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TABLE SQUASH

     Table squash is a simple and obvious derivative of table tennis that has undoubtedly been invented many times. Although the name does not really describe the game adequately, it is hard to find a suitable alternative. The version detailed here was developed in Glasgow and played by Glasgow University students in the late 1970s. Subsequently the game has been developed in Leeds (Wikipedia 2009).

   Originally it used half a table-tennis table mounted conventionally and the other half mounted vertically. It requires half (or less) playing space than table tennis and considerably less storage space and can be practised with profit in the absence of an opponent. In all other respects it resemble table tennis.  However it became apparent that more sophisticated things could be done if it were possible to identify and count the ball impacts, and experimentation showed that this would indeed be possible using simple electronic sensors.

      One sensor in the wall board was able to count the rallies to include them in the score, and a sensor in each side of the table could to identify the contribution of each player and  monitor scoring of the whole match.

Red and Green

    The players could now be identified by red/green LEDs one each side of the table court, changing sides according to the rules of table tennis, in which the games won and the rallies accumulated by the winner of each game could both contribute to the match score. A new name was required to distinguish this from Table Squash.

TABLE SCOTCH

    Spin plays a major role in table tennis, but in table squash/scotch it is even more important because the ball bounces twice in each half-rally.  Naming the two sides of the table court the home court and the away court (as seen from the point view of player and returner), it is possible, but by no means easy to pull-off, for the ball, after impacting the player’s away court, to jump the net without hitting the wall and impact the home court. This would be equivalent to the far more difficult manoeuvre in table tennis of making the ball return across the net after impacting the away (far) court. It is this passing resemblance to the children’s game of Hop Scotch that suggested the title Table Scotch.

Scoring

    The possibility of including the rally count in scoring opens a number of new programmable game strategies and score targets. Purists might be scandalised by the fact that most such strategies will reduce the tyranny of the low ‘killer’ serve, while ignoring the pleasures of exploring the height dimension.

Display

For the development of table scotch we have used a simple alphanumeric LCD device, mounted in front of the net, where it is visible to  both players.

Currently it displays the scoring mode:-

Win by Games

Win by Rallies

Win by Games of Rallies

Win by Games and Rallies

The game target (e. 6,11,16,21)

The Rally target ( eg 29,47,79) fancifully based on the atomic numbers of the noble metals

The height of the impact on the Wall board to be used as a possible bonus.

Solo Play

This is displayed on the blue LED segment, which switches from left to right every five games. Quite a lot of practise is required for players to be equally comfortable serving from right or left, especially if they show a preference for either forehand or backhand. Here the player can identify as:-

SID/LILY serving from the left and DEC/RITA serving from the right.