Rules And Equipment

Table Tennis, also known as Pingpong, fast-paced racket-and-ball game played on a table by two or four persons, usually indoors. Named for its resemblance to the outdoor game of tennis, the game is similarly popular both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport, especially in Asia.

Table tennis is played on a table measuring 9 ft by 5 ft (2.74 m by 1.52 m), with its upper surface 30 in (76 cm) above the floor. The resiliency of the surface is such that a standard table tennis ball, when dropped from a height of 1 ft (30.5 cm), will rebound to a height anywhere from 8.75 to 9.75 in (22.2 to 24.8 cm). Like tennis, table tennis involves hitting the ball back and forth over the net until one of the players misses the ball, or hits it into the net or off the table; in each of these cases the opponent scores a point. To make a legal serve a player holds the ball on the flat, outstretched palm of the hand anywhere behind the end of the table, then throws it up and strikes it as it falls. The server must move his or her free arm to the side as soon as the ball leaves the hand to ensure that the free arm does not block the opponent’s view of the serve. The ball must hit the table on the server’s side of the net first, then hit the table on the receiving side before being returned. When a serve touches the net but is otherwise a good serve, it is called a “let” and played over.

One player serves until 2 points have been scored, after which the opponent serves for the next 2 points. The player who reaches 11 points (formerly 21 points) first wins the game. If the score is tied at 10-all (known as deuce), the service changes after each point until one player gains a 2-point advantage to win the game. Players change ends after every game (and also when one player reaches 5 in the deciding game of the match). So-called net and edge balls—that is, shots that touch either the net or table edge—are valid shots. When a ball hits the side of the table instead of the edge, the player who made the shot loses the point. Matches may consist of any number of odd games. Best-of-five or best-of-seven game matches are common in tournament play.

Doubles play in table tennis differs from singles play in several ways. In these games, the service must be from the right-hand court into the opponent’s right-hand court, marked by the stripe running the length of the table. After a successful service and return, each player alternates hitting the ball until the point ends. Each player receives service for 2 points, then, as the opponents shift positions, serves for 2 points. Most authorities agree that table tennis is of English origin and that it was first played with improvised equipment on dining-room tables in the late 1800s. Around 1900, when celluloid balls began to replace rubber and cork balls, the game became very popular in England and the United States. A meeting held in 1926 in Berlin, Germany, resulted in the formation of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), still the international governing body for the sport. The USA Table Tennis Association (USATT—formerly known as the United States Table Tennis Association), founded in 1933, governs tournament competition in the United States. The annual national championships consist of matches in about 60 different classifications, such as men’s and women’s singles and doubles, junior and senior events (with players ranging from under the age of 10 to over 80), and wheelchair competition. The ITTF, composed of about 190 member nations, sponsors annual world championships that alternate individual and team play every other year. The ITTF also sponsors a professional tour with prize money. Chinese players have dominated tournament play since the 1960s, especially in women’s competition. Since table tennis was made an Olympic sport in 1988, however, South Korean and European players—most notably from Sweden—have emerged as strong contenders.

Tag : table tennis|pingpong

Hendrefoilan School Sports Day

This cine was taken at the Hendrefoilan School Sports Day, sometime between June 1978 and June 1980… ish.

I’m guessing it’s between these dates because (a) I look quite young (b) I think I can see Kath Williams before she went to Australia [confirmed, thanks Kath!] and (c) there was a distinct turnover in teachers around the time I went into J1 (September 1980 If my memory serves me well) and I can see several of the old-guard who I remember being teachers but who never taught me.

Organisation
The school was (originally) divided into four groups (Red, Yellow, Blue and Green) each with around fifty members of various equally distributed ages. When I was very little, I seem to recall Blue being dominant, but those of us in Green never gave up and I think I recall that either we won “the cup” (or the smart money was on us winning the cup) when, due to dwindling school attendance green house was disbanded and it’s members were redistributed, so I joined Blue house.

The Cast (Help please!)
If you spot people who are not on the list please leave a comment below containing their name, the time when they are visible (there’s a little clock in the video player), and what they are doing/wearing that will help others distinguish them.

Teachers
Mr. Lewis (officiating the turn-around point at 1:01)
Mr. Smith (at the start line, facing away from the camera at 1:10)
Mrs.Davies (at the start line, facing the camera in the background at 1:10)

Children
Richard Boakes (in many shots due to grandparent camera holding)
Paul Brooks
Christopher Cone (right hand line, infront of Nathalie at 1:21)
Darren Chetty (looking surprisingly tall in red shorts)
Anthony Evans
Alex Ferguson
Tom O’Kane
Jarrod Rees (with handy name-bearing T-Shirt and winning the eggand spoon race at 2:00)
Steven Sole (right hand line, behind of Nathalie at 1:21) - unsure of name spelling.
Mark Withy (very brief appearance bottom left at 1:46 - maybe?)
Nathalie Carter (blue stripey top)
Lisa Barrett (tall, tanned, dark pigtails)
Kathryn Gray
Fiona Thompson (bright blonde hair in bunches with red tracksuit top at 1:23 - maybe?)
Kathryn Williams (Bouncing irrepressably)

Parents / Grandparents / Guardians
Lesley Gowen (my mum)
Sarah O’Kane
Maureen Horsman
Elaine Williams (KathW to confirm)
Edna Breeze
Dai Vaughan (maybe?

Tag : sports day