violetta Nesukaitis and Mariann Domonkos (Canada) was not only a sensational upset but the match itself a dramatic battle in which the New Zealanders had to save five match points, winning 22-20, 15-21, 21-16, 18-21, 23-21. They then had to deal with a useful pair from Nigeria before facing third seeds Carole Knight and Karenza Mathews of England in the semi-final. Another tight match, and another upset. NZ won 21-19, 21-19, 16-21, 21-19.

The last hurdle, top seeds Jill Hammersley and Linda Howard in the final, was one leap too far for the giant-killing kiwi duo and the Englishwomen won 21-14, 21-11, 21-7.

Both New Zealand players had performed below par in the singles and their sudden burst into form in the doubles made their success even sweeter.

Yvonne Fogarty and Kathy Fraser met the top seeds in the quarter-finals, losing 10-21, 11-21, 6-21.

Jan Morris and Angela Brackenridge, two of fourteen extra New Zealand players who entered the individual events only, were unfazed by the occasion and also reached the doubles quarter-finals where they took a game off third seeds Mathews and Knight. These two young players even outshone the selected team members in the singles. After both had to qualify for the main draw, Jan Morris reached round three and 16 year old Angela Brackenridge worried 2nd seed Karenza Mathews in round two by building up useful leads in the first two games before losing 16-21, 19-21, 8-21.

The decision by the NZ selectors to omit Neti Traill from the official women’s team was one they must surely have later regretted. The three selected women (Anne Stonestreet, Yvonne Fogarty and Kathy Fraser) all played below their best in the team events and the calming influence of Neti Traill’s wealth of experience was missed. The cold hard statistics now show New Zealand losing all their contests and finishing last out of seven teams, including a 1-3 loss to Australia. It was a bitter disappointment after the New Zealand women had finished 4th in the much tougher Asian Championships last year, and had won the silver medal at the 1971 Commonwealth Championships.

Men Steady
In contrast with the highs and lows of the women’s performance, that of the New Zealand men was reasonably consistent. They maintained their seeding to finish 7th out of ten after solid 5-0 wins over Kenya, Fiji and Papua-New Guinea. A big disappointment was a 0-5 loss to Australia. On the bright side James Morris beat the Nigerian champion (Babatunde Obisanya) in the team events and Gary Murphy held three match points before losing to the eventual singles winner Trevor Taylor in the NZ/England contest. “I need a few games to get going,” a relieved Taylor was quoted as saying. Murphy had a good win in the individual events over Singapore’s top player, Tan Kai Kok (21-18, 21-19, 21-10) and, with Robert Blair in the doubles, took a game off 4th seeds N Bajaj and M Dua (India). Richard Lee and James Morris won one game against 2nd seeds and runners-up Paul Pinkewich and Bob Tuckett of Australia.

It was a tough tournament for all involved. It was held in Melbourne in January without air-conditioning and with extra lighting blazing down for television coverage. NZ captain Richard Lee was carrying an injury. The post-event media comments inevitably focused on the fact that, as most other countries in the Commonwealth now have full-time coaches and their teams go into full-time training for months rather than weeks ahead of the event, New Zealand will always be playing catch-up until we are financially in the position to do the same.

Les Bouzaid was team manager and Trevor Flint supported the team as coach at his own expense.

---

Boisterous and Eventful World Champs

New Zealand was represented at the 33rd World Championships by the same players who played the teams events at the Commonwealths: Richard Lee (captain), James Morris, Gary Murphy, Robert Blair, Anne Stonestreet, Yvonne Fogarty and Kathy Fraser. Calcutta, India, was the host city and their opening ceremony, embellished by the throb of fourteen brass bands and five drum and cymbal groups, was a colourful spectacle. More than 50 nations marched past, some in bright national costume. And once play started the enthusiastic Indian crowds in the 12,000 seat stadium would leap to their feet in appreciation after any spectacular rally or exciting match.

It was India’s first World Championships since Bombay hosted in 1952. The Bombay event was the first in Asia.

On purely political grounds the Indian government excluded South Africa and Israel from the Championships – a controversial move which resulted in a censure from the ITTF, particularly in the light of the admission of Palestine (unrecognised by the UN) as a nation.

Although China won both team events the individual titles, surprisingly, were largely dominated by players from Europe. Istvan Jonyer won the men’s singles and combined with Hungarian team-mate Gabor Gergely to also win the doubles. The women’s doubles ended in somewhat bizarre fashion with Romanian and Japanese players who could not speak each other’s languages combining (and presumably communicating) well enough to beat a Chinese pair in the final. The Soviet Union won the mixed doubles. In the women’s singles the early exit of top seed Hu Yu-Lan (China) left her compatriot, 2nd seeded Chang Li, an obvious favourite. But Chang was unexpectedly beaten in the final by a virtually unknown (and unseeded) 18 year old schoolgirl, Park Yung Sun of North Korea. As a world final the match was a disappointment, not helped by both players being left-handed. New Zealand champion and team captain Richard Lee, by now a prolific contributor of articles to the NZ Herald, offered the alternate theory that the Korean win may have been a gesture by China to maintain friendly international relations.

The New Zealand men’s team finished 34th out of 48 teams. It was an improvement on their 38th place in 1971 and 1973 but disappointing in that a win in their last contest over Luxembourg would have elevated them to at least 33rd but they lost 2-5. On the other hand, they had a very exciting win over South Vietnam with Gary Murphy coming from 18-20 down in the marathon first game against Tri Trieu to win 32-30, 17-21, 21-19 and Richard Lee beating the same player 20-22, 24-22, 21-17. NZ won 5-3. They also had 5-0 wins over Sri Lanka and Macao and a close 4-5 loss to Egypt.

The women dropped to 27th out of 36, four places down from their 1973 placing. They beat Brazil twice and had good wins over Canada and Greece. They lost to Luxembourg, Switzerland, Malaysia and Australia.

In the individual events only James Morris and Richard Lee proceeded beyond the qualifying rounds.

Trevor Flint had been team coach at the Commonwealths, traveling at his own expense. He did not go on to Calcutta and his input was missed.

Attending the Championships as newly-elected ITTF Vice-President (Oceania) was New Zealander Ken Wilkinson. He was astounded by the attention lavished on him in his unfamiliar role. He had the services of a full-time secretary, a chauffeur-driven car and 24 hour security provided by two body-guards on rotating shifts. “As far as I’m concerned this was unprecedented VIP treatment,” said Ken. “I don’t know why they went to such lengths.”

A moment of unexpected drama occurred during the singles semi-finals – a torrential downpour leaked through the roof and deposited large drops of water on the tables, causing a 75 minute suspension in play. “We had not had the time to test the roof to find out of it was leak-proof,” said an embarrassed West Bengal Government official. “But who had expected it to rain so heavily at this time of the year!” The 12,000 seat stadium had been erected in just four months and completed a mere ten days before the event.

---

Professional Coach Tours NZ

An international player and coach with 115 appearances for England under his belt and visits to 30 countries on his CV, Alan Hydes spent three months in New Zealand sharing his considerable knowledge and experience. The 26 year old was currently ranked No 5 in England. His main focus while here was working directly with children in schools, and training coaches. Extra publicity was gained for the visit by two novelty events in Auckland – a match against the popular Mayor, Sir Dove-Meyer Robinson; and another against the 1935 NZ Champion, Frank Paton.

It was most unfortunate that Alan became ill with a viral infection and the entire South Island portion of his tour had to be cancelled. But he appeared in nine North Island centres and it was hoped that his message would percolate through the country. He noted that serving and the imparting of spin in general play need far more emphasis now than ever before, and power and speed remain areas that can always be improved. New Zealand’s attitude to the sport was too social in his opinion.

Broadlands Dominion Group sponsored the visit, the first by a professional coach since Ken Stanley, also from England, came here for six months in 1952.

Alan Hydes (English Coach)
with Janet Murray & Deanna Alexander of Te Puke

---

French Invasion at NZ Championships

Since his rise to prominence in 1970, James Morris had never had a better chance than this year to win the national singles title. He was in fine form, had beaten current champion Richard Lee several times this season and beat him again by a comfortable margin in the all-important NZ Championships semi-final. In normal circumstances, that semi-final would likely have been the final and the win would have given him the title. But the circumstances were not normal. Five players from France were visiting New Zealand and had, fairly and legitimately, entered the NZ Open Championships. One of them was World No 14 Jacques Secretin – the man James had to face in the final. He was never going to win and the losing score of 16-21, 17-21, 17-21 was a highly respectable performance by the dogged and loyal New Zealander but it left him still thirsting for his first NZ singles title. 1970 champion Gary Murphy was deprived of a second championship opportunity by Secretin’s team-mate and former French champion Vincent Purkart who eliminated him in the quarter-final, 21-16, 22-20, 21-16. A third French player and former French doubles champion Danny Dhondt was beaten in four games by New Zealand’s Maurice Burrowes in a spectacular burst of form. Burrowes in turn was beaten by James Morris in the quarter-finals.

It was the French club Sportif Athletique that initiated the visit and details were finalized between French and NZ officials at the World Championships. Two women, Yveline Leclerc and Dominique Szalka (ranked 2 and 6 in France) completed the team. Leclerc dominated the women’s singles, dropping only one game (a bizarre 4-21 loss to Maree Murphy in the quarter-finals) on her way to a four game win over her compatriot Szalka in the final. Secretin and Purkart’s march through the men’s doubles field was relentless but the New Zealanders matched the French much more closely in both the women’s doubles and mixed doubles. The four seasoned internationals (Traill, Stonestreet, Fogarty and Fraser) battled out one women’s semi-final with Traill and Stonestreet prevailing in four games. Jan Morris and Angela Brackenridge, the surprise package at the Commonwealths, faced the French pair in the other semi-final and drove them all the way before losing 24-26, 21-18, 21-17, 18-21, 17-21. Not to be outdone, Neti Traill and Anne Stonestreet ran the visitors even closer, losing the final 21-15, 16-21, 21-13, 15-21, 22-24.

The high-fliers in the mixed doubles were Wayne Adamson and Anne Stonestreet who eliminated the strong NZ pair of Richard Lee and Kathy Fraser in the quarter-finals 22-20 in the fifth and then, also in five games, beat Dhondt and Szalka in the semi-final. Even confronted by the top French pair Secretin and Leclerc in the final, they still managed to win a game before succumbing 13-21, 17-21, 21-17, 14-21.

Although New Zealand was, for the first time ever, deprived of all five open titles, the visit by the French team gave the championships a strong international flavour, created considerable media interest and lifted the standard of the tournament overall. Our players responded well to the exciting new challenge.

---

International Contest – and a Sparkling French Exhibition

An international contest between the visiting French players (refer above article) and a New Zealand selection was played the night before the NZ Championships in Christchurch. Jan Morris was selected for the first of many appearances for her country, along with Anne Stonestreet, Richard Lee and James Morris. Neti Traill played the doubles only. Both men were decisively beaten by Jacques Secretin but both took a game off Danny Dhondt, Lee losing 19-21, 21-19, 18-21 and Morris 22-20, 19-21, 13-21. The NZ pair had an exciting match against Secretin and Vincent Purkart, losing 21-19, 19-21, 19-21. Anne Stonestreet recorded New Zealand’s only win – a great performance to decisively beat Dominique Szalka 21-11, 21-14. Yveline Leclerc won both singles against Stonestreet and Morris in straight games but all very close. The women’s doubles was a cliff-hanger with Leclerc and Szalka beating Stonestreet and Traill 16-21, 21-12, 22-20. France won the contest 4-1.

There was a champagne finish to the evening when Secretin and Purkart entertained the crowd with their well-polished and highly-professional exhibition singles. Purkart in particular is renowned world-wide for his deadpan humour and his seemingly bottomless bag of trick bats. Umpire Danny Dhondt joined in the fun with his tongue-in-cheek rulings. The exhibition combined superb table tennis with hilarious antics and was televised live.

---

Bryan Foster’s Swansong: 12th South Island Singles Title

1975 was the year for Bryan Foster to chalk up the last of his multiple successes at provincial, South Island, national and international level. For two decades this remarkable player has dominated South Island table tennis and for much of that time also reigned as a regular NZ representative at international events. The Timaru-hosted South Island Championships saw him collect his 12th men’s singles title and he spent the rest of the season gathering up the Otago, Canterbury, South Canterbury and Southland open singles titles as well.

The South Islands witnessed another remarkable performance: the singles, doubles and mixed doubles treble won by the same player in not just one age-group but two: Under 18 and Under 16. The Junior of the Year trophy was awarded to Debbie Looms as a reward not just for this rare achievement but in recognition also of her energetic work for her local Marlborough Association.

---

Thirty Chinese Coaches Work With Four New Zealanders in China

Six weeks, six days a week and six hours a day! That was the grueling schedule confronting four New Zealand players selected to take up an offer by the All China Sports Foundation of an intensive training course in Canton (Kwangchow). The invitation followed negotiations conducted in China while the NZ party was there last year. James Morris, Richard Lee, Yvonne Fogarty and Robert Blair (pictured) were selected for the trip. Two three hour sessions were held per day and, to the amazement of the NZers, two coaches, six assistant coaches, fifteen players (training partners) and three interpreters were at the service of the four players for each session. A rotation system operated and by the end of the six weeks a total of thirty coaches had worked with the New Zealanders along with many other support people. In some cases friendships made during the Chinese 1972 visit to New Zealand were renewed.

The training included stroke by stroke analysis, tactical analysis, shadow play, weight training, quick reaction training and waist exercises. Match play was not neglected and sessions concluded with a trainee/coach match. There were also contests organized against local players which attracted large crowds.

“We were able to improve our ball control, accuracy and consistency,” said James Morris in a telephone interview direct from Canton. James had been suffering from a recurring back problem in New Zealand for some time and had taken the opportunity while in China to seek treatment from an acupuncture practitioner. “It was fantastic,” he said. “The Chinese fixed it for me.”

The trip lasted from mid-February till late March. There was a wide range of recreational activities arranged on the free days including boating, swimming, museum visits and concerts. Evening outings were also available on training days but the players were, understandably, usually too tired to take up the opportunity.

---

Top Two Australian Women Tour NZ

After finishing last at the Commonwealth Championships and dropping four places at the Worlds our women’s team was not brimming with confidence when a strong Australian team arrived in June for a short tour, especially as both overseas events had included losses to Australia. One test match was scheduled with a second conditional on television coverage. The tourists also played several provincial contests and participated in the North Island Championships in Rotorua.

The Australian team comprised their top two women: Helen Morrow, aged 20, and Christine Little, 19. The match against Northland had the novelty value of pitting the two Davis sisters (now Neti Traill and Maryann Costello) against the tourists and the delighted Northland crowd saw the local pair push the Australians all the way before losing the doubles match in five games. Against a Hamilton team the Australians actually lost the doubles, beaten by the fiercely determined pair of Kathy Fraser and Cathy Tadema - a successful combination of youth with experience. It turned out to be the only Australian loss in the provincial contests: those against Franklin and Canterbury as well as Northland and an invitation side at Petone were all won 5-0.

The international contest, played at Auckland, was the second on tour after Northland. Anne Stonestreet and Yvonne Fogarty were selected and both lost their first singles in five games. With the right and left-hander combining well the New Zealand pair pulled the score back to 1-2 after an excellent (and exciting) three straight win in the doubles, 27-25, 21-18, 21-18. Now playing with confidence, Anne Stonestreet looped and hammered her way past Christine Little to win in four: 21-16, 21-12, 16-21, 21-19. This left current New Zealand champion Yvonne Fogarty facing Australian No 1 Helen Morrow in the final and deciding match of the test. In the first game the New Zealander was trailing 11-19 but, summoning advice received while training in China, from there on was able to focus on one point at a time and miraculously pulled back to win 21-19. A useful net-cord at 18-19 helped but took nothing away from the courageous nature of the comeback. Yvonne won the next two games to seal the contest for New Zealand, 3-2. The triumphant team, non-playing captain Alan Tomlinson and the crowd of NZ supporters were jubilant.

The originally proposed second international did not eventuate as television coverage was unavailable. There were calls for the contest to be played anyway but NZTTA deemed it uneconomical to bring the players to Wellington without the financial incentive of television fees. The match had been scheduled to take place at the Avalon TV studios.

The North Island Championships took place during the Australian’s visit and both players participated. Christine Little rose to the occasion by turning the tables on Anne Stonestreet in the semi-final and then beating Yvonne Fogarty in an exciting final, 9-21, 21-19, 21-19, 16-21, 21-19. Yvonne had beaten Helen Morrow three straight in the other semi-final 23-21, 24-22, 22-20. The Australian pair won the women’s doubles.

---

James Morris Invited to Japan Sports Festival

A Sports Festival held in the Mie district, to which he was specifically invited, was just one event experienced by James Morris in a visit of several weeks to Japan near the end of the year. He was also given introductions to several universities for additional table tennis training and attended the first Asian Coaches Assembly in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. James largely met his own travel costs for this trip.

---

Affiliation Fees Revisited, Reversed - but Controversy Remains

The 1974 decision to base Association affiliation fees on member numbers rather than interclub team numbers did not last long enough for it to be applied for even a single season. Records differ on whether it was decided to reverse the original decision at or before the 1975 AGM but the next step was for the NZTTA Executive to successfully argue for a substantial increase in fees per team at the 1975 AGM. This decision ensured the earlier controversy continued to rumble as it had always been stirred by resistance to any form of fee increase. Several associations, led by Canterbury, called a Special General Meeting at the NZ Championships to discuss the increase with a view to having it reversed but the motion was defeated.

---

Stars Come Out for Opening of Hamilton Stadium

After more than two years of planning and fundraising, Hamilton celebrated the opening of its new 11,800 sq ft stadium on 26 April by inviting the cream of the nation’s table tennis talent to compete in a special invitation tournament. New international Robert Blair took the opportunity to prove that his selection for the earlier Commonwealth and World Championships was not premature by beating Alan Tomlinson and Gary Murphy before losing to Richard Lee in the men’s final.

---