TTT30 Spring 2023
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Victor Barna and David Creamer in Nigeria<br />
Shortly after these matches, 19-yearold<br />
David toured Nigeria with the<br />
legendary Victor Barna for three<br />
weeks from 15 th October 1962. It was<br />
a whirlwind tour. Arriving in Lagos<br />
they started with a practice against<br />
the Nigerian National team followed<br />
by two exhibitions at the King’s and<br />
Queen’s Colleges. On they went for a<br />
very bumpy 90-mile car ride to Ibadan<br />
stopping off to play at a school in<br />
Umaha. Four days were spent at<br />
Green <strong>Spring</strong>s Rest House but there<br />
was no rest for the players. They took<br />
part in another exhibition before 750<br />
spectators on the stage of the local<br />
cinema before two more exhibitions<br />
at the university and a school.<br />
A 400-mile flight to Enugu for a television appearance and two more exhibitions, then a 200-mile car journey<br />
to Port Harcourt for another exhibition after which they flew back to Lagos for more exhibitions and to be<br />
feted at a cocktail party at the Governor-General’s residence. Another plane journey of 600 miles to Kaduna<br />
then onto Kano by plane which is where David left Victor to return to London. An awful lot to be crammed in<br />
to such a short space of time but an amazing experience for the young man.<br />
David had some excellent results at numerous Open tournaments at junior and senior level including winning<br />
the Men’s Singles in the Welsh Open in 1962/63. His results had given him a ranking of number two at both<br />
junior and senior level. The successes meant David was selected to play for England at the World<br />
Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia in April 1963 and with Chester Barnes, Ian Harrison and Bryan<br />
Merrett they finished 9 th in the Swaythling Cup.<br />
David also played several senior international matches against China, Federal Germany, Netherlands, Sweden<br />
and the USA all in 1962 and 1963.<br />
In 1964 David became a National Champion when, with Johnny Leach, the pair won the Men’s Doubles. Their<br />
opponents in the final, David’s elder brother Michael and Terry Densham. David had been a semi-finalist in<br />
the Men’s Singles the previous year. Michael had been a big influence on David’s development and play, acting<br />
as his coach particularly in his earlier years.<br />
In December 1964 it was another tour, this time a six-month exhibition tour of North America with Ralph<br />
Gunnion, organised by American Erwin Klein. Going on tour may sound glamorous but not when you spend<br />
the best part of your time sleeping in a Volkswagen Beetle. The pair travelled thousands of miles from the<br />
Mexico border into Canada and as Ralph couldn’t drive, David did the lot, with the table tennis table on the<br />
roof of the car!<br />
Unfortunately, the agreement they signed up to wasn’t met but the gallant pair continued for the full six<br />
months even carrying out one exhibition in a prison. Perhaps the highlight of the tour was a very successful<br />
event when Ralph won £100 in Vancouver. A very large sum in those days equivalent to £2,395 today. But,<br />
Ralph got itchy fingers when they went to a casino and whilst David went to the Gents, Ralph very quickly lost<br />
the lot!<br />
TTT: Issue 30: <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />
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