Scotland courageously hosted the Championships despite the World's being in Pyongyang D.P.R. Korea, half the world away, and attracted 13 men's and 10 women's teams.
England again entered sub-standard teams and paid the penalty with Hong Kong retaining the Team and individual Single's Golds. England won the Silver in both Team events, with Australia 3rd in the Men's list, and India's ladies 3rd on the Women's list.
England appeared in all the individual finals, winning the Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Linda Howard having won Gold in the same events in 1975. Australia's Steve Knapp and Robbie Javor won the 'Aussies' first and only Gold in the Men's Doubles.
Results at a Glance:
Men's Team Champion - Hong Kong
Women's Team Champion - Hong Kong
Men's Singles Champion - Vong Iu Veng (Hong Kong)
Women's Singles Champion - Hui So-Hung (Hong Kong)
Men's Doubles Champion - Robert Javor / Stephen Knapp (Australia)
Women's Doubles Champion - Carole Knight / Linda Howard (England)
Mixed Doubles Champion - Jimmy Walker / Linda Howard (England)
Hong Kong - 4 titles
England - 2 titles
Australia - 1 title
Vong Iu Veng (Hong Kong) - 2 titles (Men's Team, Men's Singles)
Hui So-Hung (Hong Kong) - 2 titles (Women's Team, Women's Singles)
Linda Howard (England) - 2 titles (Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles)
These were the first Championships not played prior to a World Championships.The 1981 Championships to be held in North Ireland were canceled following the assassination of Earl Mountbatten, which caused the withdrawal of sponsorship.
India, however picked up the option in 1981 in Novi Sad, when the Commonwealth Table Tennis Association was formed, to establish the Commonwealth Championships on a proper constitutional basis. The new constitution was formally adopted at the Bambay AGM.
Controversy on the first day, when Hong Kong ladies, the 'holders', withdrew after the bat of their No. 1 was banned for unidentified rubber, the ITTF "approved rubber" coming into force on January 1, 1982.
England, after some hard matches, won both Team titles. Hero of their Men's team was Nigel Eckersley, a last minute replacement for John Hilton, he lost only one match to Hong Kong's Chiu Man Kuen, both players were combination 'twiddlers'.
Atanda Musa, Nigeria, won the Men's title with a good win over Zoran Kosanovic (ex-Yugoslavia) of Canada and England's Carole Knight won the Women's title from compatriot Alison Gordon. Carole had beaten Indu Puri, India, in the semi-finals.
Nigeria's Atanda Musa and Sunday Eboh won Africa's first Gold in the Men's Doubles, whilst England won the other two Doubles titles, the Women's Doubles from India's Indu Puri and Vyoma Shah; Canada's Mariann Domonkos and Gloria Hsu took 3rd.
Results at a Glance:
Men's Team Champion - England
Women's Team Champion - England
Men's Singles Champion - Atanda Musa (Nigeria)
Women's Singles Champion - Carole Knight (England)
Men's Doubles Champion - Atanda Musa / Sunday Eboh (Nigeria)
Women's Doubles Champion - Carole Knight / Joy Grundy (England)
Mixed Doubles Champion - Nigel Eckersley / Joy Grundy (England)
England - 5 titles
Nigeria - 2 titles
Carole Knight (England) - 3 titles (Women's Team, Women's Singles, Women's Doubles)
Joy Grundy (England) - 3 titles (Women's Team, Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles)
Atanda Musa (Nigeria) - 2 titles (Men's Singles, Men's Doubles)
Nigel Eckersley (England) - 2 titles (Men's Team, Mixed Doubles)