TABLE TENNIS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 July 1938, Page 2

TABLE TENNIS

A DAZZLING DISPLAY. BY HUNGARIAN PLAYERS. (By Telegraph —Press Association.) PALMERSTON NORTH, July 12. An exhilarating evening’s table tennis was provided by the visiting Hungarians, Viktor Barna, five times world champion, and Lazio Beliak, U.S.A, champion, world doubles champion, at Palmerston North tonight. They were assisted by Misses L. Hughes (Manawatu woman champion), and K. Tustin (Hutt Valley woman champion), and Messrs E. J. Hughes (Wellington champion and Hutt mixed doubles champion), and E. Boniface (runner-up for Wellington and New Zealand titles). The Hungarians displayed a dazzling variety of shots which delighted a large gallery of spectators as much ts they at times bewildered their opponents. Flick drives, both backhand and forehand, were the visitors’ speciality. They sent the ball for some winners which completely beat the opposition. Apart from the exhibition match between Beliak and Barrja, the match between Barna and Boniface was the best of the series, the Wellington player often trading drive for drive in spectacular rallies. Miss Hughes (Manawatu) was steadier than Miss Tustin (Hutt Valley), and won the last two sets comfortably. Hughes was not as impressive as Boniface, and failed to connect with drives. In the mixed doubles the women were too bewildered by the battery of shots which came to them, and were unable to produce much form. The Wellington men were in similar difficulties, but pulled up somewhat in the second set against the Hungarians, who eased the pressure appreciably. When Ballak and Barna met in an exhibition single, they treated the gallery to trick shots to start with, and then some swift and spectacular table tennis. There were many hard-driving rallies mixed with cunning drop shots, and remarkable recoveries were made by both players. The results were as foffow: — Miss L. Hughes (Manawatu) beat Miss K. Tustin (Hutt Valley), 16/21, 21/12, 21/15. L. Beliak beat E. J. Hughes (Wellington), 21/6, 21/12. V. Barna beat E. Boniface (Wellington), 21/11, 21/4. Barna and Beliak beat Boniface and Hughes, 21/8, 22/20. Barna and Miss Hughes beat Beliak and Miss Tustin, 21/18, 23/25, 21/18. Barna beat Beliak, 21/19, 19/21, 21/18.