Johnny Leach
Johnny Leach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | John Alfred Leach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Dagenham, Essex, England | 20 November 1922|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 5 June 2014 | (aged 91)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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John Alfred Leach
After Leach retired in 1965, he remained active in the sport. He was England's national coach for eight years and served as president of the
Early life
John Alfred Leach was born 20 November 1922 in
As Leach began to get serious about his play,
Playing career
Considered an all-around player, Leach was tall and skinny. He was equally adept on forehand and backhand.[6] He could play long-range defence, attack from either side of the table, and had an excellent drop shot.[5] Viktor Barna called Leach "a great fighter. He never gives up, never loses heart."[6] Bergmann described Leach in 1950: "of excellent match temperament and fighting spirit this most outstanding of the English-born players is a good all-rounder who specialises in a cast-iron defence and a fine attack, relying to a certain extent on his long reach."[7] Barna credited hard work, not natural ability, for Leach's success.[6]
Under Carrington's tutelage, Leach quickly elevated his play and became England's top player.
Leach faced a tough draw in the 1949 World Championships in Stockholm where he beat Ferenc Sidó, Dick Miles, and Ferenc Soos en route to the final. There he faced two-time singles World Champion Váňa, whom he had never beaten.[6] Leach won the first set 21–19, but dropped the second 11–21. He rallied to win the third set 21–17, but Váňa took the fourth set 21–14. Leach emerged victorious, winning the fifth set 21–16.[10] The win made him just the second British-born player to win a singles World Title.[2] He also made the semi-finals of mixed doubles with Margaret Franks that year, winning a bronze medal.[11]
Leach's arrival back in the United Kingdom was filmed by
At the 1950 World Championship, Leach lost a hard-fought five-set match to Michel Haguenauer of France in the round of 16.[5][10] The next year, he regained his singles title by beating Czechoslovakia's Ivan Andreadis in four sets: 16–21, 21–18, 21–18, 21–12.[10] He also made the semi-finals of doubles with Carrington and mixed doubles with Diane Rowe in 1951.[9][11]
The next year,
Leach tried the new paddles the following year, but found he could not adapt.
Leach continued to compete at international level, making the World Championships the next four years, but never advancing past the round of 16. He made three more World Championships: 1959 and 1961 in singles and doubles, and 1963 in doubles only.[1] He retired in 1965, after capturing one last national title the year before, in doubles with David Creamer.[2] Leach is one of only eleven players to win at least two individual World Championship titles.[3] He won 16 World Championship medals in total and he reached the world number one ranking during his career. He was inducted into the International Table Tennis Federation Hall of Fame in 1997.[8]
Later life
Leach remained active in the sport after his playing days. From 1964 until 1972, he served as the English coach, overseeing multiple European Champions.
Leach also established a talent-spotting organization operating out of
Leach was named a
Personal life
Leach married his wife Daisy in 1946. The couple had two children: John (d. 2013) and Jeff. Daisy died in 2009. Leach died on 5 June 2014. Upon his death, The Guardian remarked "For many years Johnny Leach, who has died aged 91, was synonymous with English table tennis…his impact on the sport was immense."[2] At the time of his death, Leach was the oldest living World Champion.[3] He was survived by his son Jeff and four grandchildren.[2]
On and off the court, Leach was known for his humility and gentle nature. Despite being one of the most famous players in the world, he would let others have the spotlight whenever possible. For example, as an official at the Swedish Open in 1988 he was entitled to get his lunch first, but instead went to the back of the line. Another time, he purposely missed the team bus to console a player who lost a World Championship match. Upon his death, Matthew Syed remarked: "Leach taught us that courtesy and dignity are perfectly compatible with competitiveness and sparkling success. He was England's greatest player, an example both on and off the table."[14]
See also
- List of table tennis players
- List of World Table Tennis Championships medalists
- List of England players at the World Team Table Tennis Championships
Publications
- Table Tennis for All (Nicholas Kaye, 1951)
- Table Tennis My Way (Nicolas Vane, 1955)
- Table Tennis Complete (1960)
- Table Tennis for the 'Seventies (A. S. Barnes, 1971)
- Table Tennis Made Easy (Wilshire Book Company, 1972)
- Better Table Tennis (Kaye and Ward, 1978; ISBN 0-718-21458-7)
References
- ^ a b "Leach Johnny (ENG)". International Table Tennis Federation.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Peter Nichols (8 June 2014). "Johnny Leach obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ English Table Tennis Association. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Alan Ransome (8 June 2014). "Former World Champion Leach passes away". English Table Tennis Association. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d "World Champion Visits New Zealand". Table Tennis New Zealand. 1951. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d Victor Barma (December 1949). "Johnny Leach". World Sports. republished in "Victor Barna on Johnny Leach" (PDF). Table Tennis Collector. 45. ITTF: 13. Summer 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ Bergmann, Richard (1950). Twenty-one Up. quoted by "Victor Barna on Johnny Leach" (PDF). Table Tennis Collector. 45. ITTF: 13. Summer 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "ITTF – Johnny Leach Obituary". Table Tennis England. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d "World Championships Results: Men's Doubles" (PDF). ITTF. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "World Championships Results: Men's Singles" (PDF). ITTF. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ a b c "World Championships Results: Mixed Doubles" (PDF). ITTF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Ian Marshall (7 September 2006). "Time Shift: Planet Ping Pong, A Film About Table Tennis". International Table Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
- ^ "Johnny Leach: a true champion of table tennis on and off the table". The Times. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.