Denis Neale

It was Division 2 North of the British League last weekend and in attendance was Barrow TTC Coach Denis Neale. Now, for those that don’t know Denis, he is a passionate (mature) man that is always correct. It is his passion and strong beliefs that make him fun to wind-up every now and then.

Anyways, whenever I see Denis, he always asks whether I know when the next $100,000 hardbat tournament is going to be in Las Vegas. As far as I knew, last years event was struggling to get sponsors and wasn’t happening.

This weekend however, Denis had the answers. Apparently the hardbat tournament had been modified to a sandpaper bat tournament and is once again going to be held in Las Vegas. At first, I thought someone was winding him up and suggested that this might be the case. Denis insisted it was genuine and that he was in the process of entering.

Well, the first thing I have done this lunchtime is check out whether this $100,000 sandpaper bat tournament is genuine. Guess what, it is!

UPDATE: Barrow Table Tennis Club’s Paul Drinkhall will be playing the 2011 World Championship of Ping Pong on February 7-8th, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Allow me to introduce you to the new premier table tennis organization, the World Championship of Ping Pong (WCPP). We are officially accepting applications for the 2011 World Championship of Ping Pong on February 7-8th, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The top sixteen professional players will be selected to represent their respective countries and will compete in the ‘Classic’, a single elimination round robin tournament with one ultimate champion. The second day’s competition features the ‘Marco Polo Cup’, a team event pitting the eight World players against the eight Asian players.

We are proud to partner with FoxSportsNet and Matchroom Sport, as we will offer the first global broadcast of the WCPP with eight original hours, premiering in April, 2011. The programs will be viewable in over 810 million homes worldwide on Fox Sports Net in the USA, Eurosport in Europe, CCTV in China, and ESPN Star TV throughout Asia, to name a few.

The WCPP aims to revitalize the sport of table tennis with the introduction of our unique sand paper racquets. Racquets will be distributed to you via mail before the tournament starts. Since the racquet is the first of its kind you will have an equal opportunity to train and play.

Pearl Theatre of the Palms Casino Resort

The World Championship of Ping Pong will take place on February 7th and 8th, 2011, in Las Vegas at the Pearl Theatre of the Palms Casino Resort. Here, the world’s top table tennis players from around the world will be showcased as you compete for over $100,000 dollars in total cash prizes. Every player will be awarded a minimum of $1,500 for attending, free round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, as well as a daily stipend for food and leisure spending.