World Ping Pong Championships

Tough. I'll go Pop Robson, Lampard, Channon?

boltonbonce wrote:Tough. I'll go Pop Robson, Lampard, Channon?

That's what I thought too. Lampard Senior and horse trainer Mick were never in doubt but Pop Robson took a bit of thinking about.

Pop Robson had a successful partnership at Newcastle with former Wanderers favourite Wyn Davies.
He was also quite keen on ping pong and met his wife to be, Maureen Hepple, on the table tennis circuit. Maureen was an English international. Here's a photo. Its not hard to see the attraction:

Here's a gathering celebrating Big Wyn's 73rd birthday. Look out for the Northern Rock and Wonga shirts. Oh dear! But does anyone recognise the venue?

Nice to see Norman Collier again.

Their is a likeness but these are Newcastle supporters who travelled to Bolton to celebrate Big Wyn's birthday. Might be wrong but could the venue be the Pack Horse?

Ten Bobsworth wrote:Their is a likeness but these are Newcastle supporters who travelled to Bolton to celebrate Big Wyn's birthday. Might be wrong but could the venue be the Pack Horse?

I reckon it is.

Sluffy wrote:Chester Barnes was the only table tennis player I was really ever aware of.

That's what he was known for, the only ping pong player that anyone had heard of. But there are a couple of more recent vintage who are quite well known.

Sky Andrew is an agent who represents/represented Sol Campbell, David Ginola, Frank Bruno, Sarah-Jane Mee and quite a few others.

Matthew Syed is an Oxford-educated journalist, author and broadcaster. He's also unsuccessfully tried to get into Parliament coming third as a Labour candidate in Wokingham in 2001. He also got on the short-list for selection as a candidate in Middlesborough South in 2010. Teesside has been a ping pong hotspot in the UK for about a half century but it was local lad,Tom Blenkinsop, that got the nod and got elected.

Blenkinsop decided to stand down in 2017 because he said that he could not campaign for Labour while Jeremy Corbyn was party leader.

We mustn't forget the biggest current day exponent of ping pong of course - (from 19th December, 2010.)

Bolton skipper reveals ping pong is Coyle's secret weapon

Kevin Davies insists Sunderland defeat won't rock the Wanderers boat -

Kevin Davies has revealed how Bolton boss Owen Coyle keeps his players in line – by thrashing them all at table tennis.

Coyle joins in squad competitions and is unbeaten at ping-pong, all part of the team-building that team captain Davies says won’t be derailed by this defeat.

Bolton were desperately unlucky not to get a point at the Stadium of Light after squandering late chances in a period of dominance that Coyle said was “like the Alamo”.

England striker Davies said: “The manager is a very infectious character and wants players to have a smile on their face. He has great enthusiasm and it rubs off on other people. He demands a lot from his players but he wants them to enjoy themselves and express themselves when they play and work.

“It is difficult in football to keep 25 grown men happy. No one is happy when they miss out but he has a knack of keeping everyone happy.

“You see it in games when the subs come on and they are given a chance to make an impression.

“When we come in on a Monday morning – and it will be the same this week – you can never tell whether we have won or lost. This one is a difficult one to take. We have only really lost to the big teams but we will get back together and get ready for West Brom on Boxing Day.

“The fact we are disappointed with this defeat shows how far we have come under Owen and now we have to bounce back.”

Davies also revealed: “I do not play table tennis very often. I got my arse spanked a couple of times by him. He is a very competitive guy. He does not like losing at anything.

“It is great that he can have that sort of relationship with his players. There are no cliques. Everyone gets involved and it is the same in training with little competitions and stuff like that. It is a great place to be and go to work at.

“The way he runs things is right up there with the best I have known.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/bolton-skipper-kevin-davies-reveals-3345512

Who could forget OC's ping pong prowess, Sluffy?
Such a shame we didn't go for Sean Dyche when Owen's game was up.

As it happens, I played a game of doubles yesterday with my son and two grandchildren.  Made me laugh when grandson 1 described me and him as the 'dream team' but we won - just.

Another photo from Chester's blog yesterday. Who is it?

If I'm not mistaken this young man was later helped by Lennie Hepple, the lovely Maureen's dad.

Is it a very young Bobby Moore?

boltonbonce wrote:Is it a very young Bobby Moore?

That's what I figured.

Maureen Hepple's mum and dad were champion ballroom dancers. Lennie, Maureen's father, later coached Bobby Moore, Pop Robson and several others on how to achieve better balance. Here's an article about the late Lennie:

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/tributes-dance-hero-who-inspired-4480950

Speaking of the lovely Maureen, there's a nice article written by Michael Parkinson published in Table Tennis News in 1974 entitled 'This isn't the game my bird played'.

All a matter of taste, of course, but however old it is, I'd sooner read Parky any day of the week than the daily dose of dreary dross served up in the Bolton News.

https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/etta_website/magazine-archive/1974-75/tt_issue265.pdf

I heard a story, from an England team mate of Moore, that he used to iron his money.

boltonbonce wrote:I heard a story, from an England team mate of Moore, that he used to iron his money.

I prefer to remember him for something else.
Anyway, who is this former goalie who was goalkeeping coach when Chester Barnes trained at Highbury?

Can't fathom this one. Is he Welsh?

boltonbonce wrote:Can't fathom this one. Is he Welsh?

I should know this one but I don't. Ex-Wales and Arsenal goalie, Jack Kelsey, came to mind but I'm not sure.

That's who I thought, but I didn't think he'd gone into coaching.

Photo of the day from Chester B is for Nuts racing experts.
Who is the dapper geezer on the left, the bespectacled gent on the right and the lovely horse in the middle? Not being a racing expert, I only recognise one but we may be talking about the winners enclosure at the Grand National here.

Struggled with this. Guy on the left has a look of David Coleman, but I'm pretty much stumped.