Karenza Mathews

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Karenza Mathews - née Smith (born September 1950 in Bristol ) is a former English table tennis player from the 1960s and 1970s. She took part in five world championships and several European championships.

Career

Karenza Smith comes from East London in London. She was trained at a young age by the Scottish table tennis player Bertie Kerr and the former England international Jack Carrington . She achieved her first international success in 1967 at the European Youth Championships when she reached the final in doubles with Maureen Heppell, which was lost to a Russian couple. She had already taken part in the European Championships for adults in 1966 and made it to the quarterfinals in doubles. In 1968 she won bronze at the EM together with Mary Wright (later Mary Shannon).

Already at an early age, namely in March 1968, she married Ken Mathews.

She won a total of 15 titles at the National English Championships , plus a double win at the English Open 1968/70 with Mary Wright-Shannon.

From 1967 to 1975 Karenza Mathews took part in all five world championships . Here she was fifth with the English team in 1967 and 1975 . In 1967 she reached the quarter-finals in doubles and mixed, as well as in doubles in 1969 .

She won five gold medals at the Commonwealth Championships, namely in 1971, 1973 and 1975 in the team competition, in 1971 in doubles with Pauline Piddock and in 1973 in mixed with Denis Neale . In the singles she came in 1971 and 1973 in second place, behind Jill Hammersley . She won further silver medals in 1971 in mixed with Tony Clayton and in 1973 in doubles with Linda Howard .

In 1975 she ended her active career after 231 international assignments. Today (2014) she owns a hotel in Oborne near Dorset , which is run by her daughter (* August 1978).

literature

  • Ron Crayden : A Tribute To Karenza , Table Tennis News, May 1975, p. 28 Online (accessed September 11, 2014)

Results from the ITTF database

Association event year place country singles Double Mixed team
CLOSELY Commonwealth Championship 1975 Melbourne OUT Semifinals 1
CLOSELY Commonwealth Championship 1973 Cardiff WHALE silver silver gold 1
CLOSELY Commonwealth Championship 1971 COMW Sing silver gold silver 1
CLOSELY European Championship 1968 Lyon FRA Semifinals
CLOSELY European Championship 1966 London CLOSELY Quarter finals
CLOSELY European Youth Championship (Juniors) 1967 Vejle THE silver
CLOSELY World Championship 1975 Calcutta IND last 64 last 32 last 64 5
CLOSELY World Championship 1973 Sarajevo YUG last 64 last 32 last 32 10
CLOSELY World Championship 1971 Nagoya JPN last 32 last 32 last 32 8th
CLOSELY World Championship 1969 Munich FRG last 32 Quarter finals last 32 9
CLOSELY World Championship 1967 Stockholm SWE last 32 Quarter finals Quarter finals 5

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry in FreeBMD (accessed October 15, 2018)
  2. ^ "Table Tennis" magazine, November 1962, page 13 Online (accessed September 11, 2014)
  3. ^ "Table Tennis News" magazine, October 1968, page 1 Online (accessed on September 11, 2014)
  4. ↑ "Table Tennis News" magazine, May 1975, page 3 Online (accessed on September 11, 2014)
  5. ↑ The Grange at Oborne (accessed September 12, 2014)
  6. ↑ Karenza Mathews results from the ITTF database on ittf.com (accessed September 11, 2014)
personal data
SURNAME Mathews, Karenza
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smith, Karenza (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English table tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH September 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Bristol