CONTACT: Spring 1975
The Club has now celebrated its first anniversary.
Of the various competitions arranged during the past year it is generally agreed that the matches against two of our neighbouring TSBs proved to be the most exciting and worthwhile. Our teams showed overall superiority on both occasions, albeit after a long struggle in some individual games. We were impressed by the cordiality and sportsmanship of our friends at Wolverhampton and look forward to the next round of the competition to be hosted by the West Midlands TSBTTC.
In the light of experience, external competitions will continue to be encouraged giving members an opportunity to play in demanding situations thus stimulating individuals to improve their style and performance.
Attendance at Club meetings suggests that there is a strong interest in the sport and it is again emphasised that new members are always welcome.
R J Tonks
Hon Secretary
THE ORIGINS OF TABLE TENNIS
Almost 100 years ago, in 1879, two Cambridge University undergraduates indulged in the activity of hitting champagne corks across a table with remnants of a cigar box. Later, small rubber balls were hit over books placed across a table.
In 1899, James Gibb, an engineer and founder of the Amateur Athletic Association tried placing a clamp midway along each side of the table in the manner of a modern net. As there were no rules, the Gibb family improvised by adding one point to an oppononents score for every ball missed - the winner being the first to amass 21 points.
On his return from a visit to America, Gibb substituted toy celluloid balls in place of the rubber ones previously used and friends laughingly referred to the game as "Ping-Pong" because of the sound of the ball hitting the bat. The name stuck.
CONTACT: Summer 1975
Sufficient interest has been aroused to enable the Club to organise a Trustee Savings Banks table tennis competition. So far, eleven Banks have indicated their intended involvement in the event which is scheduled to take place late this year. Initial rounds of the competition will take place on a regional basis in order to minimise costs.
The Club has applied for membership to the Birmingham and District Table Tennis Association and, after written confirmation of a successful application has been received, two teams will be entered in the 1975 Winter League.
A number of members have already committed themselves to supporting the Club in league play this Winter and a future circular, detailing the extent of personal involvement to support the Club in this venture.
R J Tonks
Secretary
CONTACT: Christmas 1975
The Table Tennis Club is now mid-way through its first season in the Birmingham Table Tennis League, and is experiencing mixed results.
The league comprises of teams from all walks of life and matches are played in very different surroundings. One week in a posh Working Mans Club the next in a cold machine shop in a large factory.
A TSB knock-out competition is still being considered and will probably take place early in the New Year. Girls are still in the minority and anyone interested in playing should contact the Secretary for further details.
A Merry Christmas to one and all:
R M Garner - Chairman
R Tonks - Secretary
CONTACT: Spring 1976
There have been two teams representing the Bank in Divisions 5 and 6 of the Birmingham League and although results have been a little disappointing, the players have kept on plugging away often against older and much more experienced players. In fact we were thinking of adopting "Keep right on to the end of the road" as a battle song but relented in order to avoid any dispute amongst fellow players.
Each league match involved ten games being played: 8 singles and 2 doubles - with singles being seeded. Each
team member played twice. Despite losing many of our matches 8-2, 9-1 and even 10-0, the wrong impression of a match can sometimes
be taken from such results. Individual games during a match can be very close but if you lose then obviously it's a game against the
team. This situation has occurred on many occasions this season, but I feel that it will stand us in good stead for the future.
At
this point I think a special mention should be given to the members of the teams with thanks for their efforts throughout the year:-
‘A' Team - M. Glenn, R. Moll, J. Hall, G. Ketteridge, S. Griffin, D. Turner
‘B' Team - K. Capp, M. Jones, A. Rowe, P. Bumford, C. Watson, G. Tomkinson
A special mention also for Rod Tonks who retired as Secretary at the Annual General Meeting in February. A lot of time and effort went into forming the Club and much of this rested on the shoulders of Rodney, who still retains a position in the Club as Vice Chairman.
It is hoped that we will be able to get an inter-T.S.B. competition off the ground in the very near future. This is the idea of the Club Chairman, Roger Garner, who has received approximately ten letters of enquiry from other interested Banks. We are hoping for further enquiries following the forthcoming edition of Banknotes which will contain an item concerning table tennis. The only stumbling block at present is the fact that the Club is affiliated to the Birmingham & District TTA. We have to obtain permission from them to formulate and even compete in such an event. However, an application has been made, but at present I have had no reply.
As mentioned in the Christmas Edition there are still no girls taking part in Club events, but anyone who is at all interested in having a game should contact me for further details. We are hoping to stage an internal tournament later this year as a forerunner to the new season.
Finally, a hint for any team members who are having trouble sleeping at night; just lie on the edge of the bed - you'll soon drop off.
J. Hall,
Secretary.
CONTACT: Christmas 1976
The two teams entered in the Birmingham & District Leagues are now approaching the half-way point for this season and on the whole, performances have been much more promising than last year.
In the Birmingham League, Division 6, the team’s record
to date is:
P W D L F A Pts
8 5 1 2 50-30 11
Players individual records are as follows:-
|
|
|
Played |
Won |
|
|
Malcolm Glenn |
16 |
13 |
|
|
John Hall |
16 |
11 |
|
|
Gary Ketteridge |
16 |
11 |
|
|
Paul Bumford |
14 |
6 |
|
|
Ron Moll |
2 |
1 |
|
Doubles |
M. Glenn
/ G. Ketteridge |
8 |
5 |
|
|
J. Hall / P. Bumford |
7 |
2 |
|
|
J. Hall / R. Moll |
1 |
1 |
The team has been playing extremely well this season and but for two lapses against South Yardley 'E' and New World
Gas would have probably topped the division. The South Yardley game was played on a Thursday evening when the team had to rush straight
from work to play. This factor was definitely the reason for the defeat and we are of course hoping for revenge when we meet them
at home in the New Year. Our defeat by New World Gas was unfortunate in as much as we allowed ourselves to be 'talked out' of two
or three games. If we can reverse these two results we could be back in with a chance of a trophy at the end of the season. The division’s
top side at the moment is Nomads and they have only dropped one point so far - and that was against our team! I think this proves
that in the second half of the season we can get back near the top if we put our minds to it.
In the North Birmingham League
Division 4 the team’s record to date is:
P W D L F A Pts
8 - 1 7 21-59 1
Players individual records are as follows:-
|
|
|
Won |
|
|
Michael Jones |
7 |
|
|
Keith Capp |
4 |
|
|
Andy Rowe |
3 |
|
|
David
Turner |
2 |
|
|
Stephen Griffin |
1 |
|
|
Chris Watson |
1 |
|
Doubles |
M. Jones / A. Rowe |
1 |
|
|
K. Capp / D. Turner |
2 |
Despite what seems to be a poor record, David Turner tells me that the team have been playing fairly well without having too much luck. Any close games always seem to just go against them, which of course does not do much for the confidence of the team.
The team’s outstanding player
has once again been Mike Jones who has put in some very good performances against many of the Division’s top players. Let's hope that
the New Year brings a change of luck for the coming matches.
J.W. Hoccom Challenge Trophy
As you are probably all aware from
the recent Newsletters the tournament for this year is now reaching the final stages. Only one match remains to be decided for the
final place in the semi-finals and that is between the two B.M.T.S.B. teams. By the time this article is printed the match will already
have been decided, so watch the Newsletters to see who will represent the Bank in the semi-finals.
The semi-final draw is as
follows:
North Staffs. T.S.B., Hanley v Yorks. & Lincs. T.S.B., Sheffield
B.M.T.S.B. 'A' or 'B' v Yorks Lincs. T.S.B., Castleford
Mr. Hoccom is kindly donating the trophy for this event, which we hope in future years will become known throughout the T.S.B. movement. Interest this year was shown by ten Banks, but we hope that through 'Banknotes' a much wider area can be covered in next years’ competition, which we hope will be played for between April and September.
Finally, on behalf of everyone connected with the Table Tennis Section, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and don't forget, if ever you are able to come along and see us play, we would love to see you.
John Hall.