TTT31. Summer 2023

George Yates in 1978 presenting the men’s doubles trophy at the National Championships to the winners Paul Day and Andrew
Barden. Photo Allan Batchelor
A sudden departure
The end of Yates’ spell as editor came suddenly and unexpectedly. Unlike his predecessor, Harrison Edwards,
George Yates did not simply disappear without trace. But the reason for his departure was not entirely clear.
One of the essential skills of an editor is to deal with controversy. A good editor will not shy away from issues
but deal with them impartially. There was never any shortage of hot topics landing on George Yates’ desk. He
welcomed them, open to all sides of the argument, and never seeking to sensationalise. But during the latter
part of the 1970s, a new correspondent began sending in comments about problems he perceived in the sport.
John Prean, who lived on the Isle of Wight, ran a successful business and table tennis club there. He also had
high ambitions for his nine-year-old son who went on to become the England number one senior player.
The volume and frequency of John Prean’s contributions steadily increased over the next few years. In 1980,
he established a regular column following a successful argument to allow the Isle of Wight to be recognised as
a separate county by the ETTA. The Isle of Wight reports became Prean’s launch pad for missiles that were
aimed ever higher in the hierarchy of the national governing body.
It was obvious to at least some of the staff working at the ETTA that John Prean’s stream of invective had an
ulterior motive. George Yates had the unenviable task of maintaining the balance between encouraging
healthy debate without allowing a single voice to dominate his columns.
Given that George Yates is no longer with us, and given the passing of almost 40 years, it is unlikely we could
ever discover the real reason behind his decision to suddenly step down without having quite made it to 20
years in the job. Here is his final editorial in the May/June 1985 edition.
Despite the statement in his first paragraph, I feel there is an element of doubt whether the primary reason
was his new position as Honorary Secretary at the ETTU. He had held many other committee jobs (including
having been Deputy Chair of the ETTA for 15 years) alongside his main role. When he was appointed to the
ETTU position – more than a year earlier – there had been no hint that the workload would mean giving up his
job as editor of Table Tennis News.
On the other hand, there is evidence that the constant barrage may have become intolerable. In his Janaury
1985 editorial, five months before he stood down, Yates wrote:
Table Tennis Times 31: Summer 2023
9