Sport

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

Chairman Derek Preston, who is organising this year's individual championships of Barum Table Tennis League, was very pleased with the number of entries.

13.2.1970

A record 59 in the men's singles and 29 pairs in the doubles, together with bigger entries in all the other events, plus the new Veterans' competition, meant very tight schedules at the three venues.
Finals night was last (Thursday) night at the YMCA, Barnstaple.
In the Veterans' singles, finalists were Dennis Gibson and Bill Thisby.
The junior boys' final was between holder David Lee and Alan Puddick.
Gazette article dated 13 February 1970

Table Tennis

Husband and wife, Les and Jean Parnell, 9 Meadow Park, Bideford, who won the mixed doubles title at the Barnstaple and District Table Tennis League's finals nights.

Bideford Triple Table Tennis Success

Mrs Jean Parnell, of Bideford, won the ladies’ singles and doubles titles at Barnstaple and District Table Tennis League’s finals night, and, with her husband Les, added the mixed doubles trophy.
Mr Parnell is manager of the Bideford branch of Messrs Curry’s in High Street.
Mrs Parnell, with a fine exhibition of defensive tennis in the singles final, never allowed the powerful forehand of co-finalist Ruth Davey, of Barnstaple, to get into operation and won comfortably 21-8, 21-8.
In the doubles Mrs Parnell partnered Pat Preston and come out on top of a grim duel with Barum pair Joyce Hilling and Mavis Bayres, 22-24, 21-19, 21-18.
Competition was not so keen in the mixed doubles and Mrs Parnell and her husband, who were runners-up last year, cruised home 21-12, 21-17 against Ilfracombe’s Mike Edmunds and Miss Cooney.
David Lee (16) of Ilfracombe, did not drop a set on his way to the men’s singles title and he achieved the ‘grand slam’ – the junior singles and doubles and the men’s singles and doubles.

Gazette articles dated 27 February 1970

Westward Ho! Tennis Club’s Double Win

Westward Ho! Tennis Club scored a double victory over Rock Park Tennis Club on Sunday, the men winning 9-0 at Westward Ho! and the ladies 7-1 with one match unfinished.

Details of the matches were: E Westoby and D Colwill beat Collyer and Sprague; beat Jewell and Hender; beat Bursem and Hunt. L Prust and D Johns beat Collyer and Sprague; beat Jewell and Hender; beat Bursem and Hunt. D Worwood and G Hippisley beat Collyer and Sprague; beat Jewell and Hender; beat Bursem and Hunt.
Ladies’ match: Mrs Morris and Mrs Stephens beat Miss Smithson and Mrs Cheetham; beat Mrs Marshall and Mrs Hammond-Hunt; beat Miss Mulvaney and Miss Bolton. Miss Hellyer and Miss Worwood lost to Miss Smithson and Mrs Cheetham; beat Mrs Marshall and Mrs Hammond-Hunt; and the match was unfinished with Miss Mulvaney and Miss Bolton.
The full Gazette article dated 27 May 1955.