From a town hall in Barnsley to playing for England and being part of the iconic Ping Pong Diplomacy tour. That was the incredible journey that England international Alan Hydes went on – and he spoke to the BBC about it.
Alan, who still lives in Barnsley, features in the Secret South Yorkshire segment being released this week by BBC Radio Sheffield.
He tells how he almost became a cricketer – but was bothered by wearing the wrong trousers – and took up table tennis instead.
With little money in the family, Alan won a tournament that gave him the funding to continue his journey, leading all the way to the World Championships and that incredible Ping Pong Diplomacy tour in 1971.
Alan brings the tour and other aspects of his career to life with a series of great anecdotes – click below to listen to the article.
What was ping-pong diplomacy?
In 1971, ping-pong diplomacy created a new understanding between East and West, as English players were among the first in a generation to visit China.
The invitation came from American player Glenn Cowan who, after practicing with China’s Liang Geliang prior to the start of the 1971 World Cup, accidentally boarded a bus with the Chinese team inside.
It set off a chain of events that eventually led to the US team being invited to visit China after that World Cup – an invitation that was also extended to England, Canada and Nigeria.
The England players making the trip with Alan were Jill Parker, Pauline Piddock, Trevor Taylor and Tony Clayton, plus support staff. They entered China on April 10, 1971.
It was a trip that was reciprocated later in the year when a Chinese team visited these shores, when matches were held in Wales, Scotland and England, and a visit to 10 Downing Street and an audience with Prime Minister Edward Heath were on the cultural programme.
Ping-pong diplomacy remains an important milestone in the world history of table tennis – and its influence was felt in wider society around the world and continues to be felt in our sport. You can read more about this at click here.
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