TABLE TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 130, 4 June 1938, Page 7

TABLE TENNIS

POINTS TO NOTE

Messrs. A. S. Meachen and O. Heketa were appointed senior and junior selectors respectively at a recent meeting of the management committee of the Wellington Table Tennis Association and it is their intention to make a tour of clubs in the near future. Arrangements are being made to conduct a series of practices for representative matches along similar lines to those held last season. In view of the visit of the Hungarian experts, Barna and Bellak,. in July, the local players are sure to welcome every opportunity afforded them for practice. It is reported that a few players are still making use of finger-spin service in inter-club matches, but the law covering the point is quite clear. It states: "(a) The ball must be held in such a manner that at least one-half of the ball is visible to the opponent while projecting it into the air. "(b) The ball must be released from the hand without impartation of pressure, spin, twist, or indentation. "(c) The umpire may require the server to toss the ball into the air so he may clearly see the service is plain-1 ly legal." THE SERVICE. Many lower grade players do not appear to be very conversant with the rules of the game and think that if, in serving, the ball touches the net ' three times in succession it is a fault. Such is definitely not the case for in service a "net" should be called every time the ball'in passing over the net touches it or its supports provided that the service be otherwise good. While on the subject of service it is relevant to draw attention to the fact that at the moment of-impact of the racket on the ball both must be behind the end line of the server's court (i.e., the end of the table) and between an imaginary continuation of the sidelines. While most players carefully observe the first part of this rule a large number, in an effort to get a greater angle on their service, strike the ball while it is outside the width of the table. Even senior players Jiave been noticed infringing the rule in this manner and in such cases it would be very helpful to the umpire if linesmen were stationed behind the ends of the table. Coaches, and club officials, therefore, would be well advised to make sure that all their players use a strictly legal service.

Another point which 's not clearly understood is that dealing with the alteration of the order of service or striking-out in a doubles match.

The law states: "In a one-game match, or in the deciding game of a match of more than one game, the pair that served the first five services have the right to alter their order of strik-ing-out or that of their opponents at the score 10 in a 21 game, or 15 in a 31 game." While this measure is applied mainly to mixed doubles, it may be used in any double provided that it is either a one-game match' (e.g., one 31 up) or the deciding game in a match of more than one game (e.g., best of three games of 21 up). It should be noted too that it is the order of striking-out or receiving that is altered and not the order of the pair actually serving at the h«lf-way point.