Impressions of my first European Veterans Table Tennis Championships. 26 June – 1 July, 2017
When I applied for a Dutch passport I did it for two reasons.
Firstly my son asked my wife Joan and I to regain our Dutch citizenship so that his daughters could receive a work visa in Holland.
Secondly, as a bonus it would give me the right to play in the European Veterans Table Tennis Championships, which is only open to European passport holders.
Five years ago we both received Dutch passports and regained Dutch citizenship in addition to the Australian ones we already owned. Just in time too, for a year later this opportunity was closed by the Netherlands’ government. At the last Australian Veterans Championships there was talk by some that they were thinking of entering the European. I pricked up my ears and decided to give it a shot.
I am glad I did, for it turned out to be a wonderful tournament in the beautiful city of Helsingborg, Sweden. Together with five other “Aussies”, the six of us travelled to the other end of the world to play the game we so much enjoy. Tony Herbert, who has a British passport asked me to play in the Doubles with him in the O80s. It will be his last year in this age category, as he turns 85 next year.
Then we had Thomas Samuelsson who is a Swede, Carol Cowie, Betty Bird and Clive Sim, all representing England. But we were really viewed as Aussies by our opponents. Time and again I was greeted with the statement, “I thought this was a European tournament!” I deliberately wore my bright yellow Aussie tracksuit to solicit these comments.
Over 2100 players entered the bi-annual tournament and Betty, Tony and Thomas had played in this tournament, which commenced in 1995, before. For me of course it was my first. However I have played in every Worlds since 1994, twelve of them on the trot, and this has taken me all over the globe.
Many of the players in this tourney were familiar to me, but some only appear to enter the European. South America, Australia, Japan, China and New Zealand are much too far away for them. Most Germans could travel to Helsingborg by car, which by Australian standards is not far at all; there were nearly 800 of them. They don’t even need to take a Ferry since the Oresund bridge/tunnel was constructed in the late nineties.
In 1996 Joan and I travelled across the Oresund Sound by train-on-the-ferry when I played in Lillehammer, Norway. In 2012 we drove our hire car over and through the new crossing to play in Stockholm. When we flew into Copenhagen on arriving in Europe we saw the long bridge from the air by flying over it. Then this time we rode across the Sound comfortably sitting in the train that departed from the Danish capital.
There were about 100 players in my age group and competing in it there were several world champions like Klaus Kruger (Ger) who won the O80 Singles gold in Alicante (2016), both Konrad Steinkamper (Ger) and Josef Seidl (Cze) are gold medallists. Twice European Singles champion Kai Merimaa (Fin) was the #1 seed, Tony Borg (Swe) won multiple medals in the Worlds and European championships, and Horst Hedrich (Ger) and Josef Mayer (Hun).
Having finished in the last sixteen in Alicante (2016) and in the last eight in Auckland (2014) the selectors gave me the #1 position in my four-player group, near the bottom of the draw. There were 25 groups of four players each and eight seeded players in the Main Draw. My position, after I won my group, was a further three rounds away from meeting the #2 seed Klaus Kruger in the round of 16, the incumbent world champion.
My first round (64) after the group matches was against a German with whom I had few problems. The next player though (32), also a German was much more difficult and I found myself 0/2 down before changing tactics and getting up to win 3/2. While I had my hands full, so did the #2 seed on the table next to me, who went down in five close games to the Finn Soderstrom. Kruger had had a bye and was clearly surprised by this giant-killing-Finn, who had also accounted for another top player in Josef Seidl (Cze) the round before.
This opened the door for me in round 16 not having to meet these two former champions, provided I could get on top of the rampaging Soderstrom. With my daughter Debbie in my corner, who urged me to keep my cool, I managed to beat the tall rangy lefthanded Finn 7,9,10. He could reach most everything and had a wicked backhand. I played him to his forehand and hit to his strong side.
The final eight players in the O80 Singles at this stage were from top to bottom in the draw: Kai Merimaa (Fin); Michael Meredith (Eng); Horst Hedrich (Ger); Peter Stolzenburg (Ger); Josef Mayer (Hun); Per Stenson (Swe); Ramesh Bhalla (Eng); Cornelis (Case) de Bondt(Ned).
Now I had made the quarter finals and my next opponent was an unseeded player who had never before played in the Worlds nor the European championships. His name is Ramesh Bhalla, representing England. The man is small in stature and stays right on the table taking the ball straight off the bounce. He flat hits most every shot and I could not hold him no matter what I tried, losing 9,8,6. He uses short pimples on both sides with sponge on a very fast bat.
At this time I made the prediction that he would win the gold medal. Sure enough he next went on to easily beat the #3 seeded player Josef Mayer (Hun) and then took good care of Kai Merimaa (Fin) the #1 seed, allowing him only 2 points in the final game. Bhalla is of East African descent and came to England with his family when eight years old. He is a very modest champion and I had a long chat to him about his table tennis career.
Compared to the Worlds at Alicante this tournament was run in a much a much more casual manner. No armed guards at the entrances and no gun-toting guards were patrolling the venue in pairs. There were no restrictions on where to enter the venue, or leave it. Where in Spain the officials were sticklers for the rules, and overly so, Sweden is the exact opposite. Their ethos appears to be tolerance.
In Spain a competitor was disqualified because he’d left his player’s number at the hotel. In Sweden the umpires allow multiple coaches in Singles matches. And during my match against the German Neupotsch, in the round of 32, his mate was loudly calling instructions to him when play was in progress. I had to draw the umpire’s attention to the fact that it is highly illegal and most distracting to me.
My overriding observation of the European tournament is that it is somewhat stronger than the Worlds. I base this on the fact that so many current world champions were beaten, as were many of the players who were seeded #1. The competition in Europe is fierce and is staged right in the heart of “The Veterans’ TT Mecca”, and Helsingborg is easily accessible to most.
Coming to mind are the defeats of Niels Ramberg (Den) the current 070 world champion and Klaus Kruger (Ger) the O80 world champion. Herbert Neubayer, a former world champion, only made the round of 32 in the O70s. Dieter Lippelt (Ger) many times a world gold medallist in Singles and Doubles could also only manage the round of 32 in the O70s. Ding Yi lost the O50s final to the Chech Cecava and there are other examples that show the depth in the European championships is so much greater.
Unfortunately the other “Australians” did not advance any further than the first round after the group matches. Tony Herbert was eliminated in the Consolation semi final. Betty Bird, in a depleted Women’s O80 draw of only ten players, was the most successful with a bronze in the Singles and a gold in the Doubles (with Jean White) also representing England.
Will I go and compete again? I’d like to think so and it will very much depend on how the body stands up I guess. Joan, Debbie and I spent a most unforgettable month in Northern Europe. It also was so nostalgic for us to show our daughter the places we were born, lived and rode our bicycles to school when young, before immigrating to our new country whilst in our early teens.
All results can be viewed on: evc2017.com/tournament/results
18/11/2016
The criteria for the selection of the Ken Cole Trophy.
It is necessary that everyone is made aware about the manner this trophy is awarded. To this end I shall publish the following message which Cynthia Langley kindly sent me a few days ago:
National Veterans Player of the Year (Ken Cole Memorial Trophy).
The Ken Cole Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the player in the view of the National Veterans Committee deserved the award based on the following criteria and with reference to the Player of the Year Award criteria.
• Results at Australian National Veterans Championships,
• Results from both team and individual performances will be included
• Individual performances could include matches from any age.
• Performances in International events such as the World Veterans Championships and NZ Test Matches are to be considered in calculations but not at the expense of Australian National Veterans Championships results (as not all players are able to attend international results due to finances and availability)
• These international results should be used as a ‘tie-breaker’ if there are 2 or more players who had close results from the Australian National Veterans Championships.
Then Cynthia Langley, who succeeded Ken Cole as the Chair of the Australian Veterans Committee, comprising of Cynthia (SA), John Sherriff (Qld), Jennifer Aduckiewicz (NSW) and Leonie Whiteford (NSW), notified me of the following additional criterion:
“The new National Veterans Selectors had been advised of the criteria for the selection of this Award, which had been decided by a panel of P. Marriott (TTA), G. Ireland, B. James and we were supplied with the list of players, which had been worked from the computer program, set up by Brian James.
Your name was at the top of the list.”
The above explanation clearly shows that not only the results obtained at the one-week-nationals in October are taken into consideration. It shows that all results during the year are taken into account and how last year’s and the 2016 recipients were arrived at.
26 October, 2016
Here follow the musings of an average Joe on an improbable tale.
The 33rd Australian national veterans’ championships are behind us again. Joan is very disappointed that I let slip the 80s singles title. Having a senior moment, taking this match for granted, Ken Sands easily clobbered me in three straight games. Earlier in the week I had beaten him in straight games during the team events. I then repeated the dose in the O75 singles. Apart from that one stumble, I had played out of my brain to remain undefeated in the O75 team matches. My results were even better than my team mate Buddy Reid, who after all is the current O75 world champion. And as we were a two-man team, we had to play all the matches. This is the second year running, for also at Caloundra Buddy and I remained undefeated in the O75 team event.
All up I won 6 medals, one in every event I had entered. A total of 2 gold (team & O80 doubles), 1 silver (R/U in O80 singles) and 3 bronze (O75 singles, O75 doubles & O75 mixed). My Order of Merit ranking is #2 behind Buddy Reid. This will give me an automatic Test match berth in the O75-age-table next Easter at Christchurch, NZL. Buddy played so well winning the O75 team event with me, then beating Igor Klaf in the O75 singles and winning both the O70 & O75 doubles with Igor. He also won bronze with Margaret Mulcahy in the 75 mixed doubles. He had scratched from the 70 singles to save energy.
The playing venue was at the newly constructed Netball Centre at Olympic Park, Home Bush Sydney. As usual the wind-up presentation function was held on Saturday evening. The venue for this function was a fair way from where we were staying at Olympic Park, so Joan was not keen to go. Instead Jim Furness, my doubles partner, took us to dinner at a rather posh eatery not far away within walking distance. We had a beaut time mulling over the matches we had played and viewed. Jim was ever so chuffed to win 2 gold and a bronze medallion. He led the O80 team to victory in fine fashion from the third seeded position, against all the odds. The other gold was for the O80 doubles with me, and the bronze in the O75 also partnering me in the doubles.
The next morning while we were having an early breakfast downstairs of our IBIS Hotel, which looks out to the Edward Flack Ave, and who but Pinky (Paul Pinkewich) looked in through the windows. When he saw us he made a bee-line to the door. He was staying in the QUEST Hotel next door. It was obvious that he was looking for us, entered through the front entrance and quickly walked over. He pulled up a chair and after saying the obligatory ‘good mornings’ asked, “Where were you all last night?” Joan answered, “We had a lovely dinner, just the three of us, down the road a bit, in peace and quietness without all the dancing, guitars and drums.”
I could not have said it any better than that, for we had agreed that was what we wanted to do, a quiet evening with no noise and to have an early night before setting out the next morning at 8:00 am, for Jim to drive home to Melbourne and Joan and I to drive to Moama to see the Nesbitts (Geoff was my doubles partner for ten years until he was struck down with bone cancer). Paul then said, “But Case, you won an Award, a very prestigious Award at that, and you should have been there to receive it!” I straight away thought it must have been the Men’s O75 Table Tennis World.com.au award. Pinky sponsors this award every year for the best player in each age group, one each for both Men and Women. To date I already have four such trophies. “No,” in answer to my assumption, “It is the Ken Cole Award for the Australian Veteran Player (Men or Woman) of the Year Award.”
He could have knocked me over with a feather. It is only the second time that this trophy was presented. Last year Lan Zhai won the inaugural one, a huge cup nearly two feet high; and a worthy recipient she was, glamorously carrying the trophy dressed in a beautiful long red dress and posing for the victory photograph, together with the donor Ken Cole. She had won both the O40 and O50 singles titles at Caloundra, as well as many other medals. I felt most embarrassed for not being in her league, and at my age compared to Zhai being akin to a candle flaming brightly just before it is snuffed out. I wanted to know if Pinky had a hand in it. You see, I had purchased a $2,150 ball machine from Paul a few days earlier, much against Joan’s wishes.
“I had nothing to do with it Case. It would have been the Australian Veterans Committee that chose you,” he retorted, “so you must have played well enough to deserve it.” We all looked at one another and, although Joan was struck dumb, Jim ventured to say that between all these members of the committee they surely must have arrived at the correct choice of player. I am thinking, out of 440 players they picked me? It was not my prowess at the sport this year at this tournament, for several players had achieved much more than I had done. Take Mick Wright for instance with 5 gold, a silver and a bronze medal. Buddy had won four gold I know of, as well as a couple of bronze. They had both won singles titles, whereas I had badly blown mine.
Halfway on the way to Albury I met Peter Tegelaers at MacDonalds. We said hello of course and shook hands. He just looked at me and said nothing as if waiting for me to say something. “Were you at the ‘do’ last night?” I asked. When he answered in the affirmative I went on to ask, “Did I perhaps get a mention in despatches? Pinky told me I had won an award.” He just silently looked at me for a few moments and then said, “You were awarded a very big trophy and you weren’t there to receive it!” So it must be true I thought, and Paul didn’t pull my leg. On getting back to Joan I told her about my encounter with Tegelaers. Joan still would not believe any of it.
Margaret Nesbitt rang some time later and wanted us to drive all the way to Moama to stay the night with them. However she has not been at all well and Joan had prepped me to say that I was tired and we would only make it as far as Yarrawonga to overnight in a motel. Joan did not want to make any extra work for Margaret and we promised that we’d be there by 9:30 the next morning. I did mention to her that out of the blue, I had received the “Ken Cole Trophy”. She had the phone on speaker and Geoff was listening in. Of course the next morning congratulations were in order and I could see they rejoiced with me as if Geoff had won it. Joan, however, still did not believe it was true.
I accessed the southerntabletennis.org.au/vets2016/results.htm website of the James’s on Joan’s iPad, and there it stated, in bold letters, that Case de Bondt was the recipient of the ‘Ken Cole Award for the Australian Veteran Player of the Year’. But Joan still remained unconvinced; I thought then that it must be true if two days later it was included on the heading of the website, together with the Order of Merit and the Pinky awards, for all to see. But this is not the end of the tale. We left the Nesbitts after 6:00 pm on Monday evening and arrived at our unit in Oakleigh at 9:15. We both slept like logs. On getting back to Inverloch and unloading ‘the kitchen sink’ as well as my robot, I received a call on my mobile.
“Mick Wright speaking; do you want to hear the bad news or the good news first?” Knowing Mick I could expect anything. “Let’s have it,” I answered, silently hoping Judith was alright. “Well, there has been a mistake with that Ken Cole trophy. Cynthia read out the wrong name and the recipient should have been Buddy Reid instead of you. Because I have known you the longest I received the trophy to give to you on your birthday (14 Nov). Cynthia rang me just now, as I have the trophy, and would I please tell you about the mistake that was inadvertently made. I will hand you the trophy and you can then present it to Buddy at your party.”
I felt strangely relieved. All along I had thought they had pinned the names of the players to a board on the wall and just threw a dart at it. I did not deserve this honour and told Mick so. “Buddy is by far the better player, he is a very good friend and he’s a very nice guy to boot. He is after all the current world champion and thoroughly deserves to win it. I am happy for him.” Mick said that he knew I would say that and hung up.
Joan, all of a sudden, became very upset when I told her. “Why didn’t Cynthia call you herself and let Mick do the dirty work?!!! They made the mistake and why wait so long before you were notified? And all along the other players are being left in the dark and believe you have won it, right until this very moment.” She then commenced to mollycoddle me, feeling sorry for me, something I do not mind at all. Yet I was happy and relieved for the trophy to have gone to Buddy instead of unworthy me. But it would not surprise at all if Mick has tried to pull this prank on me. If so, he’ll keep…
A more in depth report on the tournament will, hopefully, follow shortly.
The 2016 Australian Open Veterans Table Tennis Championships
A preview of the championships (15-22 October)
A total of 440 players have entered the 2016 (33rd) national veterans’ championships at Home Bush, Sydney. Last year at Caloundra, Qld we had 480 entries. Perhaps the attraction of a holiday on the Gold Coast has something to do with 40 fewer entries than last year’s record entry. There are a dozen less Kiwis compared to those that came across the Ditch last year, but it is still a sizable contingent.
NSW, being the home state, provides a record of 129 entries, followed by Victoria with 105. Next comes Qld with 59, SA with 47, NZL with 34, ACT with 17, WA with 16, China with 10, NT with 8, Vietnam with 6 TAS with 5, and then we have single entries from Austria, Japan, USA and Wales. Apart from the World Veteran Table Tennis Championships (we had more than 4600 in Alicante, Spain this year), this is the largest table tennis tournament annually conducted in Australia
Remarkable are the number of entries from China and Vietnam. To my recollection this also is a record, indicating the popularity of the Australian Veteran Championships to our Asian table tennis friends. Since the regular Japanese ladies ceased coming two years ago, we still have one player representing Japan. But it would not surprise me if the Asian numbers to our nationals will increase over time. No doubt the standard of play will thus be increased.
But whether numbers alone will decide the gold medal tally remains to be seen. Victorian teams have had a mortgage on the amount of medals won in previous years. At Caloundra of the 12 team gold medals up for grabs Victoria won 5 Gold, SA won 3 and NSW and NZL won 2 each. In particular the teams in the older age groups viz. 70, 75, 80 Men and the 50 and 60 Women will again take some beating this year. It is disappointing to see so few players from Tassie and the Northern Territory. Even the ACT and WA have few representatives. Will NSW with its huge contingent be more successful?
It will be interesting to see the prowess of these new Asian players. They could well take out some gold medals away from the locals. It must be born in mind that we have several world class Australian players competing at Home Bush. Buddy Reid is the 2016 singles O75 world champion, Betty Bird is the 2016 singles O80 world champion. Craig Campbell was the 2016 silver medallist in the O60s and Mick Wright won the 2016 bronze in the O70 singles, all won at Alicante, Spain last May. We also have several players at Home Bush who made the last 16 in the recent 2016 world championships; no mean feat for a country where table tennis is considered to be a Cinderella sport.
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2016 WORLD VETERANS CHAMPIONSHIPS – ALICANTE SPAIN
Of all the world veterans table tennis championships the 2016 Alicante, Spain championships proved to be the most impressive and most memorable to me.
For one, it was the best run tournament since I first participated in the 1994 Melbourne vets. Secondly it was by far the largest with no less than 4608 players and thousands of accompanying persons. Thirdly it was a great privilege to coach my good friend Buddy Reid to a singles world championship gold medal. The tournament ran from Monday 23 May through 30 May for the full seven days of the week and for the first time ever the singles finals were played out on the Sunday.
Having played in all the worlds since Melbourne, at the outset I wondered how the Spaniards could possibly cope with this record number of players and thousands of spectators. I feared that a tournament that large could easily have become a shambles. I need not to have been apprehensive at all. Although the country may have been on the brink of bankruptcy and needed to be bailed out financially by the European Union, the organisation of the Spaniards was superb.
The venue in the resort city of Alicante is located some 500 km south of Barcelona, also on the Mediterranean. It is a place I had never heard of before and lent itself admirably to an event as large as it was. No less than 165 tables were installed for competition. In addition there was a practice hall with another 50 or so tables, which were fully occupied for most of the week. The halls were air-conditioned and the seating more than adequate, unlike so many other worlds I have played in. With that many people moving within the compound in all directions, the place resembled a giant ant’s nest.
So how did the tournament management cope, one may very well ask? A lot of thought and preparation must have gone into the planning. The accreditation went flawlessly and quicker than ever. All one had to do was to show the name and number of one’s printed, downloaded Entry Form. No mucking about with passports or other identification. On presenting this documentation, the player or accompanying person was issued with a very nice backpack, a number to be pinned on the player’s back when playing a match, a fixture book with all the names of the participants, time tables and all the pertinent relevant information required to participate.
Strict crowd control ensured that every entry to the hall and every exit was policed so that no one was allowed to enter the venue via an exit or leave through the entrance doors. These were manned all throughout the day and only on displaying our identification tags were we allowed inside. There were plenty of change and wash rooms. Cafeterias were provided both inside and outside the huge complex. Promotion stalls were there in abundance and well patronised.
Security was tight and pistol packing guards patrolled the buildings in pairs. Every table was under the control of a table manager and as soon as a match was completed a “No Practice” sign was hung over the net. This rule too was rigidly enforced. After the group matches were completed, every championship match was allotted an accredited umpire who looked up the rubbers in his handbook and who set out to examine the bats with a measuring device.
I suppose some of these rather pedantic rules were necessary to prevent chaos with so many players in the tournament. Yet, as so often happens with people in authority, some of these umpires loved throwing their weight around full of the powers imposed on them, and not always in a fair and sensible manner. Hans Westling, the chairman of the world vets, told me that one player had left his back number at the hotel. When ready to play his match the umpire insisted he put his number on. He had his name on the back of his shirt and showed this umpire his ID tag. Not good enough, and the umpire then promptly disqualified him.
During the Sunday final singles matches, some players were docked points if seen speaking or signaling with their coach during a game. Points were docked on services deemed to be illegal, some were warned, others were penalised immediately. I have no beef with the strict enforcement of the rules; however to me a caution first seems in order. As Hans said, “We should make some allowances and use common sense. We should not lose sight of the fact that we are all veterans and may be handicapped in some way.”
Then I need to make another criticism. The sound system at the medal presentations, which were done in sections, we’re so ear-bursting loud that I had to take my hearing aids out and went to leave the hall. This overly enthusiastic presentation was way over the top and how anyone could understand a word said really amazes me. Didn’t anyone in authority notice? Then the back numbers provided were only paper and quickly became soggy causing them to disintegrate. Why not provide each player with two of these or had them made of a more durable material?
However these are only minor issues. I stand by my opening statement that the event was very well run and a huge success; the very best ever. The Website http://www.wvc2016.com has meticulously provided all the matches and scores in every age group. It is user friendly and was a big boon to everyone searching for their allotted times and table numbers. IPads and iPhones were all that was needed. In addition championships match- and consolation draw sheets were posted along the extensive walls within the stadium and were constantly updated.
Successful it was also from the Australian point of view. Out of 4608 players only 78 were Aussies. Yet they punched well above their weight with the 2 singles gold medals of Betty Bird an Buddy Reid (I am counting Betty Bird as one of us, as she has lived longer here than in England). The two doubles pairings of Mick Wright/Horst Frohlich and Buddy Reid/Igor Klaf won silver in their respective age groups. Craig Campbell won a meritorious singles silver in a very tough age group of the 60s and Mick Wright a singles bronze in the 70s.
A further two players made the QF in Chamara Fernando and Lan Zhai. Pam Tait and Case de Bondt made the final 16 in the championship draws. The two players who came r/u in the Consolation singles are Carol Cowie and Jim Furness. Without a doubt this was our country’s best effort since the championships were instigated by Hans Westling and his fellow Swedish helpers in the eighties.
The next worlds in 2018 are scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada USA.
The 2016 NZ Veterans’ Championships, held at Palmerston North over Easter, is behind us again.
This was my 18th consecutive participation to the annual Open Vets Easter Tournament in NZ and the Worlds at Auckland in 2014, since 1999. Of the 16 Test matches held to date (none in 2000 and 2014) Australia was victorious 15 times; NZ won once.
The “Bruce Penberthy Trans-Tasman Cup” is always fiercely fought over and 2016 was no exception. Australia won a tight encounter 30/25, not least of all due to the remarkable effort of our “Rubber Man” Craig Campbell from WA.
Craig, who is turning 61 this year, remained undefeated in the 40 and 50 age groups, no mean feat. Together with his good mate Russell Stein, also from WA, they were the last to finish their Test match on the 40s table, conclusively winning 4/1 and sealing the Kiwis fate. Craig finished the week with 5 Gold and 2 Silver medals.
I wonder what NZ was thinking when they fielded a much stronger team on the Men’s 75s table than on the 70s table; as it turned out these two tables cancelled each other out with a tied score of 5/5.
Australia can be justly proud of the result as three players, originally selected, had to withdraw due to injuries before the commencement of the event. As it was, we already had a “scratch” team with many being unavailable to play because of the upcoming Worlds in Alicante, Spain two months hence. We could not muster a 40s Women’s team.
All of us in Victoria are dismayed that this regular annual NZ Vets Championships was not included in the 2016 Victorian Veterans’ Tournament Calendar. Instead a veterans’ tournament was scheduled at Dandenong for Easter Monday.
This oversight, which has never happened before, caused some friction and the Dandenong tournament was cancelled at the last moment before Easter “due to the possible boycott by some” (literally thus stated on the official TTV website). I sincerely hope this unfortunate saga will never occur again.
On behalf of Australia, in the Bruce Penberthy Trophy acceptance speech, I mentioned two stalwarts of our game who are no longer able to participate due to ill health. First of all we miss Ken Cole, for many many years our devoted chairman. Also we sadly miss seeing the cheerful countenance and presence of my long time doubles partner Geoffrey Volney Nesbitt.
My personal contribution this Easter was dismal. I’d picked up some bug, ran a temperature and played like a dog. I lost 7 kg in the week, yet somehow managed four Silver medals. Next year’s championships are scheduled to be played in Christchurch.
2015 – Australian Veterans Open Table Tennis Championship – Caloundra Queensland- October 17th to October 24th
An all-time record of contestants participated. No less than 479 players pitted their prowess at table tennis against each other and the 134 teams entered broke all existing records. The venue was located in North St Caloundra and housed no less than 39 Japanese San-EI tables. To cater for these numbers a large enough venue needs to be found in other states to cater for as many as 500 contestants. Otherwise entries will need to be curtailed one way or the other.
Next year the annual Championship will be held at Homebush, Sydney at the newly constructed Netball Central Stadium located at 2 Olympic Boulevard, Olympic Park. Although not specifically created for table tennis, it has sufficient room for up to 40 tables, as it is designed for six Netball Courts not counting the state of the art “show court”, with seating for 800 spectators. The tournament will be held there on October 14th to October 22nd, 2016.
This year’s venue at Caloundra was air conditioned and in various positions of the hall the new 40+ plastic ball would wobble some in the draught so created. But, especially during daytime hours, the light was excellent. At night it dimmed somewhat as in all multi-sports stadiums where lighting is so designed as not to blind, say badminton, players who spend time looking up. The 39 playing courts were enormous and few players could complain about being restricted in their movements.
Victorian players once again dominated the Team Events. Of the twelve gold team medals up for grabs, 5 were won for Victoria, 3 for South Australia, 2 for New Zealand and 2 for New South Wales. Victoria should continue to dominate the 70s, 75s and 80s Men’s events in the years to come. Likewise the Victorian Women’s 50s and 60s look to have a mortgage on these age-groups in the near future.
New Zealand was very well represented with 43 players, more than any other previous year. They had a gun-player in Yi-Sen Lin who took out the O30 Men’s singles title, defeating Colin Bowler (WA) in five exciting games. Newcomer Bowler is a wonderful defender and had Lin down two games to one before the aggressive Chinese managed to get on top. It is always a joy to watch a good attacker playing a good defender.
Colin, in spite of this defeat by playing in a lower age-group, earned the #1 Order of merit position in the O40s and won the gold medal in the singles defeating surprise packet Stuart Armstrong (NZL) in the final. The un-seeded Stuart played out of his mind and earlier had knocked out second-seeded Chamara Fernando (Vic) in five thrilling games. Other Kiwis performing well were Joanne Shaw becoming #1 in the Order of Merit in the 40s Women and winning gold, and Tanya Sulimova earning the #2 position on the 60s Women and winning gold in the 65 Women.
Craig Campbell (WA) repeated last year’s gold medal win in the 50s by winning his new age group, the 60s Men. Craig, dubbed the “rubber man” by the Scandinavians a few years ago, lived up to his nick-name; however he found Wayne Heginbotham (NSW) too strong in the 50s who went on to win the singles gold.
Lan Zhai of Victoria was too accomplished, again winning the 50s Women’s singles. Pam Tait (Vic) was the 70s Women’s champion. But she did not fire up in the 75s however, and lost to the wily octogenarian world champion Betty Bird (SA). My good teammate Buddy Reid (Vic) had Igor Klaf (Vic) at his mercy when leading 9-4 in the fourth to take out the 75s. He suddenly got the shakes and did not get another point in that game; the match then stood poised at 2/2. Klaf in sensing Buddy’s predicament commenced to race to a 6-2 lead in the deciding fifth.
Somehow Buddy received his second wind and, attacking furiously from both wings, caught the Russian at 6-6. It was now Igor’s turn to try to close out the match and with it the vied for gold medal. But Buddy never looked back and went on to win 11-8. His was a very popular victory indeed. The 80s went to the stalwart ever green player Tom Boyd from NSW, who beat all comers and collected his 11th Australian singles gold medal since he started playing Vets in the mid-eighties.
Sadly our long-serving Chairman of Vets in Ken Cole, resigned his position after these championships owing to ill-health. We all wish that Ken may enjoy many more years as a player in his beloved sport. There is nothing surer than that we shall all miss his astute leadership on the veterans’ scene. May his replacement be only half as good as Ken has been and we’ll all be very happy.
The organisers and the Tournament Controllers Brian & Bev James are to be commended on a splendid job planning for and running this huge event. We are so fortunate to have them keeping a finger on the pulse and there never are any hold-ups or hiccups in the tournament schedule whilst the James’s are in charge. May they be able to go on doing this essential task for many more years to come.
The tournament was a smashing success and we all went home again with fond memories to tide us over for another year. See you in Sydney!
All results can be perused on the following Website:
http://www.southerntabletennis/vets2015/results/htm
The editor
It is with great sadness that I advise of the passing of Dorothy or Doris or Dot, at 6:50 am this morning (25th January 2014).
She lived alone in her own home from 1985 until 30th November 2013 when she was admitted to St George Hospital. She was transferred to the Sir Thomas Mitchell Residential Care Facility at Illawong on 9th December where she remained. She has steadily declined and was placed on palliative care on Thursday last.
Her funeral will be held in the South Chapel, Woronora Crematorium at 1pm on Monday 3rd February 2014.
A wake will be held following the funeral at the Sutherland United Services Club, corner of East Parade and Oxford Street, Sutherland. This club is adjacent to the Illawarra railway line and about 200 metres from the Woronora Cemetery exit gate. It is hoped her relatives, many table tennis, scrabble and other friends will attend.
Shortly after entering palliative care Dorothy Mary DeLow passed away peacefully on Saturday 25th January 2014 at approx 6.50 am. Dorothy was aged 103.
A few words from Ken Cole, Chairman of the Veterans Committee:
Known by many of her friends & the Table Tennis World as Dot she typified what the Australian spirit was about in helping out those in need by volunteering on many occasions with the Red Cross- Meals on Wheels & the Hospital Community visiting patients on many occasions who were unwell & didn’t have any living relatives to give them comfort. Even when they left hospital she transported them around to keep up with medical appointments & made sure she returned them home safely.
Dot found her recreation in playing Table Tennis opening up new friendships & social activities. It wasn’t long before she became a NSW Representative player. In 1992 at Dublin in Ireland her career & life was about to go to a new dimension after winning the over 80 Women’s Singles at the World Veterans Championships. Shortly after this Dot became “HOT” property with Television -Radio & other Media & Magazine outlets clamouring her for interviews & appearances. To her credit nothing seemed to faze Dot yet she was very professional in keeping up with a busy schedule & in doing so became a household name throughout Australia & the World.
Dot also volunteered for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and was the oldest volunteer for any sport. She played a short match with Pinky on the Olympic courts during a break in play, to the delight of 5000 spectators.
Dot was & still is a great ambassador for the sport of Table Tennis & we as players & officials will always remember a bright eyed smiling lady who was a most willing competitor who showed us that age was no barrier & that anything in life is possible.
Her funeral will held at the South Chapel, Woronora Cemetery, at 1pm Monday the 3rd February 2014 and afterwards at the United Services Club, Sutherland.
To Dorothy’s son Peter & his family on behalf of the Table Players & Officials throughout Australia please accept our sincere sympathy on the passing of Dorothy who leaves us with a personal legacy in the sharing of her friendship among us.
For & on behalf of the Table Tennis Australia Veterans Committee
Chairman-Ken Cole.
Ian Marshall, the ITTF scribe, wrote a lovely article on Dorothy De Low yesterday. It is well worthwhile looking it up on
http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=33140&Category=general&Competition_ID=&
VALE VERNA HO – 30 January 2013
It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of our lovely friend and fellow table tennis player Verna Ho.
Verna passed away peacefully at 2.30 am this morning with her husband Clive Sim at her side.
My wife Joan and I were privileged to attend their wedding four years ago in Adelaide and are so sad that they enjoyed so little precious time together.
Verna, apart from being a very proficient table tennis player, also was a qualified table tennis umpire and helped manage some of the junior girl teams competing interstate.
She herself represented Victoria in the nationals on a regular basis over many years, participated in Canberra last October, and continued playing the game she loved until very recently in the C&DTTA.
All of us on the veteran scene wish to offer Clive and Verna’s family our deepest, heartfelt condolences.
The editor
Table Tennis Star Marty Reisman Passes Away at Age 82
Posted on December 7, 2012 by TableTennisNation
It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Table Tennis Nation President Marty Reisman who passed away this morning at the age of 82.
Marty was a 23 time National and International table tennis champion whose fashion sense, swagger, and playing style made him a star on and off the table. His career spanned decades with Reisman winning a National Championship as recently as 1997, about 40 years after his first National Championship–a record likely never to be broken.
Marty was a self taught player who honed his skills in parlors and underground; he earned a reputation as a hustler and a master of the “table game,” and was often called “The Needle.” Marty wrote his stories of traveling the world to play table tennis, in the cult classic “The Money Player”: everything from hustling gangsters in the Midwestern US and touring with the Harlem globetrotters, to being stranded in India after an International competition and being one of the first to visit, and play in, pre-war Vietnam.
Marty was a believer in long rallies in table tennis at the professional and amateur levels as the game was more fun to watch and play, and was a proponent of sandpaper and hard bat rackets for this reason.
Marty’s appeal captivated journalists, filmmakers, and photographers who have covered every aspect of his career from sports and cultural perspectives. A full length documentary about Marty wrapped only 2 months ago.
Marty’s hustling extended to the business world where he made use of his quick wits and understanding of people and trends to start a number of businesses, most recently Table Tennis Nation, but always wore his signature hat.
Marty was a great husband to his wife, Yoshiko, who he cared for and personally nursed back to health.
Marty was a fashion icon, a trendsetter, and an international star. He was a good friend, business partner, person, and a once in a lifetime athlete. He will be missed.
Comment by the editor: Tony Herbert will write some of his recollections of the late Marty Reisman shortly. 9/12/2012 And here it is:
I was saddened to hear about Marty’s death.
Australia remembers Marty when Australia toured America in the late eighties and played at Marty Reisman Academy.
When entering the table tennis academy there was Marty sitting on his throne dressed in a brightly coloured pair of slacks with an equally colourful
shirt and wearing a French yellow silk beret. Issuing a challenge to any one
in the Australian contingent who would like to play him with a hard bat for
quite a substantial sum. Of course no on took up his challenge as his
reputation as a likeable hustler was well known. As Ken Cole remembers, what a character…
I watched Marty play in the 1948 English Open, in those days the event was
perceived as the World Championships.
The opening point Barna served, shock horror, Marty plays the return of
service behind his back. 7000 spectators were so shocked they did not know whether to laugh or applaud; but then the applause was deafening.
The next time I saw Marty play was in the Veterans in Manchester (1998) and his match against Henry Buist was memorable. As is sometimes the case, controversy reigned. Marty always played in slacks and the umpire mentioned that it was illegal to play in slacks. Marty refused to remove his slacks; the umpire rather unsure what to do called for the referee. The referee marched down with his deputy in strict marching fashion and if he had carried a rolled umbrella it would not have been out of place. He approached Marty and explained the ITTF rules. What Marty said I do not know, but when undoing the top of the slacks and gesturing to remove his slacks the referee hurriedly indicated, no it’s fine to keep your slacks on. “Carry on with the game.” And what a wonderful game it was. “Machinegun-Henry’s” bullet precision forehands had Marty matching Henry’s skill with equal aplomb.
The rallies went on in an explosive fashion throughout the match, until
Marty managed to win the final exiting point. The crowd of about three
hundred were packed around the table, each one trying to watch this
marvellous game. The deafening applause continued on and on upon completion of the match.
When looking around I could not see anyone playing on the other 80 odd tables. It should be remembered that both players were playing with hard bats. I hope Marty takes his bat with him on his final journey and when being
welcomed at the pearly gates, Marty’s first words would probably be: “Anybody here who would like to play me at table tennis, and oh, what do we play for up here?”.
Farewell to a great character.
I had not seen Henry Buist for a few decades and caught up with him at his
home in Orpington and accompanied with the late Ron Etheridge, played a few games against each other. Then we all went down to the pub with my very old friend Len Cooper and a couple of other TT friends. During conversation I
remarked to Henry, “You must do well in the English National Veterans
Championships.” To which he replied in his quiet way, “Yes, I have won about
seven over 50s and six over 60s titles.”
Tony Herbert.
Editor’s note, I believe that sadly Henry Buist also passed away a few years ago. I played him in Manchester and did not get a look in.
14 May 2012 – Next year Christchurch Although not as yet posted on the New Zealand website I have it on good authority that the 2013 Easter veterans championships will be held in Christchurch.
It will be good to support Christchurch and the Canterbury Table Tennis Association in attending these championships whether we are Kiwis, Aussies or from anywhere else in the world.
Apparently the stadium is due to have another floor and extensive front extensions. The stadium has been passed by the earthquake authorities to be OK for the public to play our sport.
Those in Canterbury can rightly feel very proud of their very own stadium. The editor
I thought this article on the www.wvc2012.com website is worthwhile posting here.
The editor
09/02/2012
It is a full house for the World Veteran Championships to be staged at the Ericsson Globe from Monday 25th to Saturday 30th June 2012.
The limit of 3,200 entries has been received; such is the demand that there is now a waiting list on the “first come, first served basis” should there be any cancellations.
Entering on time has been essential and one player, who has entered on time and will be in Stockholm is Russia’s Alexander Kaptarenko.
He is 100 years old today!
Life a 20th World History
Alexander Kaptarenko was born on Saturday 27th January 1912 in St Petersburg, five years before the Russian Revolution; the changes he has seen in the country of his birth are quite staggering.
He has lived through a time of Tsarist autocracy, the rise of the Bolsheviks and Communism to the Glasnost, Perestroika and the break-up of the Soviet Union.
The life of Alexander Kaptarenko is a story of modern history.
Work
In 1930 he left high school and worked as a lathe operator, process estimator, technologist and in 1936 started working in the aircraft factory as a design engineer.
After the start of the Second World War he moved with the factory to Novosibirsk and worked at the Tchkalov aircraft factory until 1951, becoming a chief project designer at the project institute “Sibgiprogormash” until his retirement.
Developed Table Tennis in Novosibirsk
In 1953 Kaptarenko Аexander, accompanied by a group of enthusiasts began to develop table tennis in the city of Novosibirsk and, in 1956, assumed a major role in organising the first ever table tennis tournament in the city.
Later he became the Secretary of the Novosibirsk Regional Table Tennis Federation and was a Chairman of Federation for approximately ten years; later being in charge of the Referees Committee.
Referee
Several years later in 1973, he was appointed an “All-Soviet Union Referee” and officiated in tournaments at all levels from city, regional and national to international level.
In fact he officiated at tournaments in over 70 cities in what was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Good Health
Table tennis helps Alexander Kaptarenko maintain good health; he belongs to a group named “Decade of Senior Citizens” and sets an example for all.
He has clarity of mind and leads an active life style; regular practice enables him to keep in good shape and belies his years.
Player
Meanwhile, as a veteran player he competed in the first Commonwealth of Independent States Championships in 1992 in Kiev at a time when the Soviet Union was breaking up.
He gained a silver medal and then later at the Russian Championships he won a bronze medal.
More recently, he competed in the Russian Veteran Championships in the Czech Republic city of Liberec.
Ready for Stockholm
Now the 2012 World Veteran Championships is in his sights and he is serious; he is practising three times a week.
Stockholm awaits.
January 2012
Veterans International T.T. Calendar
*) = new or altered since previous issue!
The monthly updated veterans calendar is available on web sites www.ittf.com
(section SCI/WVC) and www.if-ifo.se/calendar
2012
Jan 7-8 Hereford, England Roy Norton
Vetts Western Masters roywnorton@aol.com
Feb 4 Holice in Bohemia, Czech Rep. Zdenek Lhotka
Open Veterans Tournament zdenek.lhotka@atlas.cz
Feb 17-19 Aarhus, Denmark Jens-Erik Linde
Aarhus Veteran Open linde@sport.dk
Mar 4 Tisnov, Czech Republic Zdenek Lhotka
Open Veterans Tournament zdenek.lhotka@ztlas.cz
Mar 10-11 Blackpool, England Roy Norton
Vetts Northern Masters roywnorton@aol.com
Mar 30- Helsinki, Finland Jouko Manni
Apr 1 15th North European Veterans jouko.manni@turuntilikeskus.fi
Championships (closed)
Apr 6-9 Palmerston North, New Zealand ttnz@tabletennis.org.nz
New Zealand Veterans Open www.tabletennis.org.nz
Championhips
Apr 8 Havirov, Czech Republic Zdenek Lhotka
Open Veterans Tournament zdenek.lhotka@atlas.cz
Apr 14-15 Crawley, England Roy Noton
Vetts Southern Masters roywnorton@aol.com
May 4-6 Moscow, Russia Michael Torgov
*) Veterans tournament torgov_m@mail.ru
”Twenty years later” +74956601633
May 4-6 Bosa (Sardinia), Italy Efisio Pisano
Int. veterans tournament efisiopisano@yahoo.it
May 12 Lomnice/Popelka, Czech Rep. Zdenek Lhotka
Open Veterans Tournament zdenek.lhotka@atlas.cz
Jun 9 Hostinne in Podkrk., Czech Rep. Zdenek Lhotka
Open Veterans tournament zdenek.lhotka@atlas.cz
June 9-10 Trier, Germany TTCGelbRotTrier@aol.com
58th Int. veterans championships www.GelbRotTrier.de
June 9-16 Chaves, Portugal Ton van Ginkel
*) 5th Open Portugal Veterans ton@uttc.nl
Jun 25-30 Stockholm, Sweden wvc2012@gmail.com
16th World Veterans www.wvc2012.com
Championships
Jun 30- Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA www.usatt.org
Jul 4 *) US Open with veterans events
Jul 25-29 Albena, Bulgaria Stefan Georgiev
*) 14th Int. T. T. Festival damakupa91@gmail.com
http://www.tabletennisalbena.com
Aug 10-12 Varna, Bulgaria Krasimir Petrov
*) 13th Varna Veteran Open strongil2005@yahoo.com
Dimitar Karaivanov
Aug 10-12 Neustadt a.d. Weinstrasse Juergen Bock
55th International Veterans juergenbock10@alice.de
Tournament
Aug 25-28 Fortaleza, Brazil edir@cbtm.org.br
1st Veterans Brazil Open edimilsompinheiro@gmail.com
Aug 30- Tallinn, Estonia Rein Lindmae
Sep 2 Viru Veterans Cup rein@pingpong.ee
Aug 31- Burgas, Bulgaria Nikolay Angelov
*) 1st Burgas Veteran Open angelov@orcotravel.bg
Dimitar Karaivanov
Sep 1-2 Sunderland, England Roy Norton
Vetts North-Eastern Masters roywnorton@aol.com
Sep 7-9 Miedzyzdroje, Poland www.pzts.pl, www.agamar.pl/ts
*) Int. Polish Open Veterans agamar@agamar.pl
Oct 13-14 Wolverhampton, England Roy Norton
Vetts Midland Masters roywnorton@aol.com
Nov 2-4 Gothenburg, Sweden Hans Westling
*) Ifo Veteran Open westling.hans@telia.com
Dec 1-2 Norwich, England Roy Norton
Vetts Eastern Masters roywnorton@aol.com
2013 Bremen, Germany
May 27- 10th European Veterans Championships
June 1
2014 Auckland, New Zealand
May 12- 17th World Veterans Championships
17
2015 Tampere, Finland
11th European Veterans Championships
2016 Alicante/Elche, Spain
18th World Veterans Championships
In order to keep the calendar updated, please pass information about additional
veterans events to:
Hans Westling, Skanegatan 17B, 411 40 Gothenburg, Sweden
Email: westling.hans@telia.com
ITTF PRESS RELEASE Kjell Johansson 1946-2011 He passed away on Monday 24th October 2011 in Eksjö, Sweden after a period of illness; he was 65 years old. The word legend, the description of being one of the greats is often misused; in the case of Kjell Gunnar Johansson it is correct. Nicknamed the “Hammer” owing the way he held the racket to unleash one of the most powerful forehands in the history of table tennis, he was one of the all-time greats of table tennis. Opened the Door Not only did he achieve by winning numerous titles, he opened the door for a prodigious generation of Swedes. He opened the door for three players who would become World champions. The likes of Stellan Bengtsson, Jan-Ove Waldner and Jörgen Persson would all accept, they owe a debt of gratitude to Kjell Johansson. Changed Balance of Power Alongside Hans Alser, who was sadly killed in an air crash in January 1977 in Kälvesta near Stockholm, Kjell Johansson changed the balance of power in European table tennis; they ended the reign of Hungary’s Zoltan Berczik as the continent’s premier player. The late Zoltan Berczik had won the Men’s Singles titles at the first two European Championships; he won in 1958 in Budapest and in 1960 in Zagreb. Tradition Started However, in 1962 in Berlin, Hans Alser ended the Hungarian’s reign and then in 1964 Kjell Johansson captured the title in Malmö and retained the crown two years later in London. A tradition of Swedish excellence had started; later Hans Alser, Stellan Bengtsson, Ulf Bengtsson, Mikael Appelgren, Jörgen Persson, Jan-Ove Waldner and Peter Karlsson would don the crown. A Decade Apart At the European Championships, he was to win the Men’s Doubles title, a decade apart; in 1966 with Hans Alser in London and ten years later in 1976 in Prague, with Stellan Bengtsson. Furthermore, between 1964 and 1974, Sweden won the Men’s Team title at the European Championships on every occasion, six in total; always Kjell Johansson was in the line-up. World Championships An outstanding career at the European Championships, which few can match and also at the World Championships, he possessed a remarkable record. In 1967 in Stockholm he won the Men’s Doubles title with Hans Alser and, in 1969 in Munich, the pair retained the crown. Sarajevo 1973 However, it was in Sarajevo in 1973 that Kjell Johansson enjoyed his best ever World Championships. Stellan Bengtsson, Anders Johansson, Bo Persson and Ingemar Wikström lined up alongside Kjell Johansson. Sweden clinched the Men’s Team title. It was the first time that Sweden had won the title; it set the tone for future generations. Furthermore, in Sarajevo, Kjell Johansson won the Men´s Doubles title with Stellan Bengtsson and was the runner up in the Men’s Singles event, beaten by China’s Xi Enting. Cool but Mentally Strong Always Kjell Johansson gave total commitment, mentally strong, outwardly calm, cool and collected. However, there was much more to Kjell Johansson than just being an outstanding table tennis; he was a man of the highest integrity, a quality that has continued in Swedish table tennis. It is a quality we see exemplified today in Jörgen Persson; they both uphold the values of honesty and fair play. UNICEF Fair Play Award At the Stockholm Championships in 1967; Kjell Johansson trailed Stanislav Gomozkov 19-20 in the vital deciding third game; the umpire turned the score to 20-all, the Russian in those days representing the Soviet Union, did not complain. However, Kjell Johansson informed the official that the ball had touched the edge of the table; the result of his outstanding sportsmanship was that later in the year, he received the UNICEF Fair Play Trophy in Paris. Indelible Mark A truly great champion and a man who has left an indelible mark on the sport; whether it was in the 1960s and 1970s when you buy a table tennis racket with a his name, or the incredible point against Li Zhenshi at the 1977 World Championships in Birmingham that was shown time and again on BBC television. A Legacy Kjell Johansson touched us all, a true legend of sport; the table tennis world offers its condolences to the family of a man who established a legacy and has left a legacy. In Sweden the name Johansson is popular, there must be hundreds if not thousands of people with that surname but there was only one Kjell Johansson, one of the greatest, he is sadly missed. |
VALE – MERLE SNEDDEN
On13 September 2011 our good friend Merle Snedden from New Zealand passed away.
After months of suffering she finally fought her last battle.
My memories of Merle are very fond. She was a right lady and had a regal bearing.
In fact we often referred to Merle as “The Queen”, as she even physically resembled Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
But her lovely nature hid her tenacious fighting qualities exhibited on the 45 square feet of table tennis table.
Only last October did I have the privilege to play her in an exiting Mixed during the Melbourne Australian championships, where she partnered Gordon Lee. My Partner, Toshi Amano from Japan and I were leading 9-3 in the fifth. We lost.
It is hard to imagine we won’t see her anymore, but she will live in our memories for ever.
R.I.P Merle.
14 April 2011
International Veterans Societies.
In 1994 Australia held the World Veterans in Melbourne and some time before that the World Veterans were held in Stockholm.
Sweden’s capital city Stockholm is to hold the Vets once again in the year 2012.
Stockholm is an expensive city, and although there are a number of Self Catering Apartments, the Swedish organisers have yet to advertise their World Vets packages, Entry Fees etc.
Those who have travelled to previous WV in Rio and Hohhot are aware that a number of us have joined Roy Norton’s English Vets group. Roy has made enquiries and has flown to Stockholm to inspect and has tentatively booked a large number of rooms. Paul Pinkewich has already taken a number of rooms.
The tariff, not finalised as yet, is 59 pounds per person in a shared room and includes breakfast. (Note; the tariff could vary because of currency exchange rates.) One advantage of taking up the option with Roy is you are able to make your own travel arrangements.
There is a team competition being held in Istanbul and the inaugural competition was held in Cottbus Germany in 2007, where two Aussie men’s teams and an Aussie women’s team took part. The ladies played beyond their dreams, beating highly fancied German and British teams. The following event in 2009 was held at Sofia, Bulgaria where AVS only was represented by a single male team.
An article in the Veterans English Table Tennis Society by Brian Halliday has some relevance to us who were lucky enough to witness Liang Geliang, a TT player of extraordinary ability, in the World Veterans held in Melbourne. He easily won the over 40s event. Liang played with smooth rubber on one side of the bat and on the other side pimples. Liang’s success on the world stage in his heyday was in the early 70s.
Liang in 1994 was invited to play against a number of Australia’s best and he chopped the Australian players off , and then proceeded to hit them off as well, much to the amazement of spectators and opponents alike.
Liang, since Melbourne, has played in a number of World Vets Events.
Since Melbourne he has indicated to a number of players, me in particular, that he wished for the event to be held in Australia again.
Table Tennis Australia has expressed the desire to hold the event at the Gold Coast in the year 2014, twenty years after the Melbourne event.
A decision is to be made in Rotterdam while the World Individual Championships are being played between May 8th and 15th this year.
Information can be found on:
(World Vets, 25-30 June 2014. Stockholm) http://wvc2012.com
(Team competition Societies 19-21 August 2011, Istanbul)
http://tt-veterans-international.com
Tony Herbert.
Melbourne, Friday 18 March 2011.
The passing of Bruno Zimmaro.
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved friend Bruno Zimmaro today.
Bruno, who came out to Australia from Italy with his grandfather at age 15, embodied the true gentleman. He was cheerful, helpful and truly philanthropic in nature.
I first met Bruno in 1994 when Mick Wright and I arrived on the Victorian veterans’ table tennis scene. As a player Bruno was no slouch and already then dabbled with long frictionless pimples on his backhand and made us earn every point.
He was a self-made man, who had astonishing business nous and had the ability to make a shilling out of every six-pence. He turned this prowess into selfless service to the table tennis community of the very first order.
He led several excursions overseas prior to my involvement in 1994. I was told that whilst in America some planes were booked out and not all of the party could board, he would find a way around this problem. When there were no vacancies for all of the party on the train in Canada, he booked a private bus instead.
Personally I benefited from this generosity when going to the world championships in 1998, Manchester and in 2000 to Vancouver. He organised buses and accommodation for us all, more often than not at his own expense. The scenic bus trip from Manchester to Chester on the lay day is still fresh in my mind.
When he found out that there was no crockery or cutlery for any of us in the student accommodation at the UBC (University of British Columbia) where most of us stayed, he made sure all was provided. This took some doing I assure you! He would never divulge how he managed this and once again naturally did it at his own expense.
He made a most remarkable offer to the Victorian Table Tennis Association in 1995. He undertook to purchase a building similar to the old Albert Park Table Tennis Centre, set it up for our game and then lease it to us until such time we could afford to purchase it. This offer was not accepted
Table Tennis is so much the poorer now that he is no longer with us.
In 2002 Bruno, Arthur Harrison and Richard Lake together, planned to travel to Europe to play in the world’s (Lucerne). Prior to Lucerne my wife Joan and I were to meet them at Amsterdam Airport ‘to do Holland’.
It was not to be. Only Arthur and Richard came. In March of that year, exactly nine years ago, Bruno was afflicted by a severe stroke which completely paralysed his left side. Ever since then he needed total care and a full time nurse. He passed the time either in bed or strapped in a wheel chair, something incomprehensible for any of us to fathom.
Fortunately he could still speak and recognise his family and friends. He still had the use of his right hand, but he tired quickly and had a much reduced sight. We kept in touch with him regularly and showed we would never forget him, even though he was laid low. But nine years of being completely helpless took its toll and his suffering is now over.
We offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife Georgette and his family.
Vale Bruno, we’ll all miss you…
Sent: Wednesday, 2 March 2011 11:01 AM
To: ‘Anthony Herbert’
Subject: RE: Condolences from Queensland
Hi Tony
Thank you for your email and sympathetic words at this difficult time for us all here. We are very grateful for all the offers of support and warm messages we have been receiving from everyone. We know that you also have had your share of difficulties coping with what nature unleashes at us all from time to time.
Our stadium has been fortunate enough this time to be located on the other side of the city, away from the epicentre of this quake, and has suffered no notable damage, but we will wait to see the actual result once the council has come to inspect it.
We have not yet been able to open and therefore have no idea whether/how any of our members were affected by the quake, but we sincerely hope that everyone of our members have come through safely.
We thank you for your concern and welcome you to visit us again when we have recovered from this tragedy.
Sincere Regards
Essien Lin
Acting Stadium Manager
Table tennis Canterbury
From: Anthony Herbert [mailto:anthherb@bigpond.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 22 February 2011 9:08 p.m.
To: tabletenniscanterbury@xtra.co.nz
Subject: Condolences from Queensland
One of the most respected veteran table tennis players in Australia, Geoff Nesbitt from Moama, was struck down during the nationals in October with a severe back complaint.
Initially it was deemed to be a muscular problem; however it turned out to be much more serious than that. He has contracted plasmacytoma of the T7 vertebrae and is currently undergoing radiotherapy until Christmas this year.
He can be reached directly by phone on 03 9483 3760 except weekends. This is the number to his room at the Freemasons Hospital in Melbourne.
We wish Geoff a full recovery and hope to see him back at play next year or the year after.
Lindsay Gordon Lee 4/12/10
There is much better news from my very good friend Gordon from Fremantle, WA.
He sent me the wonderful tidings that he has recently been inducted into the City of Fremantle Hall of Fame for services rendered to Tennis & Table Tennis.
Other notable previous inductees include J.J Miller, Jockey and winner of Caulfield and Melbourne cups. John Longley, Yachtsman and crewman on winner of America’s cup. Jack Clarke, Footballer 4 times selected in All Australian team. Tom Hoad, Water Polo player and coach of Australian team. Luc Longley, Basketballer Olympian and American league player and Australian opening batsmen Graeme Wood & Geoff Marsh.
Gordon thoroughly deserves to be included in this illustrious company and is continuing to be a credit to Australian Veterans Table Tennis.
More news on our favourite veteran table tennis player. I received the following message.
“Doris has been asked to play a game on Tuesday 7th December 2010 at the ABC. I gather they are filming for this show which is on the following night.”
Peter De Low
One of Australia’s favourite comedians, Peter Helliar, will host ABC1’s new sports quiz show The Trophy Room, which premieres Wednesday, December 8th at 8.30pm on ABC1. The half-hour, weekly quiz show for both casual and committed sports fans of all ages will feature an array of celebrity sports heroes, comedians and performers.
ABC1 Controller, Brendan Dahill, said Peter’s inherent love of sport and his sense of humour made him the ideal host for this family-friendly panel show. “The Trophy Room will be good clean fun the whole family can enjoy while giving viewers a chance to hone their sports trivia knowledge and celebrate
a summer packed full of great sports – not the least of which is the Ashes. Peter’s a sports-tragic and great fun to be around. I‘m sure our audience will show him a lot of love and welcome him into their homes each week.”
Helliar is best known for his regular spot on Rove, his footy-loving alter-ego Strauchanie, and his numerous stints on commercial radio. “When I heard that Kerry O’Brien was leaving the 7.30 Report I was straight on the phone to the ABC,” Peter said. “They were pretty quick to close the door on my 7.30 Report dream but suggested I have a crack at hosting something called The Trophy Room. I said ‘yes’ and the rest, as they say is the future.”
Each week in The Trophy Room two star-studded teams of three will combine sports chat and trivia with parlour games and physical sporting challenges in a fiercely contested and fun-filled half-hour.
A special edition of The Trophy Room to celebrate Australia Day will be screened on Wednesday, January 26th.
PS: The appointment with Dorothy has been postponed till early next year
(Editor)
William the Conqueror
William Lloyd Bates, just call me ‘Bill’, recently residing at2 Weldon Crt Hillcrest Qld 4118, but formerly having lived in Seville Victoria for the better part of his life. He mainly played his beloved sport of Table Tennis at Kilsyth for the C & DTTA.
Born on 18 August 1930, he developed a passion for “ping pong” at an early age. A very proficient exponent with the ‘hard bat’, Bill was ranked third in Australia in his heyday and his best achievement was reaching the semi final of the Australian Men’s Singles.
Turning 80 years of age in 2010, Bill decided to have another fling at trying his (left) hand at a World title. This momentous decision not only brought fame and glory to our Bill, but to our sport in Australia.
A very good defender with a sneaky, efficient backhand hit he achieved the impossible dream of his life in becoming a World Champion at Hohhot Inner Mongolia, China on 12 June 2010.
Then, in the rarefied air at 1100 metres above sea level, under trying conditions, he managed to beat the very best players in the World, including the all powerful Chinese on their home soil in gruelling competition.
Never comfortable at the eleven up format, Bill took some time to find his feet. Buddy Reid, Ken Sands and I spent three days practising with Bill before the tournament proper commenced. He just managed to survive the qualifying rounds on the Monday and came second in the three-way count back to qualify for the main draw.
But then, in the knock-out draw on Thursday, he clawed his way through to a place in the semi finals which were scheduled for Finals’ Day, Saturday.
Buddy Reid and Paul Pinkewich sat in Bill’s corner for the final match and expertly supported our champion. It was all that Bill needed; to know he wasn’t on his own out there in that big stadium, thouands of miles from home!
Terry Donlon, the English champion Bill had vanquished in the quarters, also very sportingly gave him some advice for the semi and final matches, as he had played these veterans in previous years.
So apart from all the Aussies, more than 70 of us, barracking for Bill we had the English support as well. The noise in the stadium was deafening when one final after the other came to its climax. The chant of Aussie Aussie, oi, oi, oi, rang out when Bill finally triumphed.
On reflection it must be said that we never imagined that Bill would ever play eleven up. Since 1996 Bill hadn’t play veterans any more and when the new format was introduced, as well as the bigger ball, Bill vowed to never play in veterans’ competition again.
Moving to Queensland a year or so ago helped him to change his mind when he met Tony Herbert and so we have William back into the fold again.
We, Victorians, would like to claim Bill as one of our own, but no doubt Queensland will claim him now. In addition Western Australia believes Bill belongs to them too, for he lived and played in Perth for a number of years.
To solve this conundrum it would be appropriate to have William Lloyd Bates, as the very first veteran player, inducted into the Australian Veterans Hall of Fame, for he has done us all proud.
I am inviting interested parties to so move at the next AGM of AusVet during the coming Australian Open Veterans Championships and thus acknowledge this fantastic achievement.
The Editor
3/7/2010
VALE
It is with great sadness we have learned of the death of table tennis stalwart Doreen Bridson after a short illness. Our deepest condolences are extended to Gerry and family.
4/7/2010
Maureen Sherman rang me to inform us of the passing of Graeme Ireland’s wife Kaye. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to Graeme and family.
We received the following message from Peter De Low today.
Hello Casey, 6 May 2010
Well, yesterday saw the outcome of all the hard work to have my mother recognised for her services to table tennis.
On Thursday, 6th May 2010, she received the Order of Australia Medal at Government House, Sydney from Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO Governor of New South Wales. The citation read “for service to table tennis”.
We must await the official photographs but attached is one showing Doris in the grounds of Government House wearing her Medal. I’m standing behind her with my two daughters, her grand-daughters, Wendy left and Cathy centre.
Thank you for all your efforts. It was a wonderful day.
Peter
Important Notice to prospective entrants of VicVets Inaugural tournament at Dandenong on 16 May 2010.
Good news. The Greater Dandenong Table Tennis Association, the venue where we are holding this tournament, has unexpectedly been re-admitted into the fold of TTV.
This means of course that we will be playing at an affiliated association and the tournament is full speed ahead!
Rumour that the tournament is OFF is untrue, as is the rumour that by participating in this tournament your State Team selection chances will be jeopardised. They will not.
However it would appear it this stage that NO points will be awarded towards State Team selection, unless TTV abandons its hard ball attitude towards VicVets.
TTV would do well to reconsider its belligerent stance and award these points as they ought to, as the seedings will be done by some of the most experienced ‘ex-selectors’ in our veteran sport e.g. Roy Cintolo, Prisca Rosario and Case de Bondt.
Arnold Puts was to have participated as a selector too, but unfortunately for us has gone to Barcelona, Spain, to officiate in umpiring over there.
We congratulate Arnold on this international umpire’s appointment and are pleased to say he will be back in time to play in our tournament on 16 May at Dandenong.
All will be done fairly and above reproach, the prize money will be good and it is guaranteed that the participants will not be warming seats waiting for things to happen, as was the case at the last two important tournaments, the Victorian Veterans Closed and the Victorian Veterans Open run by TTV.
Late Entries will be accepted by Phone to both 03 5336 3789 or 03 5674 1736 or 0407 596 698; Fax 03 5674 1201 or the following E-mail addresses abeaton@supernerd.com.au ; caseybul1@bigpond.com until Sunday 9 May. Come along and enjoy this new innovative event.
Thursday 29 April 2010
The following letter was sent to TTV, offering an olive branch to overcome the present impasse. Sadly, at the combined meeting of the Board and the VicVets Committee on 22 April 2010, this offer was not accepted.
VicVets intends to conduct our inaugural tournament at Dandenong regardless to give the Victorian tournament veterans the opportunity to compete at Dandenong, as had tentatively been put on the tournament calendar for 2010 as one of eight tournaments towards State selection.
The Victorian Veterans Table Tennis Association Incorporated
PO Box 24 Inverloch Vic 3996
The CEO of the Board of TTV
C/- MSAC Box 5
Aughtie Drive
Albert Park Vic 3206 Monday 12 April 2010
Dear Members of the Board of TTV,
We became aware that you may not accept the Dandenong Association’s tournament in your programme and so we made arrangements to fill the breach.
We are ready to hold a tournament in Dandenong on the 16th May and believe there will be a high participation rate.
We are offering to hold this tournament under the umbrella of TTV.
All it will need is the formality of you affiliating the Victorian Veterans Table Tennis Association.
This could be easily and quickly done under the same conditions under which you have already affiliated other Associations such as Croydon and Mornington.
The committee of the Victorian Veterans Table Tennis Association have everything in place to conduct a Veterans Tournament at Dandenong on 16 May, including workers and Entry Forms.
This proposal would result in a win/win outcome for you and for the veteran players who can then still gain State Team Selection Points.
Our combined meeting, scheduled for 22 April, can also be further utilised to go into the details of the above proposition.
Yours in Table Tennis,
Case de Bondt, Hon. Secretary/Public Officer VicVets
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE VICTORIAN VETERANS TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED – 16 May 2010 – DANDENONG
The Victorian Veterans Table Tennis Association was formed after extensive consultations with the regular veteran tournament players through circulars distributed during the Victorian Vet Closed (May) and the Victorian Vet Open Championships (July) in 2009.
General disenchantment with TTV’s interference with the running of the veteran tournaments, the seeding and selection criteria imposed on the veterans and in particular the controversial points system over the past three or four years, first caused the resignation of all the selectors in 2007 and culminated in the formation of this movement to become an independent entity.
The interim committee was chosen by written and signed nominations received in July 2009 (Vic Open) and authority was given by the vast majority of the players to go ahead and incorporate the Association and to endeavour to obtain affiliation with TTV, and further to organise veteran activities in the State of Victoria.
The day after the Vic Open in July 2009 our first application to affiliate with TTV was sent by registered letter. This was rejected. Further applications were submitted in September 2009, November 2009 and January 2010. All these sincere attempts to affiliate were again rejected.
It became patently obvious to your committee that the Board of TTV had no intention whatsoever to allow the veterans to manage their own affairs. As recently as 22 April your committee met with the Board of TTV at the MSAC office to once more urge them to accept us and to give their approval to run our Inaugural Tournament here in Dandenong so that State Team Selection Points could still be earned.
We are at a loss why the Board continues to be unwilling to accept us and regard us as an enemy for last month once again, the fifth time, we were rejected.
These five separate rejections by TTV were based on frivolous reasons and were akin to making excuses why our affiliation requests were not acceptable i.e. not on proper forms, our constitution (which is basically the same as all other affiliated associations) and not indicating due deference.
In NSW the veterans are independent and manage their own affairs. All other major sports like tennis, squash, bowls and golf have their own independent veterans associations. Why can’t we? What is TTV afraid of?
Your present interim committee has at all times held the view that we wish to operate under the umbrella of TTV. Never did we believe that breaking away from the extended table tennis family would be in the interest of our sport as we feel this is the wish of all veterans in Victoria.
While our ongoing purpose, through the strength of numbers of our members, is to serve the veteran players of Victoria, our immediate aim is to :
1. Devise a better set of criteria than the present point system for seeding of veteran tournament and selection of Victorian veterans teams.
2. To ensure that the Selectors decisions are not overturned by the Board of TTV.
3. To run our tournaments more efficiently than the presently run tournaments at MSAC.
Relevant to the above is the New South Wales Veteran Association’s opening statement on their Website:
New South Wales Veterans Table Tennis Association Incorporated
This group has been operating since 1982 but in 1991 it broke away from “Table Tennis NSW Inc.” and became an “Incorporated” Association.
The aim of the Association is to conduct table tennis events and activities specifically for veteran table tennis players and to assist the New South Wales Association in the promotion control and organisation of table tennis for veteran players.
You become a Veteran player in the year you turn 40 years of age and you can play for as long as you can hold a racket. Our oldest and best known former world champion Dot Delow is now 95 and still hits a mean ball. ! She has just returned from Bremen, Germany after competing in the World Veterans Championships and winning a bronze medal in the over 85 years doubles.
Everyone who plays table tennis should be registered with TTNSW to a level that covers his or her involvement. If you only wish to play club/association events then a fee applies (50% discount to holders of Pensioner Benefit cards) or a slightly larger amount for those who are keen to play in State/Australian championships.
In addition players will most likely belong to a local shire/district/Insurance office/public service association to which they will have to pay a membership fee or belong to this association and pay the membership fee (Veterans 2006, $20 p.a. ).
Currently the Association rents the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Halls, Grand Parade on Sundays for the conduct of table tennis competitions. See “Competitions” below.
If you just want to play in your local association or go to a hall for some social table tennis and practice the relevant details are on the TTNSW page.
We now have another Veteran Table Tennis celebrity in Australia alongside our Dorothy De Low.
Let me introduce Geoffrey Volney Nesbitt to you from Moama, near Echuca Victoria.
Geoffrey last night was the recipient of the prestigious Echuca/Moama Sports-Star of the Year Award for 2009.
A copy of the impressive plaque listing all previous winners was presented to Geoff by the evening’s compere, AFL Player & TV Presenter Nathan Thompson.
In addition the Moama Bowling Club presenting Geoff with a cheque of $500.00 and the main prize, comprising a $2000.00 travel voucher from Travel Scene, also was presented.
Geoff has been the winner of Monthly Awards on many an occasion in previous years, but this is the first time he prevailed over 14 other contestants vying for the Sports Star of the Year Award.
Winning Gold at the World masters Games last October surely gave Geoffrey the edge over the other sports nominees.
Thus our beloved sport of Table Tennis once again is in the news and incentive to other folk “in the summer of their lives” to take up this sport for all ages.
Here follows a summary of Geoff’s achievements in 2009 bearing in mind he will be turning 76 next May:
World Masters Games (Hurstvile)
Gold O/70 Men’s Teams
Gold O/70 Men’s Doubles
Bronze O/70 Mixed Doubles
New Zealand National Veterans Championships
Gold O/65 Men’s A Grade Teams
Gold O/75 Men’s A grade Teams
Gold O/75 Men’s Doubles
Silver O/70 Men’s Doubles
Australian Master Games (Geelong)
Gold O/70 Men’s Teams
Gold O/70 Men’s Doubles
Silver O/70 Men’s Singles
Bronze O/60 Men’s Teams
Australian National Veterans Championships
Gold O/70 Men’s Doubles
Gold O/75 Men’s Doubles
Gold O/75 Men’s Singles
Silver O/75 Men’s teams
Silver O75 Mixed Doubles
Victorian Closed Veterans Championships
Gold O/75 Men’s Singles
Gold O/75 Men’s Doubles
Silver O/70 Men’s Doubles
Victorian Open Veterans Championships
Gold O/75 Men’s Doubles
Other 2009 District Championships
Ballarat, Bendigo, Echuca, Geelong, Mornington, Sunbury
Won 12 Events, R/U in six Events
Won one Team competition
I received the following message from Peter De Low:
Thanks from Dorothy De Low
Load Images Close
From:
Peter De Low<pdelow@bigpond.net.au>
| Date: 15 February 2010 05:01:29 PM
To:
Peter De Low<pdelow@bigpond.net.au>
Dorothy has asked me to thank all those people who offered congratulations on her award of an Order of Australia Medal on Australia Day2010.
Her written request said:
“To all my friends and family who sent me messages of congratulations on the occasion of my being awarded the OAM, I wish to thank them heartily. I do appreciate it. Last but not least, thanks to those who nominated me or supported my nomination in the first place.”
Sincerely
Dorothy/Doris/Dot De Low
It’s with horror that I’m watching the awful pictures emerging from the earthquake zone in Christchurch. I’ve visited your beautiful city many times and am heartbroken to see such shocking scenes.
The news coverage has been non-stop over here in Australia. I’m extremely saddened by the rising death toll and the large number of people still trapped under fallen buildings.
Our sincerest condolences go to your members and to the people of New Zealand. There will be a long road to recovery but your neighbours over The Ditch will be supporting you all the way.
Sincerely,
Tony Herbert
Queensland Veterans Manager
Hi Case,
