Chapter XV
1956: U.S. Men/Women Can’t Contend in Team’s at Paris World’s . 1956: ITTF Counsel Meeting. 1956: Miles Beaten in Quarter’s by Winner Ogimura. 1956: Klein/Neuberger Win World Mixed Doubles. 1956: U.S. Team’s Exhibitions in Korea/Hokkaido.
Captain Bill Gunn’s long, informative Report describing “The Story of the 1956 U.S. Team to the World’s at Tokyo” was serialized through several USATT Newsletters, so of course I’ll repeatedly draw on his “insider” point of view, as well as on other sources. Shortly after the U.S. Open, on Tuesday, March 27th, Bill and the other New Yorkers—Bobby Gusikoff, Harry Hirschkowitz, Leah Neuberger, Pauline Robinson, and Lona Flam—took a military Special Services plane from LaGuardia Field, picked up Bernie Bukiet in Chicago, and Erwin Klein in Oakland, CA, then were bussed to Travis Air Force Base for the night. On the morning of the 28th they took off “in a mammoth Globemaster for the long hop to Honolulu.” From there it was breakfast on Wake Island, then on to Tokyo where our women were put up at the Akasaka Prince Hotel, our men at the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel, and our Captain/ITTF Delegate at the luxurious Matsudaira Hotel.
Not much time for practice or sightseeing, for on Sunday, April 1st our delegation, including by now Bill’s friend Marianne Bessinger who’d been a big help to him at the U.S. Open, were guests at an elaborate reception held for all the players and officials, and graced by the presence of (“He is friendly and democratic, and a perfect gentleman”) Prince Takamatsu, brother of Emperor Hirohito. Wish you were at this reception? Here, I’ll pass round a few little somethings for you to savor:
“At the reception we were entertained by renowned Japanese dancers, a fine juggling act, and Japanese music, played on the Samisen, a three-string instrument that looks like an elongated violin, the strings being plucked like a banjo. Sandwiches, soft drinks and tea were served inside, and outside on the lawn, under tents, were served Yakitori and Tempura; Yakitori being small pieces of chicken skewered on a small stick and roasted over a bright charcoal fire, and very delicious. Tempura is shrimp and fish, boiled in oil and rolled in flour and breadcrumbs. Along with these and other Japanese delicacies, I am afraid we all ate a little too much. Dancing followed, with a further chance to get acquainted with everyone. The weather slightly marred an otherwise perfect day—a sudden snow storm forced us all inside a little too quickly.”
On Monday morning, Apr. 2, everyone assembled at “the brand-new Tokyo Taiiku-kan-Metropolitan Gymnasium” (seating capacity: 10,000) for the parade of the delegations into the arena (shh, don’t tell anyone, but New York spectator Jack Howard, in track suit, joined the U.S. Team). Lined up before the reviewing stand, they all heard welcoming speeches by—Bill, for all his consummate diplomacy, isn’t so careful with names—Tadashi (not Takashi) Adachi, President of the Japan TTA, Daisuke Daimon (not Dalom), General Secretary of the Japan TTA, and Ivor Montagu (not Montague), President of the I.T.T.F. Then, by 2:00 p.m., the hall was ready for Cup play to begin. Bill thought the playing conditions “were the best I have seen in four World’s tournaments—ten fine tables (some of the players thought they were a little slow [Leah, for one, who also said the nets were loose]), real good lighting, plenty of back and side room, solid wood floor, and each table surrounded by plywood barriers.”
Although there were now 70 Associations in the ITTF, only 16 teams competed in Swaythling Cup play, and these were divided into two round-robin groups of 8. Among the well known missing was the strong Hungarian team—the 1953 World Champion Ferenc Sido; the 1956 English Open Champion, Elemer Gyetvai, whom Leach called the “hardest hitter in the world”; and “the most successful Continental player this season,” Kalman Szepesi.
In the A Group, Defending Champion Japan (7-0), though unchallenged in 6 of its ties, had quite a scare with Rumania (6-1) before advancing to the final. “East-West Germany” (5-2) came 3rd. Hong Kong (4-3) 4th with a 5-4 swing win over Sweden (3-4) 5th. The Philippines, Australia, and Singapore all were at 1-6. Japan reached the final by surviving their 5-4 tie with Rumania. Matei Gantner, a rubber player and the ’55 Italian Open Champion, had twice stopped a threatened Japanese wipe-out, first by beating Yoshio Tomita (runner-up in the Dec. All-Japan Student Championships) in the 3rd match, then, with the Rumanians behind 3-1, by holding fast against 1954 World Champion Ichiro Ogimura in the deuced-up 3rd. Unfortunately for Gantner and all Rumania, he lost his 3rd match—to current All-Japan/All-Japan Student Champion Toshiaki Tanaka, after leading 20-14 match point. Meanwhile, Tomita had gone down again, to ’55 World quarterfinalist Toma Reiter, and would lose again, to ’55 World Consolation winner, also a rubber player, Tiberiu Harasztosi. But with the tie 4-4, Ogimura prevailed over Reiter in a deciding 24-22 game.
In the B Group, Czechoslovakia (7-0), advancing to the final, more or less mirrored Japan, for it beat 6 opponents rather easily but was in 5-4 danger of losing to 2nd-place England (5-2/31-16). Finishing 3rd in the Group was China (5-2/29-19) who lost to England but beat #4 finisher SouthVietnam (5-2/28-22), unexpected winner over the Brits. India (3-4) was 5th. The U.S. (2-5) was 6th with nasty 4-5 losses to China and India. South Korea (1-6) managed to avoid finishing last by outlasting Portugal 5-4.
The U.S. opened with a 5-1 win over Portugal, with Hirschkowitz, losing to Raul Rosahuave, 19 in the 3rd, then winning, 19 in the 3rd, against Luis Seac.
Tie #2—an historic athletic event with “Red China’s” penholders—saw 7 of the 9 matches go three games. Perhaps, along with Crown Prince Akihito, another of the viewers of at least part of this tie (which began at 5 p.m.) was American movie star Glenn Ford who was in Tokyo filming “Teahouse of the August Moon” and showed up that evening to watch. Both Harry and Erwin (whom the Chinese thought “cool” and “very good”) won two matches, but Bernie, playing in the 9th position, lost his third straight 3-game match. Chiang Yung-Ning—whom Gunn said had “a fantastic defense,” and was so “fast of foot” he covered “an amazing amount of territory”—was undefeated, and Tsen Huai-Kuang and sponge-smacker Wang Chuan-Yao (beaten by both Klein and Hirschkowitz) added a win apiece. Though Bernie couldn’t rise to the occasion in this tie, he kept up his spirits. As Bobby Gusikoff reportedly said, regardless of whether Bernie won or lost his overseas matches, everyone wanted to room with him. Why? “Because he could get you laid in six languages.”
England then beat China 5-2, also in a series of three-game matches, when Johnny Leach split with his opponents and Bergmann and Brian Kennedy, much improved with sponge, each won two. China was knocked out of contention by Czechoslovakia, for Andreadis and “Laci” Stipek were just too good for the as yet unseasoned Chinese.
The U.S. beat Korea (slam-bang spongers Captained by Kenny Choi) 5-2. Gusikoff’s turn to play, but, said Gunn, “with his mental fixation about sponge, lost 2.” Fixation? Perhaps. But with his genes Bobby had to have something of a musician’s ear, and when he couldn’t hear the ball this understandably bothered him. Later, at the “Farewell Party,” Gunn said that Lona Flam “was a sensation with her dancing” and, hear this, that “Gusikoff brought the house down when he took over the [band’s] drums and traps.”
Against England we could do little. Klein stopped Leach, but fell to Bergmann, 19 in the 3rd, after having just defeated Richard three straight at the U.S. Open. Gunn said that Bergmann “made a fantastic get at 18-all, which was the turning point in the match.” Perhaps Erwin took this loss badly, for he dropped all three in the Vietnam tie that followed, losing 19 in the 3rd in his opener with Tran Canh Douc and dropping key deuce games against Mai Van Hoa and Nguyen Kim Hang.
With Klein for the first time sitting out, the U.S. lost to Barna-coached India 5-4. Bernie took all his matches, but Bobby was again shut out, and Harry could help with just the one win over Yatin Vyas. Our last encounter was a 5-1 loss to the exuberant Czechs—but kudos to Klein who downed Stipek and had Vaclav Tereba match-point down in the 2nd before succumbing.
The Czechs were high because the round before they’d come through with the win they needed over previously undefeated England. Bergmann was still a wonder, for, though he fell to Stipek, he beat Ludvck Vyhnanovsky and Andreadis. But after Kennedy had added a win, and Leach too, Johnny, in the 9th match, 19, -19, -18 couldn’t come through with the big one. With their hopes of winning the title gone, England lost to Vietnam, dropping their last four matches.
In the final against Czechoslovakia, Japan substituted Keisuke Tsunoda for Tomita (who’d lost all 3 against Rumania)—and when he opened with a win over Vyhnanovsky, and Ogimura followed by –26, 19, 13 staving off Andreadis (something –22, 16, -16 Tsunoda couldn’t do), and current World Champion Toshiaki Tanaka followed that with an easy win over Stipek, the Japanese lead was insurmountable. For the third straight year they’d won the Swaythling Cup. Time magazine (Apr. 23, 1956) said that when the Japanese accepted their Cup prize, Ogimura “took a small snapshot from his pocket and held it in front of the silver trophy. It was a picture of Kichiji Tamasu, 21-year-old team star [member of the Champion ’54 and ’55 teams], who died of a heart attack last January. Said Ogimura with due solemnity: ‘I thought he should know we won.’”
Only 8 teams participated in Corbillon Cup play. Among the famous absentees were Gizi Farkas, Eva Koczian, Linde Wertl, Helen Elliot, and Christiane Watel. The U.S. opened against the 1954 Champions, Japan—and how we fared might best be seen in Neuberger’s 12, 6 loss to Yoshiko Tanaka (Toshiaki’s sister?). England, playing two hours later, had its first test against Korea (winners for 5th place over China, 6th, in three highly contested matches). Ros Rowe’s absence was felt both in singles and especially in doubles when Ann Haydon, who won her opener, and Diane Rowe went down rather docilely to Han Young Ta/Wie Sang Suk (winner over Haydon). The one Rowe, however, had the power of two in singles, so England avoided what would have been a bad loss. Avoided a loss to us too—didn’t give up a game, though twice tried to.
Next up for the U.S. was Defending Champion Rumania (might as well get the tough ones over with early—makes for a good warm-up). As might be predicted, our women, in managing to total 31, 27, and 26 points, were beaten 3-zip. But back we came, 3-1, against Korea with Pauline starting us off right and Leah blanking both opponents.
India—could our women, like our men, lose to them? (India would finish dead last behind Hong Kong who beat them 3-2.) Well, it certainly appeared we could lose to India. Neuberger opened with a 16-19 in the 3rd time-limit loss to Rachel John whom Leah had obliged by slipping on a pair of gray slacks over the bright yellow shorts she’d been wearing—the 16-year-old had deemed them too distracting. Lona, initially looking good, dropped a 19, -16, -18 match to Meena Parande. But, bravo: Leah/Lona took the doubles, Leah won a key deuce game to bring us into the 5th, and Lona, after starting badly, came back to give us the tie.
Oh, oh—a big disappointment that afternoon for the home-crowd thousands cheering on undefeated Japan. Time said the “Japanese women players stopped and bowed low every time they scored on a net cord shot or bounced a winning shot off the edge of the table.” But Table Tennis Editor Harrison Edwards wasn’t responding to Japanese niceties, rather just the reverse:
“The Japanese girls, particularly Fujie Eguchi, tried delaying tactics, playing on their opponents’ nerves, by holding up the service and generally wasting time. They were a repeat of tactics which caused the Japanese to be booed at the Wembley meeting of 1954, and are not in keeping with the spirit of the game.
Both Miss Haydon and Miss Rowe had to call to their opponents to ‘get on with the game’” (April, 1956, 1).
Though Eguchi 21, -19, 18 braved out the 1st match of the tie against 17-year-old sponge-mistress Haydon, Rowe and Haydon’s singles wins over Kiiko Watanabe, and especially Rowe/Haydon’s 19 in the 3rd squeaker in the doubles, greatly furthered England’s chances for the title. That is, up to a point. Against Rumania, Haydon played brilliantly—beat Ella Zeller, and 19, -18, -18 had to have shaken the confidence of perennial World Singles Champion Angelica Rozeanu—but England had to go down 3-1.
The U.S. doubles combinations weren’t so effective—but we finished strong. We knocked off Hong Kong, 3-1. Then rallied against China—beat them 3-2 when Leah won an important 19 game against Sun Mei-Ying, and Pauline followed with a 24-22 clincher over Chiu Chung-Hui.
In the final, Japan’s hopes went from bad to worse when Rozeanu 15, 9 annihilated Eguchi; Zeller, though losing the singles, didn’t lose the doubles; and Rozeanu might have given Yoshiko Tanaka a spot of, say, 5. Another Corbillon Cup to the Rumanians—their 5th since the U.S. won in ’49.
U.S. Team Captain Bill Gunn did well to come runner-up in the limited-entry “old boys” Jubilee Cup. In addition to our Swaythling Cup players, we also had some individual entries in the Men’s Singles—though two of them, Oliver Galloway and Ed Jones (servicemen stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska who, with their #1 player, David Millar, and other enthusiasts such as Jim DeMet, had enjoyed their recent Fur Rendezvous Open), didn’t come to Tokyo after all. The third, M. (for Monty) Curtis McNear, reportedly Far East Air Force Champion, was soundly beaten in his first match by Australian Vic Matison. But he “made a good impression” on Gunn with his “pleasing personality” and “colorful costume”—and that ought to count for something. Both Gusikoff and Hirschkowitz also lost their openers—Bobby, 19 in the 4th, to Japan’s Hideo Kobayashi; and Harry to another Japanese, Seiji Yamada, who didn’t seem the least affected by the American’s heavy chops. (Both Bobby and Harry were later beaten, 2-0, in their first match in the Consolation’s.)
Our other three players eventually lost to the Japanese too, but acquitted themselves well. Bukiet began by eliminating China’s Yang Jui-hua who didn’t have the benefit of Cup play (for China played the same three throughout). Then advanced, but only after an initial 24, -16, 15, 13 struggle with India’s Sudhir Thackersey, who in their first match in the Team’s had beaten Bergmann (12-3 in the Team’s) two straight. On reaching the round of 32, Bernie lost in 4 to Keiji Kodama, who was then eased away by Tanaka after the Defending Champion, down 2-1, had rallied, 19 in the 5th, by Rumania’s Harasztosi.
Klein opened with an easy win over a Singapore player. Then he upset in 4 (outscoring him 85-62), Tsunoda, an excellent win, for in the Swaythling Cup final this Japanese had beaten the Czech Vyhnanovsky destined to win the Consolation’s here. That brought Erwin to the Rumanian Champion Reiter, against whom he scored another upset, this time in 5. One reporter said that Klein “played a deliberate, defensive game, coolly parrying Reiter’s service to where he wanted the ball and then smashing it back out of the Rumanian’s reach.” After this fine showing, Erwin went down in the 8th’s in straight games to Akio Nohira, no slouch, for he’d knocked out the seeded Stipek. In fact, several months earlier, Nohiro, a Senshu University freshman, had paired with Tatsuo Tsuno to upset World Champions Ogimura/Tanaka and win Japan’s National Men’s Doubles title.
Miles, now 30, but vigorous enough to run the streets of Tokyo, after a bye, got by England’s Kennedy in 5 (reportedly the Englishman had a blistered hand and was not at his best). Next, Dick had an easy time with Australian Champion Geoff Jennings. Then in the 8th’s he continued his advance with a straight-game win over one of the world’s foremost players, Ivan Andreadis, who must have been shaken by his previous (19 in the 5th) match with Japan’s Shiro Mizohata. “I am the most surprised player in the house,” Dick told a reporter, especially since he’d won with a “frayed” paddle. “Actually,” he added, “I attribute my win to the fact that it is so cold here [overseas, does Dick ever play where it’s warm enough for him?]….That [the cold] makes the balls light and difficult to hit hard, which helps defensive players like myself.” Privately, Dick felt that his win over Andreadis was his “cleverest” win, because, he said, “I played like Leach—didn’t give Ivan the heavy chop he expected but floated the ball back, and he couldn’t adapt.”
Against Ogimura, Dick thought he’d have better than a 50-50 chance because he’d played Ogi’s all-out attack so much that he figured his stiff-chop defense would ultimately prevail. But just as Dick had unexpectedly changed his strategy with Andreadis, so now did Ogimura change his with Miles. Instead of vigorously attacking every ball against Dick as he’d done before, Ogi just top-spinned, top-spinned, top-spinned—and Dick couldn’t adapt. As Barna had said, “Strategy, tactics, lots of patience…Ogimura has all these qualities.”
Ogi reached the final via a grueling –19, 9, -17, 17, 22 tester with his teammate Tomita who, in addition to his 19-in-the-4th quarter’s win over Bergmann, had survived two deuce-in-the-5th matches himself—first, with Swedish Champion Bjorne Mellstrom, then with China’s #1, Chiang Yung-Ning.
Honorary Treasurer of the English TTA, A.K. “Bill” Vint, wrote that during Bergmann’s quarter’s match with Tomita, Richard, on missing “an easy shot after Tomita had lobbed the ball,” did a very strange thing. “In exasperation he leaped on the table, walked over the net, jumped down on the other side and returned to continue play and won the game” (Table Tennis, May, 1956, 10). Perhaps Richard just wanted to show that not only were the Japanese in great shape, but that he was too? At least relatively so. “I myself was fit,” he’d say later (Table Tennis, May, 1956), “following months of training and weighed 20 pounds less than I did last year. Even so, it was tiredness more than anything else which cost me the quarter-finals match against Tomita, whom I played shortly after a very strenuous five-setter against Gantner.”
Bergmann acknowledges of course that the Japanese penholders are fine, fast attackers, but it’s their physical conditioning, the way they take care of themselves, more than their actual play that gives them the advantage over the Europeans. In a “Prepare Like Boxers” article he notes the following contrast:
“After a game a Japanese player was toweled and hustled to a room and given the works—ice, rub-down, massage, embrocation and linament, and then rested in quietness. The athlete emerged for his next match smelling, looking and no doubt feeling like a fresh daisy. And he played like a fresh man.
The comparatively half-fit Westerners played their games and stood around the arena, still sweating, signing autographs or talking. They had no trainers to tend to them, nor had they facilities for cleaning up and resting. All I, myself, could get was a head-wash in the public toilet room, with people bustling in and out.
The ping-pong era is past and every team needs the
attention of a trained masseur, as well as properly equipped quarters where in
addition to being freshened up they can take a recuperative sleep or rest” (Table Tennis,
May, 1956, 12).
Richard’s table-top-hop against Tanaka had been rivaled by an earlier piece of his showmanship. Back at the 1955 Rochester U.S. Open, Umpire Rufford Harrison had been a bit taken aback when Richard, refusing to play with any of the balls offered, sent Rufford off to fetch more. Understandably, then, on hearing of Bergmann’s “ridiculous performance” here in Tokyo, Harrison exclaimed, “He should have been disqualified long before he began to cast ridicule upon the game.” What did Richard do that was so ridiculous? Leading 9-7 in the 1st game of his 1st match—against Hong Kong’s Tsui Cheung-Ling (who used a leather/crepe racket)—Bergmann stopped play, as he emphasizes, with Tsui’s consent, and, according to Time magazine, proclaimed that the ball was “too soft and not really round.” So? So he took, well, forever, to choose another. Reportedly he tested “120 balls”—a process which many spectators found quite amusing. Finally Montagu and local officials said, Choose, or be defaulted. Some insiders, including Montagu, thought Bergmann’s not so-hidden agenda was to try to discredit the perfectly good make of ball in use in order that players might buy his own. Still, Leah Neuberger, in a postcard to George and Leo Schein, did say that the Villa 3-Star balls were “very wobbly,” and Montagu did say that as far as Richard’s play was concerned he never did the “slightest unsporting act or gesture.”
Entertaining as Richard was, how could you not follow his play? After he won his 2nd match—against Vietnam’s Mai Van Hoa—5-4, 21-4, 16-3, an American watching him might well have said, “Isn’t he the limit?”
On the other side of the Draw, India’s Krishna Nagaraj took, as it were, his cue from Vishnu, the Preserver, and maintained his emerging status into the quarter’s (he beat Leach after Johnny, down 2-0, had resurrected himself, deuce in the 5th over another of the ubiquitous Japanese, Susumu Michigami (whom our McNear would take a game from in the Consolation’s). But then Nagaraj was ousted dramatically, 22-20 in the 5th, by Klein-conqueror Nohira, who then fell to Tanaka. Play in the final between the ’54 Champion and the ’55 Champion went back and forth, like their titles would through 1957; this year it was Ogi’s turn to win.
All the U.S. women, except Leah, were beaten in their opening match (and all by the second round of their Consolation matches as well)—this includes Marianne Bessinger who lost, 3-0, to India’s Rachel John. Lona got killed (14, 4, 7) by Korea’s 18-year-old Wie Sang-Suk who went on to knock out Japan’s #2 Tanaka, 24-22 in the 5th before losing in the quarter’s to Angel…No! Impossible! Rozeanu, who’d won the World’s Singles these last six years had been upset in her very first match—19, 20, 30 fighting undespairingly to the inconceivable end—by 32-year-old Japanese housewife and mother Kiyoko Tasaka. After which of course the place was bedlam. Tasaka was then disposed of by Tomi Okawa who eventually moved into the final following a 5-game battle with Eguchi, winner earlier over England’s young hope, Haydon.
In the other half of the Draw, Leah did not lose to Japan’s Student Champion Taeko Namba as the official final results indicated; rather, she beat Namba, 12, 9, 21, then lost to Diane Rowe in 4. Later, in the Consolation’s, Leah was leading Japan’s Yoshiko Shidara 12-8 in the 3rd, but couldn’t stay up. In later describing her game to New York Times reporter Harry V. Forgeron, Leah said, “I’m known as a heavy chopper. I put a lot of backspin on the ball. I also play many corner-to-corner shots that spin sideways. If you can keep your opponent trying to cope with spins, sooner or later he’ll send one back high enough for you to put it away with a forehand drive.” However, said Leah, no doubt thinking not so much of this recent match with Shidari but of her traumatic 1947 match with Hungary’s World Champion Gizi Farkas in which she was leading 16-9 in the 5th, “My biggest trouble is that I don’t have a killer instinct. When I gain a big lead I have a tendency to let up” (May 28, 1956).
Pauline was beaten (5, 6, 15) by Fujiko Sato, current Japanese Women’s Doubles Champion with Chiyoko Yamamoto. Reaching the final was still another Japanese, Watanabe, who’d been half a dozen points down in the 5th before 21-19 outlasting Hong Kong’s Baguio Wong; then had been down 2-0 and at 24-all in the 3rd with Rumania’s had to be very disappointed Ella Zeller, winner earlier over Rowe. Zeller, watching the all-Japanese final, sportingly leaned over a court barrier to hand her ankle supporter to Okawa when, during play she twice slumped to the floor from having aggravated an earlier injury, and Okawa’s opponent, Watanabe, sportingly affixed it. Unseeded Okawa, the shakehands player, prevailed in 5 over National Champion Watanabe, the sponge player.
On the one side of the Men’s Doubles Draw, Defending Champions Andreadis/Stipek reached the semi’s by defeating, first, the Japanese Champions Tsuno/Nohira, who’d 18-in-the-5th escaped the English/German alliance of Brian Kennedy/ Conny Freundorfer, then the Hong Kong pair, Chung Chin-Sing/Tsui Cheung-Lin, deuce in the 4th. Coming out to join them were not Bergmann/Leach who’d been –19, 23, 11, 18 challenged by Japan’s Koichi Hirose/Shiro Mizohata, but Tanaka/Tsunoda who’d –19, -21, 11, 15, 11 proven to be too fast, too youthful, for the revered but aging British veterans.
On the other side, Ogimura/Tomita, drawing not one but two byes, moved smoothly to the semi’s. Joining them were the Czechs Tereba/Vihnanovsky who’d held on to win in 5 from Hideo Kobayashi/Susumu Michigami, then had an easier time with Sweden’s Tage Flisberg/Bjorne Mellstrom, 19 in the 4th winners over China’s Wang/Tsen.
The Americans—how were they doing? Not so good. Bukiet/Klein bumped Australians Phil Anderson/Vic Matison easy enough, but then lost to Hong Kong’s Chung/Tsui deuce in the 4th. Hirschkowitz/Gusikoff were beaten right away in 4 by Kobayashi/Michigami. And our independent, McNear, paired with Jose Bajarios of the Philippines, got his pompadour (oh, alright, he didn’t have it yet) scalped by the Indians U.M. Chandarana/Vyas.
The favored teams of Andreadis/Stipek and Ogimura/Tanaka met in an East/West final that was no contest—the Singles Champions were now also the Doubles Champions.
Given the U.S. Women’s Singles results, we can’t expect much from them in Doubles. A given was Bessinger and pick-up Vietnamese partner Trankim Ngon’s quick departure. But Neuberger/Flam, after weakening to drop the 4th at deuce, recovered to eliminate Women’s Consolation Champion Kazuko Yamaizumi and her partner Masako Shirae. And—a huge surprise—India’s Prisca Nunes partnered Robinson, and I don’t know how they did it, but, down 2-0, they rallied to oust the Japanese National Champions Yamamoto/Sato deuce in the 5th. Perhaps more shocked than inspired, could they go on to defeat the reigning World Champions Rozeanu/Zeller? Of course not. And nobody else could either—though the team that finished Leah and Lona, Watanabe/Eguchi, up 2-1 and at 19-20 in the 4th sure posed a final threat.
The U.S. twosome of Gunn/Bessinger played in the Mixed just for fun. But what about the other Americans? Gusikoff hadn’t won a match the whole tournament and wasn’t about to. Was it fun for Bobby and Pauline to be beaten off the bat by the made-up team of Australia’s Jennings and Japan’s Chieko Ikuno? Hirschkowitz, partnered by the attractive Canadian Denise LeBrun, didn’t win his opener either. Bernie and Lona—when was the last time either of them got beat 6, 3, 6? So that left the 17-year-old Klein, and not his mother but the “plump matron,” Neuberger. Perhaps they’d go all the way to the final to join Andreadis/Haydon who’d arrived there without the loss of a game? Perhaps it wouldn’t be just Leah’s sister Tybie who’d hold the World’s Doubles crown?
Ready to momentarily stun History, numb it for decades?
First up for Erwin and Leah, a Hong Kong pair—the former Asian Champion Sih Su Cho and the former World Women’s Consolation runner-up Baguio Wong. We’d lose three straight? Nope—won that 2nd game 23-21 and the others too. Next round it’s the 1954 World runner-up Flisberg paired with (for no Swedish women attended this World’s) Japan’s Hideko Nakayama. We lost a tough 22-20 3rd game—but won the others. Needing to get better, the Americans did—won 19, 18, 17 over Yamada./Namba.
Ohhh, here come the quarter’s and World Singles Champions Tanaka/Okawa, who’d just beaten the Romanians Gantner/Rozeanu. So how’d we match up?…Want to try to explain that last game 21-4 score? It was embarrassing. But not for the U.S.
Astonishingly Erwin and Leah had advanced to the semi’s to meet…not the anticipated Leach/Diane Rowe pair, for the English had just lost, 23-21 in the 5th, to Motoo Fujii/Tanaka. With the match against the Americans tied 1-1, the Japanese came up short in the deuce 3rd game, and, lo, on winning the 4th, this unheralded pair, #564, Klein/Neuberger, had climbed up the fairy-tale Draw to Finals Night recognition.
After this semi’s match, Leah said, “Klein was fabulous.” She herself professed to be “so scared of Fujii” that she “did nothing but receive” while Erwin “hit everything.” But I’m reminded of Dick Miles’s comment about Leah—that “she never knew how good she was…really didn’t have a tremendous ego.” The Japanese sportswriters seemed to confirm that—for they said it was Leah’s “clever maneuvers” that “forced the Japanese to return the ball to Klein.” They said the “conservative and defensive style” of the Americans “lured the aggressive Japanese into their [the American’s] own game.”
What had been Captain Gunn’s opinion back in the States in Selection Committee privacy? That Leah (five years ago ranked # 3rd in the world) was “completely outclassed” overseas, “cannot even come close to winning.” But as the final progressed, Andreadis/Haydon, the heavy favorites, were having more than a little trouble—had been forced into the 5th. But, up 14-10, they’d prevail? Prevail! Collapse is the word—for Erwin and Leah, “appearing as relaxed as a pair playing a practice match” said one reporter, won 11 straight points to take the title. Whereupon “the plump married woman of 34 [sic] kissed her blushing teen-age partner four times for photographers.”
What could Captain Gunn say now—other than to gracefully eat crow:
“Miss [?] Neuberger deserves an accolade for her stalwart play throughout the final match. Her defense was rock-ribbed, and she seldom made a weak or poorly placed return. She made her opponents earn every point, and time after time, when they needed a point badly, she stepped in and cracked a well-angled forehand through both Haydon and Andreadis. As for Erwin, his play was, as Leah said…just ‘fabulous.’ Time after time, he made impossible returns of smashes, from both Miss Haydon and Mr. Andreadis. His attack was well-planned, and his murderous forehand smashes were unreturnable. Their opponents, favored to win before the match started, should be pleased to have carried such a great team to five games.”
The World’s had ended on Apr. 11. On the 12th, the U.S. Team, Gunn tells, “was billeted at an Army hotel, the Osaka, in Tokyo, for two days. Here we were briefed on the forthcoming trip to Korea, received G.I. clothing for wear on the trip, filled out necessary Army forms, etc.” Then, on Apr.14, the Team, ready to fulfill its Special Services obligations, “left Tachikawa Air Base, 30 miles outside Tokyo,” and arrived at “Kimpo Air Base, near Seoul” after a four-hour trip. As the players soon found out, “conditions were not always of the best.” In fact, said Gunn, “we ran into some real bad tables and lighting” during our 20 exhibitions. Still, he said, “the Army was well pleased with our efforts.” And vice-versa:
“Everywhere we went we were cordially welcomed, treated like VIP’s, and entertained royally. It was a rare night that we were not invited to dinner with the officers, later to a dance, or to a plain get-together in an officer’s club. The boys in Korea are suffering from boredom, and the sight of any strange face is interesting, especially if it’s female—many of them do not see a white woman for months at a time.”
After completing the Tour at Pusan, the Team returned to Tokyo and Pauline, Lona, Bobby, and Erwin headed for home. Leah, Harry, Bernie, and Bill, however, at the invitation of the Hokkaido TTA, in the company of Ogimura, Tanaka, Shiziko Suda (Japan’s #11 woman player), and Coach Yaoita, flew to Sapporo, the island capital, where they were welcomed, “amid much applause and flag-waving,” by Hokkaido TTA President Shinoda. Then off by train to mountainous, snow-clad Furano, where, as Bill tells us, not only local officials but it seemed the whole town of 30,000 people came out to greet us:
“…Eight little Japanese girls, dressed in beautiful kimonos, presented us with flowers. Each of us stepped into a Japanese army jeep, and flanked by two of the flower girls, paraded down the main street, preceded by an eight-piece band, [with] four men carrying an American flag, and four carrying a Japanese flag, followed by limousines carrying the Japanese players and officials. Through cheering crowds waving flags of both nations, we paraded to the local bank, the largest building in town, where a reception, and refreshments, had been prepared for us. Amid much speechmaking by the local officials (to which I had to reply) we were entertained by Japanese dancers, Samisen players and singers. Then, to the best local hotel (Japanese style) for rest, cleanup and dinner, after which, back to the bank for a big dance and party in our honor. Twenty lovely Japanese girls, beautifully dressed in native costume, were there to dance with us. It was a never-to-be-forgotten party—with toasting to the two countries and to their everlasting friendship.”
What with all this—and the exchange of autographs, and picture taking—everyone had a great time. But the evening was not over, said Bill. There was still a Sukiyaki party at a geisha house to go to.
At the local high school the next day, the four U.S. players played locals and World Champions Ogimura and Tanaka. “Accurate scores were not kept, but we had a creditable record. As the matches ended, each of us was presented with [a] souvenir gift—a hand-carved wooden bear, done by the Ainu, a mysterious primitive white race who were the original inhabitants of Hokkaido….”
Back at Sapporo, the U.S. players were welcomed at Nakajima Stadium by Hokkaido Governor Tanaka and played matches before a packed house of 10,000 spectators, among whom was Kingdon Swayne, American Consul at Sapporo, who the next day would host a luncheon for the U.S. players at the Legation. We beat Haikkado 5-0, but lost to All-Japan 5-1. After the matches, there was another dinner in our honor, and then Harry, Bernie, and Bill hurried off “to catch a train to Josenkai Hot Springs, a mountain resort,” where nude bathing in the natural hot springs was very popular.
Thus, in every way, did the Japanese show “fantastic hospitality and friendship,” and, in every way, did our Team members prove themselves adept ambassadors by gratefully accepting such goodwill. For Bill, who’d been Captain of that U.S. Team to Japan 16 years earlier, this must have been Table Tennis History repeating itself. With variations along the way.
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