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Perak Chinese Recreation Club
The Perak Chinese Recreation Club (PCRC) in Lorong Chung Thye Phin dates from May 1913 although we are advised by our supporter, Ipoh Remembered, thatthis is not the original site (See below). On the other side of the club grounds is Jalan Lim Seng Chew, named after the man who was one of the Club’s early Secretaries and was a leading light in the Lok Lum Club.
The idea was put forward by Dr K T Khong, having previously been a leading member and one of the best cricketers of the Penang Recreation Club. Dr Khong had arrived in Ipoh in 1912 and set up his medical clinic, the Kinta Dispensary, in Tatlock Street. It appears his idea was well received by the senior Chinese and in December 1912 an inaugural meeting was held, with Chung Thye Phin as Chairman to discuss the proposal.
Dr Khong addressed the meeting, drawing on his experiences of the Penang Club and after discussion it was agreed that the new club was formed with Eu Tong Sen as President. Initial Committee members were Dr Khong, Chung Thye Phin and Foo Choo Choon. The meeting was reported by Jack Jennings in the Time of Malaya on 10 December 1912.
“CHINESE RECREATION CLUB”
“The Chinese of Ipoh have decided to form their own recreation club for sporting and social activities, on the lines of the Penang Recreation Club (and in friendly rivalry to the Kinta Recreation Club of the Ipoh Straits-born Chinese). An inaugural meeting was held on the 9th of December chaired by Chung Thye Phin. Dr K T Khong also addresses the meeting, and said that there was a great Deal of sporting spirit all over Ipoh, and the new club could be an entrant to the newly forms “Times of Malaya” football league. Eu Ting Sen was elected as President. The committee consisted of Dr K T Khong, Chung Thye Phin and Foo Choo Choon.”
Jack Jennings, editor of the Times of Malaya, was also a patron of the Perak Chinese Recreation Club and, being keen on sports and sportsmanship, encouraged the club members to hold a soccer tournament - offering the ‘Times of Malaya Cup’ to the league champions.
The Club was formally instituted, in 1913, under the guidance of the Committee, with Eu Tong Sen as Patron, Chung Thye Phin as President and Dr Khong as Honorary Secretary.
In the early days the club was particularly strong on the cricket field with Dr Khong and Chung Ah Ming aka Chung Kok Ming (grandson of Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee aka Chung Ah Kwee) who also played for Perak State – (Note from Ipoh Remembered – “alongside such luminaries as Fred Dennys (once manager of Canning Estate) and Stephen Fox (who, it is said was a better cricketer than a doctor).”)
Dr Khong and Chung Ah Ming also formed a formidable doubles tennis pair with the latter also holding his own as the club’s singles tennis champion. Their prowess was reported in the Times of Malaya on 28 December 1914 as:
“The Perak Chinese Recreation Club sent its first pair, consisting of Dr Khong Kam Tak and Mr Chung Ah Ming, to Singapore to play tennis against Mt Tan Ni Yan and Mr Tan Chong Kei of the Straits Chinese Recreation Club, Singapore on the latter’s ground last Saturday. The best of five sets wins. A large crowd was at the Railway Station to see the pair off, and many accompanied them to Singapore.”
Ten years later the doubles pair became Perak Tennis Doubles Champions in the inaugural competition first held in 1924 and held their position as champions for many years.
Dr Khong went on to play tennis for the Federated Malay States and continued to win prizes even as a veteran. Incidentally, he was also one of the best Asian golfers in Malaya at the time.
Turning to the photographs above, kindly donated S Y Lee – “Teams of the Perak Chinese Recreation Club”, you will notice the old wooden building in the photo of the footballers (fourth picture). This has been replaced with the present building (first picture, the orange building) described as “Quite ugly but functional and built at the minimum price” by S Y Lee.
Regarding the first site for the club, our regular supporter, Ipoh Remembered tells us that:
“The New Town section of Brewster Road was completed in 1907 (the Brewster Road bridge was completed at the same time) and the Club was founded in 1913.
As for exactly where on Brewster Road the first club-house was, the place now appears to be the site of a driving school of some sort, between what was once Jubilee Park and what was once the Odeon.
More precisely, the club-house was at this location: 4.5956509 N, 101.086564 E. Originally it was a simple affair (rectangular in plan view); in the '20s I think it was expanded a little.
So much for the original club-house. As for grounds: Despite having wealthy sponsors the club originally had no grounds of its own. Members perforce used the neighbouring public recreation grounds on Brewster Road between Cowan Street and Osborne Street, as well as a neighbouring open space between Cowan Street and the club-house (part of this open space was eventually sacrificed to make way for Jubilee Park).
Later someone built basket-ball courts on the other side of the club-house, between it and the site that eventually became the Odeon. The courts remained for decades, even after the club had moved away from Brewster Road.
And where did it move? In the early '20s Cecil Parr arranged for the club to have its own recreation grounds on Silibin Road but, well-intentioned though his plan was, it did not work out too well. By the mid-'30s new premises — both club-house and grounds — had been provided at the present location.
To clarify, in my map above, set in 1915, (C) shiws the location of the PCRC club0house. Brewster Road was completed in 1907. Whereas (1) marks the public recreation grounds and (2) marks an undeveloped open space, both used by members of the PCRC in its early days. You can see that the part of (2) that adjoins Cowan Street is where Jubilee Park was built. Both (1) ans (2 were built up by the early to mid 1930's.
Editor's note: The map also shows (H) and (Y) the sites if Harima Hall and The Yau Tet Shin Market.
Ipoh Remembered also added:
“Also, I just now noticed in the footballing photograph that the Rotterdam Trading Company is advertised on the side of its building in the background. For those who may not have heard of it: Rotterdam Trading, in those days often known as “RTC,” was a Dutch company that acted for many European firms as an agent in Malaya and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). They handled shipping and travel, plus they brought in a number of luxury items, including famous brands of liquor and perfume.”
Regarding the names of the sports men and women in the photographs, SY says:
[Referring to the second picture] “For the ladies hockey team, I can only remember Ms. Lim Suan Gaik who is standing at the extreme right. She is still around for I saw her a few days back. I remember the Ooi sisters, there were three of them but I can’t remember who are the ones in the photos.”
As for the third picture; "I can only remember Mr. Ng Yoke Kwan who is on the extreme right in the top row. Mr father, Mr. Lee Kang San, is seated on the extreme left. My father was involved in both hockey( up to State level) and football. He had to give up hockey for football. Squatting at th extreme right is Mr. Too Joon Loke (or is it Fook)."
And for the photo of the footballers (fourth picture) he says, “I know some of the nicknames but not the actual names except for Mr. Yee Seng Choy, who represented Malaya or Malaysia. He was recruited to Hong Kong as a player. He is second from the front row. Second from the extreme right is Mr. Wong Kam Seng, another national player. My father, Mr. Lee Kang San, is standing at the extreme left.”
Another of our readers SK says:
“Mr. Wong Kam Seng was at my office and helped me identify some of the other football players. Standing at the back row, second from left is Chen Kam Fatt. Next to him is Lee Wai Ming. On the extreme right is Lam Fook Kong.
In the second row on the extreme left is Yik Mam Choon, Next to him is Choong Mook Lim and on the extreme right is Wong Wan Choon.
In the front row extreme left is Lim Chock Chean. Next is Yee Seng Choy and next to him is Khoo Kooi Kwang followed by Wong Kam Seng and on the extreme right is Yip Eng Keong.”
Ipoh Remembered also tells us:
"Both Dr Khoing and Chung Ah Ming have roads in Ipoh named after them, (but not because of their tennis prowess)."