TABLE TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 218, 13 June 1939, Page 14

TABLE TENNIS

212 Teams Entered In Wellington BERGMANN’S VIEWS ON DEFENCE (By Half-Volley.) After allowing for late entries the Wellington Table Tennis Association now has 76 clubs anil 2.12 teams taking part in interclub competitions for the current year. The association has been operating for seven years ami ‘luring that period has had only three protests lodged. H.'iyviee Standing Down. D. Hayvice. a former secretary of the association, a life member and an A grade player, winner, of many doubles championships with that astute exponent 11. Kennedy, is standing down this year to perfect his technique in the tennis style —an admirable intention. Promising Woman Player. Miss St. Leger (Vogelmorn), D grade, is playing a fine game, with a variety of soundly-produced strokes —tennis style—made from a well-balanced poise. Paired with Miss 'Walmsley, a team-mate, they are more than a handful for many teams in their section. Paptitu A found this out in their match. Selector Busy. The senior selector is a busy man these days getting acquainted with the possibilities of the many women players on the borderline of representative form. A Hint on Defence. The holder of the world singles title, Bergmann, made an interesting observation' in "Table Tennis.” the official organ of the English Table Tennis Association, on defence. He said : “Nearly- all the players I have seen in this country (England) use a side dc- ■ fence on the backhand. This I consider definitely wrong. Good backhand is played from in front of the body. This enables you to keep a good 'balance and recover easily. “But this is not all. By playing the defence in front of the body two paces will put you in perfect position for a forehand drive, and the surprise, of it will probably gain the point. Try doing this with a side defence, and you will find that you will require nt least four paces to play a forehand drive, and the shot cannot be made properly because of the lack of time.” Air. J. Kurzman, of the London league committee, had this to add : “Wo all admired the speed with which Bergmann changes backhand defente into forehand attack—this was, in fact, one of the high spots of the last world championships—and his views certainly- merit close study.” Beliak while in New Zealand last year employed the same method in defence. There must be something in it. West of England Championships. The West of England championships were played in Paignton and Torquay and proved a great , success. .Bergmann, who a week earlier won the world singles title, won the men's singles with comparative ease. In doing so he showed form far superior to that of any of his colleagues. He btat Barna in the semifinal without losing a set, and repeated the same form at the expense of Vnua. His play was brilliant both in attack and de- , fence, and at no time did he look like los- , ing. j The men’s doubles tinal was the best match of the championship. Barna, pair- , ed with Beliak, who arrived back from ' America two days before, beat Bergmann ' and Yana after five hectic sets which ' brought the crowd to their feet on many occasions. ' The preliminary rounds were played in • the public hall, Paignton, and the com- j petitors were transferred to the covered , courts in the .Palace Hotel, Torquay, , where conditions were perfect for the finals. The hotel was packed; every seat ' was sold several days beforehand, and j more than 1000 were present to watch the greatest table tennis exhibition ever stagcd in the .South Devon area. The mayors j and mayoresses of Torquay, Paignton. £ Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Totnes and ■ Dartmouth were present, and the mayor- £ ess of Torquay presented the trophies at . the conclusion of the programme. The 8.8. C. arranged a running com- -j mentary on the men’s singles final.