Fifty years of table tennis

Press, 26 June 1987, Page 20

Fifty years of table tennis

Table tennis has been played in Canterbury since 1920, but it was not until 1937 that an official association and organised competitions were arranged. This was a late start because the first New Zealand association was formed in Auckland in 1924. Apart from a break between 1941 and 1945 for the Second World War, inter-club competitions and open championships have been held ever since. In 1951 a summer inter-club competition, a first for New Zealand, was introduced.

The Canterbury association has held several New Zealand championships and it is fitting in this fiftieth year that the national . event will again be held in Christchurch. This year’s venue is the Pioneer Stadium, whereas previous events were at Cowles Stadium.

Canterbury women exponents have achieved the best results. Joy, Evans (nee Williamson) won the New Zealand women’s singles titles in 1951 and 1952, Patricia Purdon (nee Quinn) won .the same title in 1958 and.

more recently, Jan Morris won five titles from the late 19705. The. New Zealand men’s title has come to Canterbury only once, when Richard Lee spent the 1974 season playing and coaching in Christchurch. .The present chairman of the Canterbury Table Tennis Association, Trevor Flint, was appointed the first national coach in 1971 and held this position for several years. This post is now held by a full-time professional from England.

Canterbury has been well served by a large number of administrators over its 50 years, but by none more so than “Mr

Canterbury Table Tennis,” A. B. (Alan) McCallum . who was president for, 18 years and left a large gap when he died in 1980. In conjunction with this year’s Canterbury open championships a jubilee dinner is being held on August 8 to mark 50 years of table tennis. Early acceptances indicate a good attendance from former players and administrators from throughout New Zealand. .