Born in Carshalton, Surrey, Jill Hammersley was introduced to table tennis at the tender age of ten years by her elder brother Paul. He had been playing for some time when he was persuaded one Saturday afternoon by their parents to take his sister along for a knockabout in the unlikely surroundings of the Slough British Legion Club. Practices were held there every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday nights. Clearly hooked by her first visit, she was never to miss another session. To the surprise of some of the older members she showed the sort of resilience not normally found in one so young, with a sound temperament and dogged refusal to part with points without a fight. It was only a matter of time before she was to win her first title, the under-eleven event of the Crescent Girls Open at nearby Sittingboume. It was to be the first in a long line of successes in a career that has spanned over fifteen years and that culminated in her toppling the legendary Maria A1exandru of Romania to take the coveted European Ladies Singles title at Prague in 1976. At fifteen she made her national debut for the junior England team against Holland. A full England cap was to follow shortly after, and heralded an international success story which has so far included after four hundred appearances for her country, more than anyone else in the history of the game. At sixteen, with a bright career in the game beckoning, she forsook any thoughts of academic success and left school. Her first job took the form of a contract with a firm of sports goods manufacturers. Between training camps, tournaments and international commitments, what little time was left was spent in the office at Putney, sticking transfers onto tennis rackets…

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