History
The North East Hills Table Tennis Association (NEHTTA) was formed at a meeting in the Football Clubrooms at the Memorial Drive Oval, Tea Tree Gully on Tuesday the 2nd April, 1957. The 17 people present at the meeting were mainly members of tennis clubs from the local area.Prior to 1957 there had been no organised table tennis competition in the area but some of the local towns played matches between themselves and also competed against social club teams from the Adelaide Area.
The first Association President was Brain Gaskin from Hope Valley and the Foundation Secretary was Dick Philps of Tea Tree Gully. Dick was also the Treasurer and Results Steward.
Roy Pritchard from Cudlee Creek was the Inaugural Association Parton and he presented a shield for competition in the A Grade.
Teams in the first year of competition were Modbury, Chain of Ponds, Hope Valley, Hermitage, Tea Tree Gully, Golden Grove, Cudlee Creek United, and Cudlee Creek District.
In the three (3) years following Clubs from One Tree Hull (1958), Paracombe (1958, Houghton (1959), Athelstone (1960) and Stockade (1960) joined the Association. After 1960 Clubs continued to join the North East Hills and as time went by Clubs also resigned from the Association for various reasons such as numbers decreasing etc.There was only one grade of competition in North East Hills first year of operation. Teams consisted on 8 men and 6 women with players competing in one single and once double each during the night. Matches in 1957 commenced on Wednesday 1st May with the Grand Final being played on Wednesday the 9th October. Approximately 150 players competed in the first year of competition.
Match results were phoned through to the Advertiser each week by the Results Steward and were shown in Monday’s paper.
Competition in the Association created tremendous enthusiasm between competing teams and there was a great social atmosphere as well with supper being held at the completion of all matches.
Hermitage were the premiers in 1957 defeating Modbury in the Grand Final.
Following the Grand Final a Ball was held at which the Parton presented the Hermitage Captain (Allan Verrall) with the Roy B Pritchard Shield and the Association A Grade Pennant. The Ball became a regular event on the Association’s program for many years.In 1957 North East Hills hosted an International Match with the South Australian Women’s Team playing the visiting New Zealand Women’s Team at Modbury. North East Hills competed in the Country Carnival in Adelaide it is first year and several teams represented the Association. North East Hills also nominated teams in the Carnival in the years that followed and performed with great distinction in both teams and individual events.
The first Inter Association match was held against the Adelaide Plains Association at Gawler in 1959 and Inter Association matches became a regular part of the calendar in future years.
Following the Associations great success in its first year two grades were able to be formed in 1958 when a further two Clubs joined North East Hills.
1959 say the first Association Tournament played and the Inaugural Championship Singles Winners were Ron Phillips and Evonne Pritchard both from the Cudlee Creek Club. Approximately 100 players competed in the 7 events conducted at the Tournament.
The effect that the formation of the North East Hills Table Tennis Association in 1957 would have on the local communities could not have been foreseen. It would have been difficult to realise the positive impact that it would have on life in the North East Hills Area.
The North East Hills Table Tennis Association became and Incorporated in 1973.
