In the latest installment of our series on the achievements of the English World Championships over the years, Diane Webb (Chairman of the Archives, Museum and Records Committee) looks at the 1932 Championships in Prague.
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England’s preparation for the World Cup, or lack thereof, was down to a number of factors. 800 clubs were asked to contribute 2/- to the Fighting Fund. Due to a poor response, ETTA did not know whether a team could be sent, nor was sufficient preparation possible.
There had been trials across the country, although not always satisfactory. A final trial took place in London and this too left questions about who to send there. There were also problems with which ball to use in the tests. The ball that players in England were used to or the one that would be used in Prague, its weight was different. Moreover, as team captain, Ivor Montagu only confirmed that he would leave shortly before departure, not ideal.
Ultimately, the team was selected and they made another trek through Europe. The England men’s team consisted of Charles Bull, Adrian Haydon, David Jones, Andy Millar and Teddy Rimer, joined by Ivor Montagu as NPC, along with Eric Findon, Stanley Proffitt, J Morris Rose and AJ Wilmott. No English ladies participated.
The draw was certainly not in England’s favor; they faced the four leading teams in consecutive matches on the first two days, three of them in one day. Despite this, England made an impact that shocked some.
They did better against Czechoslovakia than Hungary, with Jones winning England’s two games. England also fared better against Hungary than Austria: Jones defeated Barna 18, 15 and Haydon defeated Kelen 20, -12, 12 in England’s 2–5 defeat. Neither Kelen nor Barna had lost a Swaythling Cup match before, so those performances were significant.
England’s other results in the team event were a 5-0 win against France and a 5-0 win over Yugoslavia – their only two wins. The losses were against Austria 2-5, Czechoslovakia 2-5, Germany 2-5, Hungary 2-5, India 3-5, Latvia 3-5 and Lithuania 5-9, resulting in a disappointing seventh position out of the 10 teams competing. Haydon was the only player to win more than he lost, winning nine of his fifteen matches. Jones won eight and lost ten, Rimer won two and lost three, Bull won three and lost eleven and Millar won one of his six.
The final was a three-way play-off between Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria, all of whom had won eight matches and lost one. The home team defeated Austria 5-2 and then got the result against the holders, Hungary 5-3. Hungary had the consolation of beating Austria and finishing second behind Czechoslovakia and Austria third. It seems that the preparation of the Hungarians, like the English players, was not as it should have been, as their players scattered across Europe took part in various exhibitions and tournaments and were not match fit for these championships.
The 7,000-strong home crowd cheered and shouted. They were delighted when their team lifted the Swaythling Cup, the second country to do so. The crowds were so dense in some places that the England players had to be led over their heads to reach the changing rooms.
The individual events did not go much better for England. There were 128 entries in the men’s singles and six of our players went out in the first round: Bull, Millar, Montagu, Proffitt, Rose and Wilmott. Going one step further Findon and Jones, while Haydon and Rimer reached the round of 32, here Haydon had the unenviable draw against Victor Barna, the eventual winner.
Miklos Szabados was once again Barna’s opponent in the all-Hungarian final. The result was a reverse situation from 1931 when Barna regained his title in a very exciting match. Szabados won the first -21, Barna pulled it back and won the next three games (18, 19, 14). Istvan ‘Steve’ Boros of Hungary and Erwin Kohn (Austria) were the losing semi-finalists.
For those eliminated in the first round of singles, there was the opportunity to play in the Men’s Minor or Consolation Singles. Proffitt reached the final, but lost to Finbergs of Latvia 18, 18. Millar came third.
After dominating the World Championships for so long, Hungary’s Maria Mednyanszky, five-time women’s singles champion, could not reach the sixth, losing to compatriot Anna Sipos in the final 17, 16, 19. Magda Gal (Hungary) and Marie Smidova (Czechoslovakia) were the semi-finalists.
The men’s doubles saw some redemption for England; it was also their only medal. Bull & Jones reached the semi-finals where they met the holders and eventual winners, Barna & Szabados. Laszlo Bellak & Sandor Glancz were the losing finalists, while Boros & Tibor Hazi were the other bronze medalists. The English duo were the only non-Hungarians on stage. Proffitt worked with the Latvian Sacovs, they lost in the quarter-finals to Bellak & Glancz. Haydon & Rimer went out in the round of 16, Millar & Montagu in the round of 32 and Findon with Wilmott and Rose with Thivy in the first round.
The two top players in the women’s singles then won the women’s doubles final (17, 14, 13), Smidova and Anna Braunova came second.
Barna made it a hat-trick of gold medals, as did Sipos, when they reversed the 1931 result in the mixed doubles, leaving holders Szabados & Mednyanszky second, the score 13, 17, 18. Glancz & Gal were the losing semi-finalists along with Czechoslovaks Jaroslav Jilek & Smidova. Three of the English men, Findon, Wilmott and Proffitt, teamed up with local players and went out in the first round, the round of 32.
Three major regulatory changes were discussed during the ITTF conference in Prague. A major problem was that many balls approved for use exceeded the maximum weight allowed by the official rules, raising concerns about the consistency and fairness of the game. To address this, the ITTF has formed a special committee within the Hungarian TTA to thoroughly investigate the matter. Austria, England, Germany and Japan agreed to provide balls for evaluation.
Previously, there were no specific rules about adding entries to the draw, resulting in last-minute changes. A new rule was introduced allowing late registrations under certain conditions. This made the draw fairer and less confusing, while still allowing a degree of flexibility.
Professionalism was broadly divided into three areas: players who were associated with a sports company or held an official position within the sport’s governing body; those whose profession or business provided additional facilities for practice opportunities; and those who received some form of reward for their playing skills. No consensus was reached, although it was recognized that something needed to be done.
Andrew ‘Andy’ Millar: Born in Manchester on 18 September 1916, Andy played one international match against Hungary and three against Wales and represented England in the Swaythling Cup five times, winning one bronze medal five times in 1932/33. He ranked England at number four and 22 in the world.
A member of the Manchester League who won the first Wilmott Cup in 1934/35, alongside Fred Cromwell and Hymie Lurie, all international players. He won the Manchester Closed Men’s Singles twice and the Men’s Doubles three times, no small feat considering it was one of the strongest competitions in the country with plenty of international players in the area.
When the Hungarians toured England in 1935 and 1936, he played in seven matches against the best players in the world.
Edward ‘Teddy’ Rimer: Hailing from County Durham, born in Sunderland on April 5, 1910, he belonged to Sunderland YMCA. He earned his first international cap in the 1931/32 season playing against Wales and played a second match against them the following season. Rimer played twice for England in the Swaythling Cup, winning team bronze in 1932/33. On February 10, 1932, against a Continental Touring Team, he played a good match against Miklos Szabados, the score -20, 15, -16. Rimer was the Sunderland Closed titleholder in both men’s singles and men’s doubles.
As well as playing in the Sunderland League, Rimer also played in the Bridport League and in their first year, 1933, he was the ETTA representative for them.
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