Peter Jackson’s First World Championships

In his first outing representing New Zealand at senior level, Peter Jackson was placed in a high pressure position not just once but four times. And it wasn’t just any low level international event – it was the World Championships. He responded superbly.

The New Zealand men had the misfortune of losing 2-5 to Luxembourg, a team they had beaten in 1981, meaning, as it had so many times before, second place in stage one section play. They could now finish no higher than 37th and even that placing depended on winning a play-off round-robin series with three other countries. It was in these play-off contests that pressure was placed on 18 year old Peter Jackson.

He was called for the final match against Spain with the score at 4-4. He won two straight. Then came Cuba. He played a vital match against their No 1 who had already beaten both his team mates, James Morris and Barry Griffiths. He won that as well. For the last four matches against the Dominican Republic the pressure was on for the whole team. New Zealand was down 1-4 when Peter took the first step towards saving the contest. He won his match easily and James and Barry also won to bring the scores level at 4-4. Enter Peter Jackson once more, and once more facing the opposition’s top player. He won 21-16, 15-21, 21-17.

Peter’s performance at the Championships was probably the best he’d played to that point and won for him the Player of the Year Award. His place in the New Zealand team was secure for the next twenty years.

Women Improve

Our women’s team of Jan Morris, Christine Lee and Shelley Palmer improved from 27th to 23rd, with the doubles record of Jan and Christine (73%) a key factor. New Zealand had good wins over useful teams from Malaysia and Singapore, a tight 3-2 win over Luxembourg and a 3-0 win over Italy. They lost to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Canada and the United States. They also lost 1-3 to Denmark in the final play-off contest.

Waldner Hits the World Stage – and Signals Intentions

Future world champion, Sweden’s Jan-Ove Waldner (17) demonstrated his potential when he played reigning world doubles champion Cao Zhenhua in the Sweden/China team final and held him to 28-30 in the first game. He lost the second 16-21 but it was a terrific match and his performance earned instant respect from the world-dominating Chinese - a respect coupled with affection and popularity that would last throughout his career. It was Waldner who broke the Chinese grip on the World men’s singles title in 1989 and he won again in 1997. He also won the Olympic singles gold medal in 1992.

China dominated the Tokyo hosted Championships, and won everything except the perilously close men’s doubles final where Xie Saike and Jiang Jialiang lost to Yugoslavia’s Dragutin Surbek and Zoran Kalinic. (Surbek had also won in 1979, partnered then by Anton Stipancic.)

Guo Yuehua retained his 1981 singles title and Cao Yanhua won the women’s singles, a title she would retain in 1985.

Kiwis in Main Draw

Only Christine Lee, Jan Morris and Barry Griffiths survived the singles qualifying rounds. Christine took Finland’s Eva Malmberg to five games and Barry lost to his unrelated namesake Alan Griffiths (Wales), 21-14, 21-23, 15-21, 19-21 in their respective first round matches. Shelley Palmer teamed up with Maria Albiou of Romania for a women’s doubles win against Paula Bevilacqua and Maria Cergol of Italy.

Nelson Tizard managed the team and Keith Fraser had the distinction of being this country’s first International Umpire to officiate at the World Championships.

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Women Make Great Start at Commonwealths

After being deprived in 1981, the New Zealand team at the World Championships regained its traditional international “warm-up” event and was able to compete in the Commonwealth Championships in the days immediately preceding the Worlds. The 1981 Commonwealths were postponed for a year.

The women (Jan Morris, Christine Lee and Shelley Palmer) made an immediate impact, beating hosts Malaysia 3-0. Malaysia then beat Australia by the same margin. Overall, the team’s performance was notably better than 1982 although their finishing position rose by only one place, to 6th. Their loss to India, always a strong nation and with a higher world ranking, was a close 2-3. India finished second to Hong Kong, the only team to comfortably beat New Zealand. NZ beat Australia 3-2 and, by the same score, Scotland – a team they lost to last year. An unfortunate 1-3 loss to Singapore in the final play-off deprived the team of a higher placing. All three women had their share of wins and there were good doubles performances.

The men played well and would have been disappointed with their low placing of 10th. Two 1-5 losses to Scotland were costly and they also lost to Australia 2-5. Their decisive losses to top sides England, India and Hong Kong were all expected and their sole win in pool play was over Northern Ireland (5-0). They saved their best for the play-off against 4th seeded Canada, where James Morris and Barry Griffiths both won two singles and Peter Jackson one for an excellent 5-0 win. Morris was the standout player overall, winning the two lone matches against Scotland. Griffiths’ early form was hampered by illness and Jackson was carefully feeling his way into international competition. But the two young players had a good tournament and moved on to the World Championships with confidence.

In a round one crowd-pleaser, James Morris almost beat Douglas Johnson of England in the individual events. Johnson won 21-14, 18-21, 21-10, 19-21, 24-22 and went on to reach the quarter-finals where he lost to eventual winner Chiu Man Kuen (Hong Kong) 9-21, 15-21, 8-21.

Also in the first round Peter Jackson took the first game against top seed Atanda Musa (Nigeria) who recovered with easy wins in the next three. Chiu beat Musa in four games in the semi-finals.

In the women’s singles Yu Kam Kai beat Hui So Hung in a five game all Hong Kong final. Hong Kong players won all seven championships including both team titles. It was a total whitewash for the powerful Asian nation.

The tournament was played in Kuala Lumpur in a hot and humid atmosphere without fully functioning air-conditioning.

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Major Historical Undertaking

Work began in 1982 on a book documenting the New Zealand Table Tennis Association’s first 50 years. Publication was scheduled for 1984, NZTTA’s Golden Jubilee year. By far the most intense work on the project took place this year, 1983. The instigator was long-time Secretary Ken Wilkinson who researched the subject, wrote the text and amassed 74 photographs. He drew on annual reports, an extensive collection of newspaper cuttings which he himself had preserved, and his own remarkable memory and experience. The initial preparation was very much a one-person project but essential support was forthcoming from Shell (NZ) Ltd, who provided financial backing, public relations consultants Dinniss Cleal Associates Ltd for editing and advisory services, and Izard Weston & Co for legal advice.

The book was wide-ranging, dealing chronologically with national and international events decade by decade and with separate chapters on top players, coaching, playing equipment and major controversies. Correspondence with the legal advisors regarding coverage of the controversies has been preserved showing that care was taken to avoid any libelous content, without backing away from presenting the facts “warts and all”.

Ken’s original choice for a title was “Wooden Bats and Funny Rubber”. While the public relations advisors recognised the whimsy and humour of such a title, they pointed out that it related only to the chapter in which the history of racket development was traced and commented on. The chapter itself was given that title, but the whole publication was re-named “Fifty Years Across The Table”.

The book was scheduled for launch at the Golden Jubilee celebrations in March, 1984.

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Australia and Oceania Champion now also NZ Champion - finally

After she had won the Australian championships in 1975 and outplayed the best in New Zealand and Australia to win the Oceania title in 1978 and again in 1982, it’s strange that it took until this year for former Australian Christine Lee (nee Little) to win her first New Zealand singles title. It was her fourth attempt after losing a semi-final in 1980 to Jan Morris, a quarter-final in 1981 to Debbie Looms and another semi-final in 1982, to Angela Brackenridge. And the final stage of her run this year was no easy ride. Not only did she face the 1982 champion, a rampant Shelley Bougher (nee Palmer), in the semi-final (Lee won 20-22, 21-17, 21-10, 22-20) but could see another threat racing through the other side of the draw. 16 year old Australian Andrea Campbell had earlier beaten Angela Brackenridge when, in the second semi-final, she turned her attention to Jan Morris and beat the four-times champion 14-21, 21-18, 21-19, 21-14. It was a staggering result and would have sent shivers up the spine of the Oceania Champion. But she responded with maturity and beat Campbell comfortably in the final, 21-17, 21-11, 21-18.

It was a much deserved triumph for Christine Lee who went on to win again in 1985 and 1986 and to represent New Zealand at a number of international events.

Andrea Campbell was not the only young Australian riding roughshod over some of New Zealand’s best, nor even the most damaging. That honour was claimed by 18 year old Gary Haberl. This diminutive bundle of energy from New South Wales had already featured in a NZ singles final (in 1980, aged 15, when he was easily beaten by Graham Lassen). This year he turned the tables on Lassen in the round of 16, beat Richard Lee in the quarter-finals, Peter Jackson in the semi-finals and Barry Griffiths (21-17, 21-16, 21-18) in the final. Griffiths could justifiably claim to be playing under a handicap, having just had stitches removed from the thumb of his playing hand, but he had come back from two games down to beat James Morris in the semi-final so the magic was still there. Haberl was just too good. A few weeks later he also won the Australian Championships.

To add to their singles successes, Haberl and Campbell combined to win the mixed doubles, beating Peter Jackson and Christine Lee in a four game final.

Giant Killers Surprise in Women’s Doubles

The well-developed but often under-estimated pairing of Ann Gyongyos and Kristen Phillips overcame two internationally experienced combinations to win the women’s doubles. Following numerous successes at provincial level the pair had triumphed in the North Island Championships in 1981 and again this year. Their contrasting ages and backgrounds are of interest. 42 year old Gyongyos was a former Hungarian international whose endlessly patient defensive game had worn out many a strong attacking player and earned her No 6 ranking in 1982 and No 3 this year. Phillips (20) had represented New Zealand as a junior and had matured into a proficient all round player with patience equal to Gyongyos’s. Her 1983 ranking was 7. Together, they melded into a formidable unit but their NZ doubles title was a sterling performance featuring wins over Angela Brackenridge and Jan Morris, and Shelley Bougher and Kadia Rice. They won both in four games.

Barry Griffiths and Peter Jackson won the men’s doubles.

Junior Clean Sweeps

The aforementioned Gary Haberl and Andrea Campbell were just two of six Australian juniors participating in this year’s nationals - all boys except Campbell. Between them they won every title in the Under 18 and Under 16 categories, with NZ players sharing the two girls doubles titles with Andrea Campbell.

In the Under 12 age-category all five titles were won by players from the same Association: Hutt Valley. Darren Sears and Susan Cuthbert were the singles winners. Exactly the same players had also swept this age-category at the North Island Championships.

The Championships were hosted by Auckland.

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End of Promotion/Relegation Contests

Like them or loathe them, promotion/relegation contests at the NZ Championships between each grade’s bottom placed team and the top team from the grade below have attracted attention, comment and debate since their introduction in 1965. They have been absorbing and often nail-biting for the spectators and a severe test under pressure for the players. Their demise arose from an Annual Meeting decision to introduce automatic promotion for the top teams and demotion for the bottom ones from this year onwards.

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National Tournament Management Goes Hi-Tech

One of the labour-intensive chores tackled by the NZTTA Management Committee was the preparation of draws for the multi-event NZ Championships, and to an only slightly lesser extent, the North and South Island Championships. The task was in the hands of the Tournament Play sub-committee and it involved more than just drawing names out of a hat. Care was taken to ensure the same two players did not meet in the early rounds of two different events, that players from the same district association were kept separate from each other, and for singles events there was reference to the previous year’s draw to avoid duplication in consecutive years. The committee often spent every evening for a full week on the task.

All this changed when the computer programming experience of future NZ ranked player David Jackson was brought to the management committee in 1982. He had already devised a programme to manage Auckland tournaments and committed to adapting it for use at national level. The draw for the 1983 NZ Championships was the first to be computer-generated, with David’s software running on a large mainframe. It was the beginning of a new era. For 20 years the programme and equipment were updated in line with the general development of computer technology. More and more features were added to assist with tournament administration and to make information accessible to players and spectators.

In 2004 David finally relinquished his role as provider of computer and technical services to NZTTA, by then known as Table Tennis New Zealand.

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South Island Titles – Replay of 73

A 1973 article highlighted the spectacular performance of our two new South Island singles champions, Maurice Burrowes and Jan Morris, both then aged only 17. They also won the open mixed doubles together.

Ten years later, the pair won the same three titles. For Jan Morris the 1983 win was “business as usual” – it was her seventh title and she won again in 1984. The mixed doubles was also just another day at the office - the pair practically owned the title between 1973 and 1983, winning it eight times. And Burrowes won again in 1990 partnered by Janine Chandler.

But the men’s singles was a different story. Although twice runner-up, Maurice Burrowes was never to win the title between 1973 and 1983. It was a case of “nearly, but not quite” for the talented South Islander. His early career was impressive. In 1971 at the age of 15 he was selected for the South Island team which, amazingly, scored a 10-2 win over a North Island line-up consisting entirely of current NZ representatives. He beat Richard Lee in that contest and, paired with Bryan Foster, outplayed the doubles pairings of Richard Lee and James Morris, and Alan Tomlinson and Gary Murphy. Earlier the same year he had beaten 1968 NZ Champion Bryan Foster at the South Island teams tournament. He was tantalisingly close to national selection in 1974 while aged only 18 and came close again in 1979. His best win ever was over Danny Dhondt, a member of the touring French team, in the round of 16 at the 1975 NZ Championships.

For a very long period Maurice Burrowes was a loyal and very successful member of the Canterbury, and later, Otago representative teams.

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Coaching Activity Intensifies

While a deliberate choice was made not to engage an English coach this season as was done for the last four years and also in 1975, the year was notable for more, rather than less, coaching activity. This surge was largely the direct result of the groundwork laid by the visits of Alan Hydes, Peter Hirst and David Fairholm, which led to an unprecedented number of trained coaches operating in most corners of the country. And new initiatives were continuing: North Shore utilised the skills of German coach Peter Schloots; Auckland engaged Richard Lee to coach for ten hours a week for 30 weeks of the year; the highly experienced Onlsow club and Wellington Association coach, Paul Escott, (pictured) was loaned to the Buller sub-Association for a short period for the second year in succession – all this in addition to the usual round of senior, junior and regional training camps.

And our top coaches were in demand overseas. James Morris and Richard Lee each worked for about three weeks with the national squads of New Caledonia and Tahiti respectively, helping them prepare for the upcoming South Pacific Games.

The NZTTA coaching manual was updated this year by its original author, David Cook.

Notwithstanding all the above, probably the most important development on the coaching front was a decision by NZTTA to fund a nationwide tour of New Zealand by Neti Traill for the express purpose of garnering support from district associations for the funding of a full-time professional overseas coach. Such an appointment would entail a heavy financial commitment right down to club level and doubts were expressed whether a national coach would be of any benefit to the grass roots player. Neti Traill was an inspired choice to promote the concept, with her status as a former champion, her coaching experience at local level and her impartiality as a person outside NZTTA management.

The undertaking was highly successful and adequate support was forthcoming to enter into negotiations for the appointment of an overseas coach in 1985.

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North Island Championships: Lee/Morris Era Tails Off

James Morris won the North Island men’s singles. It was the last of his many open titles at national level (33 in all). His first had been the men’s singles at the 1971 North Island championships. Both tournaments were held in Palmerston North.

This striking co-incidence would have given Palmerston North spectators attending the two events twelve years apart an eerie sense of reverse déjà-vu. James was 18 in 1971 and faced reigning NZ champion Gary Murphy in the men’s final. In 1983 James, now 30 and a former NZ Champion himself, faced Peter Jackson, aged 19, in the final.

And it wasn’t just James Morris’s top level playing career that wound down in 1983. That of his long-time doubles partner and international team-mate Richard Lee was also beginning to tail off. While lacking the symmetry of James Morris’s 13 years at the top, Richard Lee’s achievements rose to equally lofty heights and surpassed James in terms of open national titles (37) and career longevity. He first won at national level in 1970 when, aged 15, he partnered Alan Tomlinson to win the North Island men’s doubles. The Lee/Morris partnership came together in 1973 and the 1983 North Island men’s doubles was the last of 18 national titles (including eight New Zealand championships) won by the pair. Richard had further success in 1986 (South Island men’s and mixed doubles with Tony Radford and Christine Lee) and his last title was the 1989 North Island men’s doubles with Tony Radford.

By 1983 Richard Lee and James Morris were independently involved in coaching, administration and promotional work and by 2008 both had clocked up well over 30 years (and counting) in these activities.

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Extraordinary Stamina Shown by Veteran at North Islands

Notwithstanding the North Island successes of James Morris and Richard Lee (refer above), it was the women’s events that provided the highlights of the 1983 Championships. The surprise winner of the singles was veteran Ann Gyongyos. She was destined to surprise again at the NZ Championships (refer earlier article) but the remarkable aspect of her North Island win was that she was able to prevail over top seed Christine Lee in the final despite having just spent a marathon day and evening facing quality players in the doubles and mixed doubles. She also competed in the over 35 women’s singles, which she won.

Partnered by the dependable Ron Foster, Gyongyos won the mixed doubles semi-final in four games over Geoff Rau and Toni Pairaudeau and then battled for five games before losing the final to Malcolm Darroch and Pam Shadbolt. Her partner in the women’s doubles was Kristen Phillips, with whom she’d won the title in 1981 and the pair were destined for the NZ title later this year. They beat Jane Bevan and Toni Pairaudeau in four games in the semi-final and went on to reclaim the title with a four game win over Christine Lee and Gina Stapleton.

And all this was before the women’s singles final even began. A strong start saw Gyongyos take the first two games 21-17, 23-21 but when Lee came back with decisive wins in the next two, 21-11, 21-12, the 27 year old Oceania Champion looked a certain winner. But showing remarkable stamina in what turned into a marathon (not just lasting five games but with long individual rallies of topspin fighting chop) 42 year old Gyongyos hung in there to 19-19 in the fifth game. A net-cord (favouring Lee), a fault serve by Lee, an edge-ball (favouring Gyongyos), and one uneventful point concluded the game, won by Gyongyos 22-20.

Ann Gyongyos won again in 1985 and 1986 and was selected to represent New Zealand in 1986.

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Entry of Table Tennis into Olympics Scheduled for 1988

Jubilation greeted the announcement at the opening of the 1983 World Championships that Table Tennis would be on the programme at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. Men’s and women’s singles and doubles would be held. Players from the ITTF’s 126 member countries would be eligible for selection under a regional qualification system based on quotas, with each country’s National Olympic Committee making the final selections.

It had been a long road beginning with the recognition of ITTF by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1977. Full membership of IOC was granted in 1981 and this year came the announcement that Table Tennis was in (from 1988). The final step would be NZTTA’s acceptance as a member of the NZ Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association in 1985.

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Boys Do Well in Australia

For the second year in succession it was a rebuilt NZ junior team that competed in the Australian Junior Championships in Sydney in May. Only one player (Robert Kerr) was making the trip for a second time. The full team was Robert Kerr, Tony Radford, Willie Shaw, Sandra Mayes, Eileen Hoete and Yvonne Cuthbert, with Shane Cummins and Tanya McAvinue the reserves. The boys performed particularly well, finishing second to Victoria in the teams event. Since NZ’s participation began in 1978 only the 1981 boys team had done better but in winning that year they were helped enormously by our two star players highly ranked at senior level, Barry Griffiths and Peter Jackson.

Robert Kerr (pictured) had the best record in team play, winning 15 out of 18 singles. He went on to reach the semi-finals of the under 17 boys doubles with Tony Radford. Eileen Hoete and Yvonne Cuthbert were semi-finalists in the under 15 girls doubles. The girls team had decisive wins over Western Australia and Tasmania and finished 5th.

Buildup to the event included a three-day training camp at Easter and participation in the Eketahuna District Community Festival. This fun event was by special invitation and the players were invited to demonstrate their skills in public – always a crowd-puller in heartland New Zealand.

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Table Tennis Leads Other Sports in Junior Awards

Table Tennis was the only sport to win two NZ Herald Junior Sports Awards. The five winners, chosen from 34 nominations, were announced in January and were based on performances throughout 1982. Peter Jackson and Kadia Rice were the two table tennis winners. A swimmer, trampolinist and wrestler won the other three awards.

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NZTTA Pioneer Dies

The man who called the meeting which led to the formation of NZTTA in 1934, and who managed the first New Zealand Championships the same year, died on 6 July, 1983. Thomas Stafford (Tommy) Williams dominated Wellington table tennis from the formation of its Association in 1934 through to the 1960s when he continued to attend tournaments as an honoured guest after relinquishing the Association Chair which he had occupied for 25 years. Fiercely parochial, he was always a colourful participant at NZTTA Annual Meetings.

He was also a dedicated administrator at national level and served 20 years on the NZTTA Management Committee, chairing it from 1962-1964. He was made a Life Member in 1963.

He was a professional tennis coach for more than 50 years.

Tommy Williams was 83.

Tommy kept a small excerise book of some of his table tennis memories from 1905 to 1958. This can be seen in pdf format here>

Alf Harding wrote an article on Tommy published in the 1990 NZ Open Programme. It can be seen here>

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Bats Go Multi-Coloured

A General Meeting of the ITTF decided in May to introduce a series of rule changes from 1984. One related to service, making the service act more visible to the opponent. The other dealt with problems caused by the increasing variety of racket-coverings available and the different effects they have on the ball. Players had been taking advantage of this by having different coverings of similar colour on each side and rotating the racket to deceive opponents. The rule change, requiring “distinctly different colours on each side”, largely achieved its purpose but problems continued over interpretation. Colours “distinctly different” when examined close-up could look similar when a defensive opponent retreated several metres from the table.

The issue would be finally laid to rest with a further change in 1987, requiring one side to be black and the other bright red. Racket coverings in only those colours were manufactured from that date.

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