TABLE TENNIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23504, 19 May 1938, Page 5

TABLE TENNIS

By Backhand Chop

The table tennis season in Dunedin is now well under way, and indications are for a very successful season. Eight more teams are in the competition this year, making a total of exactly 50. The A Grade has St. Patrick's and Kensington as new teams, and in the other six A Grade teams there are many new players, most of whom have graduated trom B Grade. Y.M.C.A. is at present first in this grade, with St. Clair and Friends just one point behind. Last year's winner of the Challenge Shield, Dunedin, was defeated on Tuesday night by St. Clair in a fast and spectacular series of games. Tfye outstanding players were R. Algie (St. Clair) and L. Brown (Dunedin). With a total of 16 teams in the B Grade, it is difficult to pick out one individual team that is much above the others. Hillside, Averant, Locomotive, and Dunedin, however, are leading in match points, and have not yet been defeated. Kensington has a win and a draw w its credit, whilst Sargoods, Excelsior, North-East Valley, St. Patrick's, Chisholm's, and Eadie Brothers all have had one win and one loss. The remaining five teams have not yet won a match, but the season has hardly started, and a complete reversal cf positions may be seen before the season is half completed. A thrilling game was witnessed in the C Grade on Tuesday of this week, when Dunedin defeated Zenith by the narrow margin of 18 to 16. The leading teams in this section previous to Dunedfn's defeat of Zenith t were: Chevrolet, Y.M. Residents, Dunedin, and Zenith. The result of the match, Chevrolet v. Y.M. Residents, is therefore eagerly awaited, as this will leave only two teams which have not yet suffered defeat. The women's matches have all shown close finishes and had-fought games. The outstanding players at the moment seem to be Misses K. Coughlan, N. Davis, E. Knight, E. Lock, M. Fogarty D. Fogarty, and Mrs O'Driscoll. These players are representative of five teams, and it can therefore be realised that the competition will see several teams fighting for the top places. The undefeated teams in the women's competition at present are Dunedin I, D.S.A., St. Patrick's I. and Paramount. FASTER THAN TENNIS ' The fastest game on earth " is not mere prattle. Glancz, a ranking tennis player in Hungary,' has worked out that table tennis is four times as fast as tennis. The current tour in the United States of two Hungarian' table tennis players has been an eyeopener to the public. Announcement of the tour was greeted with scepticism by sports writers and sports lovers alike, but the American debut of these players was a surprise for the sceptics. More " fans" came to see Barna and Bellak than had witnessed the Tilden-Vines indoor tennis match. Both matches were played in the same athletic auditorium.

By Amateur