For the next couple of weeks, photos which have been scanned by Graham Trimming from Tony Pacitto’s photo collection, are being showcased. Many thanks go to Graham for sharing these photos of some of best players in the late 1960s and 1970s, a number of whom went on to became well known and achieved considerable status at international level.

Tony Pacitto was one of the best coaches of his era and Graham gives some details of his involvement and some of the players he coached, an impressive list.

Joseph Antonio (“Tony”) Pacitto was born in Windsor, Berkshire in 1930 and was a league player and coach in the area for many years before moving, later in life, to the Midlands where he died in Alfreton, Derbyshire in 2009.

Tony is best known for his coaching at what became known as the Slough Junior Table Tennis Club. However, previous incarnations of this were at Slough British Legion and Langley Sports Club before finally finding a home at Langley Grammar School. Through these bodies he organised the Slough Junior Open which was very successful in attracting the best players in the country and ran for five years from 1965-66 to 1969-70.

Tony also coached extensively at Southall Grammar Technical School and at Brent. Products of his coaching include Jill Shirley (Hammersley/Parker), Lisa Bellinger (Lomas), Joanna Parker (Drinkhall), John Souter, Mandy Reeves and his own daughters, Lesley and Susan Pacitto.

If you have any photos you would like to share from your collection please get in touch. I can be contacted on [email protected] or 01424 216342.