TTT31. Summer 2023

There is little doubt that when John Prean draws his gun, bullets are meant to
be fired. And what’s more they fly in all directions. Granted some of the targets
are legitimate but not all. John, often in defence of his talented son, is apt to
bring out weaponry of sufficient calibre to blast holes into anyone regardless.
Aftermath
After standing down as editor, Yates continued to report on both international
and local news, submitting reports for Lancashire until 1992, by which time he
had clocked up 31 years as the county correspondent. But then he suffered the
first of a series of strokes that would eventually lead to his death in 2000. Never
again did Table Tennis News reach the size of the most substantial editions he
produced during the period before his sudden and unexpected departure.
None other editors, either before or after, came close to achieving 19 years in
the job.
By the time the final edition was published in July 2010 it had been
transformed into something that was, for many readers, a far less attractive
journal. The focus had shifted from reporting news to marketing. The
professionally designed full colour offering will have led to a substantial
increase in production costs which could not be justified by the subscription
income. George Yates would not have been pleased to see the eventual
outcome of his efforts. We can only speculate how Table Tennis News might
have evolved if its finest editor had not made a reluctant exit.
I am grateful to Diane and Harvey for providing helpful background information
for this article. Thanks also to several others, including Colin Clemett and Ken
Muhr, who provided some personal recollections of George Yates.
Graham Frankel
grahamf49@gmail.com
Final editorial May/June 1985
Senior British League Cup: 4 th June 2023, BATTS, Harlow
A new competition for the teams who played in the Senior British League Premier division. A knockout
competition as opposed to a league format. The idea was the brainchild of Cliff Carder who purchased and
presented the trophy – knowing Cliff we were a little surprised the cup was not embellished with one of his
colourful T-shirts. It was BATTS who beat Brighton in the final with Fusion in third place.
Winners BATTS - Josh Bennett, Shayan Siraj, Ralph Pattison with Cliff Carder
Photo by Michael Loveder
Table Tennis Times 31: Summer 2023
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