NZ Wins Gold at Commonwealth Games

In the first Commonwealth Games to include Table Tennis, a New Zealand player stood on the podium to receive the first ever Women’s Singles Gold Medal. It was a truly remarkable performance by Li Chunli: Chinese born, based in Japan since 1993 but qualified to represent NZ since 1989. Two strong Singaporean players with higher world rankings stood between her and the gold medal but she blitzed the entire field by winning all her matches either 4-0 or 4-1.
Li Chunli played a leading role in securing for NZ three more medals: a silver in the Women’s Doubles with Karen Li, a bronze in the Mixed Doubles with Peter Jackson, and a bronze in the Women’s Teams with Karen Li and Tracey McLauchlan.

The full team for the Games, held in Manchester, England in late July and early August, was Li Chunli, Karen Li, Tracey McLauchlan, Laura-Lee Smith, Peter Jackson, Aaron Li, Andrew Hubbard and Shane Laugesen. It was managed by Ron Garrett, the coach was James Morris, Assistant Coach Simeon Cairns and the team was supported by a video analysis technician, Helen Codlin, whose role is explained in the next article.

The team’s preparation was complex and difficult to co-ordinate. A valuable training camp was run by Swedish coach Jan Berner in January with pre-event training arranged for the men in England and for the women in China.

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Video Analysis Aids Games Success

Thanks to the foresight of James Morris, and the technical knowledge of Simeon Cairns and Martin Dowson (of Digital Sports), New Zealand was the only team at the Manchester Commonwealth Games to have access to video analysis technology on site.

National Junior Assistant Coach Helen Codlin had been trained in the basics of the computer-based system the previous year and was able to secure a $10,000 Prime Minister’s Coaching Scholarship thanks to a well-presented application detailing her skills and the potential value of the technology. The money covered the cost of the equipment and of attending not only the Commonwealth Games but also the Oceania Championships immediately preceding them in Fiji in early July.

In essence the system involved video recording entire matches and coding each rally so that all rallies with similar outcomes (eg, unforced errors, failure to return serve) could be assembled together for analysis. It proved a useful tool and as well as enabling NZ players to review their own matches it could also be used to preview and analyse the play of up-coming opponents.

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Top Swedish Coach Spends Three Weeks in NZ

In January Swedish Coach Jan Berner visited Whangarei, North Harbour, Nelson and Invercargill enlightening local players and coaches with down-to-earth practical advice. He worked with players ranging from promising juniors through to the Commonwealth Games squad and was observed and assisted by local coaches. His main emphasis was on the importance of relating all training routines to a match situation, thus varying speed and spin even when just a single stroke is being practised. He also commented on the need to have coaches based in the various purpose-built TT facilities that he visited.

Jan Berner is a former highly ranked player in Sweden, has coached the Norwegian Women’s team and was soon to take up a position as National Coach in Finland.

All Jan’s travel costs to, from and within New Zealand were met by Oceania TT Federation.

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World Cadet Challenge

This event was inaugurated in Hungary in June with Under 15 teams from each continental federation competing. Two New Zealand players were selected in the Oceania team: Binbin Zhu and Jiani Hu.

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New Coaching Positions Created

Applications were sought for the positions of National Junior Coach and National Junior Assistant Coach. Their main tasks were to function as a link between the national selectors and district coaches, to organize national training camps, and to source international training and competition opportunities.

The successful applicants were Murray Finch (National Junior Coach) and Helen Codlin (National Junior Assistant Coach).

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New Zealander Umpires Commonwealth Games Gold Medal Match

Averil Roberts was among the International Umpires honoured to be selected to officiate at the Commonwealth Games, the first to include Table Tennis. The honours didn’t end there. She was invited to umpire the Mixed Doubles Gold Medal match. Averil has risen through the ranks in spectacular fashion. She attained international status in 2000.

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New Zealanders in China

The New Zealand Commonwealth Games women’s team, accompanied by coach Simeon Cairns, spent nine days at Guangxi Training Centre, one of 24 provincial training centres throughout China. As well as practising against local players and a visiting Vietnamese team, they were able to observe Chinese coaching methods and their exceedingly hierarchical coaching structure. Simeon Cairns had the opportunity to talk with, and learn from, the centre’s head coach and former World Champion, Xie Saike.

Earlier in the year, Auckland coach Hagen Bower made his fourth visit to China and, as well as visiting a local training centre, had the good fortune to be allowed into the national team training hall, accompanied by former NZ National Coach Zhu Hui. It was the largest full-time table tennis training facility in the world with 55 tables. He observed 20 men and 30 women in the midst of their 5 hour daily training routine. The recognizable players included Kong Linghui, Wang Liqin and Wang Nan, all former World Champions and Olympic gold medalists.

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Koreans Entertain in Christchurch

A large crowd watched a spectacular exhibition by Korean veteran stars Yoo Nam Kyu and Jong Up Han at Table Tennis Canterbury’s Stadium in February. Yoo was an Olympic medalist in 1988 and Jong has coached World number 4 Ryu Ji Hie.

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New Zealand's First International Referee

 

David Jackson qualified as an International Referee. He is New Zealand's first in this position.

 

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TT Info Turns 21

In October Table Tennis Info put out a bumper 44 page magazine to celebrate its 21st issue. By a happy coincidence, the same issue highlighted Li Chunli’s Commonwealth Games gold medal performance. The cover combined a banner “21st Issue” headline with a triumphant Chunli celebrating her momentous win.

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Tanya Hefferan Dies, aged 34

Tanya Hefferan (nee McAvinue) passed away on 23 July after a sudden and brief illness. Her most successful playing days were in the junior ranks but she continued to serve the sport with dedication in later years.
In 1984, one of her best years, she won 33 titles at New Zealand tournaments and two Under 17 bronze medals in Australia.

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Wellington Area Associations Merge

The former Wellington Table Tennis Association expanded to cover the regions of Hutt Valley, Porirua and Kapiti in addition to Wellington City. Previously Hutt Valley was a stand-alone association and Porirua and Kapiti had been covered by Kapiti TTA until it went into recess in 2000. The new Association adopted the name Table Tennis Wellington.

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Two Great Team Wins over Aussie at Oceania Championships

The Australian men’s team of Russell Lavale, Trevor Brown and William Henzell was a formidable combination that only a New Zealand team at the top of its game had a chance of beating. In the Oceania team final, played in Suva, Fiji, in early July, Aaron Li narrowly beat Henzell; Peter Jackson had his first ever win over Brown; Andrew Hubbard lost in 5 games to Lavale, and Aaron Li finished off the win by beating Brown. It was an exciting and well-deserved triumph.

The Under 17 Boys (Josh Alexandre, Andy Huang, Simon Wallace) were doubly rewarded for their sterling 3-2 win over Australia in their team final. They won not only the Gold Medal, but also the right to compete at the inaugural World Junior Championships in Chile in December, 2003.

Jiani Hu won two more gold medals for NZ in the individual events: Under 14 Girls’ Singles, and Under 14 Girls’ Doubles with Sophie Shu.

A group of our junior girls had the honour of being photographed with Mr Adam Sharara, (President of the International Table Tennis Federation) who visited Suva during the Championships.

The full team was (men) Jackson, Li, Hubbard, Shane Laugesen; (women) Karen Li, Tracey McLauchlan, Laura-Lee Smith; (under 20 men) John Cordue, Chris Erskine, Andy Huang, Yi-Sien Lin, Simon Wallace; (under 20 women) Michelle McCarthy, Leanne Ridder, Hanna Squire; (under 17 boys) Alexandre, Huang, Wallace; (under 17 girls) Sarah Ho, Jiani Hu, Sophie Shu). The team manager was Ron Garrett and the coaches James Morris, Simeon Cairns, Murray Finch and Helen Codlin.

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