The Washington times., 1936-01-20
List Table
Tennis
Event
Nv FRANK BUCK ONEILL

shock to your reporter who was
discovered lounging at his ease
bv Morris Bassford and Bob Rat-
ciiffe. Not t'St lounging at ease
is unusual, but the utter destruc-
ton of fond conceitS on any
subject comes as a shock.
What is the most improved
game in the wOrld?" asked Mr..
Bassford. He fixed a steely eye
upon your reporter.
"Why, golf, of course" re-
piled your agent. THE ancient
game has come to a point of
development now where you
have to shoot in the COS to get
in the ranks of money winners.
1t isn't so many years ago.
Interesting" interjected Mr..
Bassford, "but lacking in found
alton. The most improved game
in the world and the fastest
growing is table tennis"
Crash went 10000 illusions.
Table tennis! Surely the man
was just having a pleasant Jest.
Tournament Here January 30
But Mr.. BaSsford is president
of the District of Columbia Table
Tennis Association, and seemed
to be armed with facts. Chief
among these was the fact that
the third annual American zone
championships will be held here,
running from January 80 through
February l. Mckinley High
School will be the scene of action.
Mems singles and doubles and
women's singles will be contested.
the winners to be declared cham
pions of America.
"The winners Of the zone
championships here will be sent
to the worlds championship
tournament at Prague" de.
clared Mr.. Bassford. Tickets for
the zone championships are for
sale at Woodward and Lothrop
and Spaldings."
At this point. just when your
agent was coming up from a
count Of nine. Mr.. BaSsford
turned over the floor to Bob Rat
cliffe. the sixth ranking table
tennis player in America.
Survives a Libel
Table tennis has survived
the parlOr game libel and is
one of our strenuous sports"
said Radcliffe. you have to
train for a championship game.
I've played with some of the
ranking tournament stars and
III tell you that I've been all
in at the end of four games.
THE popular conception of
table tennis among those who do
not play the real game is that
you stand at the head and base
of a table and tap a ball back
and forth across net. But the
tournament game is different.
you will see at Mckinley
High School when we start"
said Radcliffe. "A space 20 feet
back of the table is open. You
will see the players driven back
that far to take care of the
SmasheS that whistle over the
net. YOH will see games where
a player never stands closer
than Is feet to the base Of the
table.
DO you know that Fred Perry,
ace of aces in the lawn tennis
world, was a great table tennis
expert? Sid Wood, who is re-
cuperating from an appendicitis
operation in Boone, Iowa. is an
other great exponent of table
tennis.
REPORTER CRIES "KAMERAD"
The position of your reporter
was utterly untenable, and still
the storm of facts beat on our
ears.
Did you ever head of ViktOr
Barna?" asked Radcliffe. mo?
Well. he's just the champion Of
the world. He can stand back
Of the table, 20 feet from the
base and place his shots around
a dime. He even can hit that
dime upon demand.
Can he give you change if
you ask for it?" demanded the
writer, thinking to stop this
rOut.
"He can even pick out the
pennies you wish for change"
came the unruffled answer.
WORKS HARD TO PLAY
"Barna trains for his tourna-
mentS, and he has lost only one
match in four years. Radcliffe
continued: He plays soccer for
two hours a day, fences for an
hour and plays table tennis for
an hour. In this game the legs
win for you. If your legs are
ready. you're ready.
Table tennis is popular in
England. The championships
were held in Wembly in 1885
and were a dead cold sell out.
Not a ticket was to be had five
days before the meet.
you're going to see some,
thing at Mckinley High School
when this tournament starts.
Well have IS or more of the
greatest experts in the game
sIashing at the ball. And mean
slashing. They'll try to drive 1t
out of the building. The winner
will certainly rate a chance to
bring the worlds championship
hack tn America ="