COMPETITIONS TO START TONIGHT

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28921, 15 June 1959, Page 9

COMPETITIONS TO START TONIGHT

= Hall Completed For Play

The Canterbury Table Tennis Association’s inter-club competition will commence this evening. The competitions, which usually start in the first or second week in May, have been held up this year through the non-availability of the association’s central playing hall. This hall was destroyed by fire, at the end of last season, and was only last week completed for play. The new hall is larger than was the old, and will contain 11 tables as against nine formerly. The 11 tables are all brand-new, and very fast, the old tables having been destroyed in the fire. The new hall and tables were used for the first time on Saturday evening, when the annual subassociations’ championships were held.

The president of the Canterbury and New Zealand Table Tennis Associations (Mr F. U. G. Johnstone) said in Christchurch yesterday that it was pleasing to see that the competitions could at last commence. Canterbury was the largest table tennis province in the Dominion, said Mr Johnstone, and its many players were eagerly awaiting the commencement of the matches.

Mr Johnstone said that special praise was due to the president of the Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon, and Canary Club (Mr R. J. Mitchell) for the efforts which he had made to get the hall finished. Mr Mitchell’s club is the owner of the hall, which is leased to the table tennis association for most of the year. Without the active support and work of Mr Mitchell, said Mr Johnstone, it was doubtful whether the competitions would have been able to start this month.

Country Team

The Country table tennis team for the annual match against Town on Saturday is:

Men.—E. Drewitt (M.C.), A. K. Chamberlain (S.), A. Swanson (M.), I. Jones (E.), M. Boulton (M.), A. Green (M.C.). N. King (E.), L. Johns (M.C.).

Women.—Miss B. Taylor (M.C.), Miss Y. Hart (M.), Mrs W. Hantz (E), Miss M. McKay (M.C.), Miss C. Rapley M.C.), Mrs M. Skilling (E.), Miss M. Tyson (S.), Miss E. Heslop (E.).

Boys.—D. Benson (S.), B. Watkins (S.), W. Marshall (M.C.), S. Barrett (M.), K. Rich (M.), J. Wilson (N.C.).

Girls.—Miss M. Johnson (M.C.), Miss K. Bunn (E.), Miss J. Rich (M.), Miss J. Caesar (E.).