West of Scotland Table Tennis League

West of Scotland Table Tennis League
Photo Archive - a) Coaching - a) West Coaches (Springburn)

From left to right:
McGillvray (possibly), Jim Wilson (still playing every week at Wishaw Sports Centre), Jimmy Fisher (STTA Director of Coaching in the early 1970s), Willie Keys (Prominent coach in Lanarkshire and assisted Jimmy Fisher), Andy Fleming, John McCulloch (still very active in West Lothian TTC and is their TTS league coordinator), Jimmy Beck (West Lothian), Jimmy Cook (see below), Drew McLaren (very active in West Lothian League and a regular at the Scottish Vets' events), Arthur Binnie (West Lothian) Robert Murray, Dunky Hogg (see below), Alex Dalrymple and Ian McLeod (see below).  

This photo was taken in 1973 or 74 at Springburn Sports Centre and John McCulloch has provided the following inside information that only someone that was there can.

During the early 1970s Scotland was visited by the Japanese national team when international matches/tours were more in vogue than grand prix tournaments. There was a similar visit by the Chinese national team in either 1981 or 1982, probably the former, when the team manager was the legendary Li Fu Yung and the Chinese team (then like now) had two 'Wangs' whom, rather irreverently, we referred to as 'Big Wang' and 'Wee Wang'. Returning to the Japanese visit, I can't remember there being a specific reason for the visit other than goodwill while on a world tour. However, I'm reasonably certain that former World Champion (Munich, 1969), Itoh, was part of the Japanese team. There was a reception for them at the Royal Stuart Hotel, now no longer.

Here are some of John’s West League memories which the photo also sparked off:

At the time, I was a member of Knightwood club and the other Knightswood player in the photo is Jimmy Cook (number 3 in the West First Division averages c1962 and my 'minder' in my first Division One season). Jimmy is very much a contemporary of Liam McKeating. I vaguely recognise Bob Dalrymple (father of Carol) who represented Stirlingshire/Falkirk alongside Harry Crawford and Willie Young. Ian McLeod probably played for Brighter Holidays in the West League at the time where matches were played in the basement of the company's office near Charing Cross. Brighter Holidays was owned by Doreen Robertson (former Scottish international). 
I don't recall the photo being taken but I would be surprised if it was not taken in either Springburn Sports Centre (formerly Springburn Town Hall) or Palace of Art, probably the former especially if you can identify the poster on the wall as referring to cycling. Billy Bisland (top cyclist) trained there on Friday nights. Duncan Hogg played with SCWS, he
was an International Umpire and his team included Bobby Jackson and Hugh McLaughlin. Their first team included internationals Jimmy Dow, John Reilly, George Anderson and Peter Cameron. I remember losing to them in a Maxwell Wilson cup final c1971.