John Hilton, against incredible odds, the 1980 European champion (Photo: courtesy of Diane Webb) by Ian Marshall, Editor List successes that have stunned; not just in the world of table tennis but in the whole sporting sphere, nothing can matches the efforts of England’s John Hilton on Sunday 13th April 1980. At odds of 1000:1, he won the men’s singles title at the European Championships in Bern. Resident in his native Manchester, at the time the 32 year old was an insurance salesman in his local area; in Bern he was very much the third player in the England team. Under the guidance of Peter Simpson, alongside Desmond Douglas and Paul Day, John Hilton was selected for every match in the men’s team event; the
