74-454: Matchroom Sport is a UK-based sporting event promotions company founded by Barry Hearn and run by him and his son Eddie Hearn . It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool , bowling , golf , fishing , darts , table tennis , poker and gymnastics . The company is based in Brentwood, Essex . Matchroom has had broadcasting agreements in
148-403: A backhand stroke (most often topspin) known as a reverse penhold backhand by turning the traditional side of the racket to face one's self, and striking the ball with the opposite side of the racket. This stroke has greatly improved and strengthened the penhold style both physically and psychologically, as it eliminates the strategic weakness of the traditional penhold backhand. The shakehand grip
222-684: A design company based in Kensal Green , called Deryck Healey Associates (circa 1973). He formed a new firm, Kensal House Investments, and DHA became Deryck Healey International (DHI). In the early 1970s, looking for a property investment, Hearn bought a snooker hall in Romford , Greater London . The same year, the BBC began promoting snooker on BBC2 in colour television , resulting in queues of people wanting to play snooker. Hearn and business partner Deryck John Healey then bought Lucania Billiard Halls, which formed
296-609: A major event on the professional pool calendar. Over the years, Matchroom's portfolio under Hearn grew, taking a majority stake in the Professional Darts Corporation in 2001, helping oversee a growth in the sport. Matchroom Sport also promote the World Cup of Pool , a national team scotch doubles event, and the World Pool Masters , an annual nine-ball event. In 2002, the company formed PGA EuroPro Tour ,
370-417: A player may have a rubber that provides much spin on one side of their racket, and one that provides no spin on the other. By flipping the racket in play, different types of returns are possible. To help a player distinguish between the rubber used by his opposing player, international rules specify that one side must be black while the other side must be a bright color clearly distinguishable from black and from
444-402: A playing space of at least 14 m (45.9 ft) long by 7 m (23.0 ft) wide, and a height clearance of at least 5 m (16.4 ft). For wheelchair events, the minimums are 8 m (26.2 ft) long and 6 m (19.7 ft) wide. Players are equipped with a laminated wooden racket covered with rubber on one or two sides depending on the grip of the player. The ITTF uses
518-546: A round racket head, for a more over-the-table style of play. In contrast, another style, sometimes referred to as the Japanese/Korean penhold grip, involves splaying those three fingers out across the back of the racket, usually with all three fingers touching the back of the racket, rather than stacked upon one another. Sometimes a combination of the two styles occurs, wherein the middle, ring and fourth fingers are straight, but still stacked, or where all fingers may be touching
592-421: A second time on receiver's side of the table so that the ball passes the net and touches the opponent's court, either directly or after touching the net assembly. Thereafter, the server and receiver must alternately make a return until the rally is over. Returning the serve is one of the most difficult parts of the game, as the server's first move is often the least predictable and thus most advantageous shot due to
666-406: A smash when the opponent has returned a ball that bounces too high or too close to the net. It is nearly always done with a forehand stroke. Smashing uses rapid acceleration to impart as much speed on the ball as possible so that the opponent cannot react in time. The racket is generally perpendicular to the direction of the stroke. Because the speed is the main aim of this shot, the spin on the ball
740-457: A solid base for striking and quick lateral movement. Players may tailor their stance based upon their personal preferences, and alter it during the game based upon the specific circumstances. Table tennis strokes generally break down into offensive and defensive categories. Also known as speed drive, a direct hit on the ball propelling it forward back to the opponent. This stroke differs from speed drives in other racket sports like tennis because
814-410: A standard steel block thereby having a coefficient of restitution of 0.89 to 0.92. As of 2015, balls are now made of a polymer instead of celluloid , colored white or orange, with a matte finish. The choice of ball color is made according to the table color and its surroundings. For example, a white ball is easier to see on a green or blue table than it is on a grey table. Manufacturers often indicate
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#1733084917513888-507: A uniform bounce of about 23 cm (9.1 in) when a standard ball is dropped onto it from a height of 30 cm (11.8 in), or about 77%. The table or playing surface is uniformly dark colored and matte, divided into two halves by a net at 15.25 cm (6.0 in) in height. The ITTF approves only wooden tables or their derivates. Concrete tables with a steel net or a solid concrete partition are sometimes available in outside public spaces, such as parks. ITTF regulations require
962-416: Is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of two, players take alternating turns returning a light, hollow ball over the table's net onto the opposing half of the court using small rackets until they fail to do so, which results in a point for the opponent. Play
1036-509: Is a British sports promoter who is founder and president of Matchroom Sport . Through Matchroom, Hearn is also involved in many sports including boxing , snooker , darts , pool , tenpin bowling , golf , table tennis and fishing . Until April 2021 Hearn was the chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation and until July 2010, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association . Until July 2014, he
1110-450: Is currently owned by Indian Industries, Inc. d/b/a Escalade Sports . The next major innovation was by James W. Gibb, a British table tennis enthusiast, who discovered novelty celluloid balls on a trip to the US in 1901 and found them ideal for the game. This was followed by E.C. Goode who, in 1901, invented the modern version of the racket by fixing a sheet of pimpled, or stippled, rubber to
1184-641: Is fast, requiring quick reaction and constant attention, and is characterized by an emphasis on spin, which can affect the ball's trajectory more than in other ball sports. Owed to its small minimum playing area, its ability to be played indoors in all climates, and relative accessibility of equipment, table tennis is enjoyed worldwide not just as a competitive sport, but as a common recreational pastime among players of all levels and ages. Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988 , with event categories in both men's and women's singles, and men's and women's teams since replacing doubles in 2008 . Table tennis
1258-430: Is for the players to play the ball back and forth three times and then play out the point. This is commonly referred to as "serve to play", "rally to serve", "play for serve", or "volley for serve". Another common method is referred to as "Ping for serve" or "Pinging for serve" where players will begin playing by hitting or bouncing the ball and playing a rally spelling out the word ping P-I-N-G with each hit then playing out
1332-478: Is generally accepted that shakehands is easier to learn than penholder, allowing a broader range of playing styles both offensive and defensive. The Seemiller grip is named after the American table tennis champion Danny Seemiller , who used it. It is achieved by placing the thumb and index finger on either side of the bottom of the racquet head and holding the handle with the rest of the fingers. Since only one side of
1406-677: Is governed by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926, and specifies the official rules in the ITTF handbook. ITTF currently includes 226 member associations worldwide. The sport originated in Victorian England , where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game . It has been suggested that makeshift versions of the game were developed by British military officers in India around
1480-448: Is often minimal, although it can be applied as well. An offensive table tennis player will think of a rally as a build-up to a winning smash. Smash is used more often with penhold grip. The push (or "slice" in Asia) is usually used for keeping the point alive and creating offensive opportunities. A push resembles a tennis slice: the racket cuts underneath the ball, imparting backspin and causing
1554-534: Is popular in Japan. The average size of the blade is about 17 centimetres (6.7 in) long and 15 centimetres (5.9 in) wide. Although the official restrictions only focus on the flatness and rigidity of the blade itself, these dimensions are optimal for most play styles. Table tennis regulations allow different rubber surfaces on each side of the racket. Various types of surfaces provide various levels of spin or speed, and in some cases they nullify spin. For example,
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#17330849175131628-457: Is so-named because one grips the racket similarly to the way one holds a writing instrument . The style of play among penhold players can vary greatly from player to player. The most popular style, usually referred to as the Chinese penhold style, involves curling the middle, ring, and fourth finger on the back of the blade with the three fingers always touching one another. Chinese penholders favour
1702-604: Is so-named because the racket is grasped as if one is performing a handshake. Though it is sometimes referred to as the "tennis" or "Western" grip, it bears no relation to the Western tennis grip , which was popularized on the West Coast of the United States in which the racket is rotated 90°, and played with the wrist turned so that on impact the knuckles face the target. In table tennis, "Western" refers to Western nations, for this
1776-568: Is the grip that players native to Europe and the Americas have almost exclusively employed. The shakehand grip's simplicity and versatility, coupled with the acceptance among top-level Chinese trainers that the European style of play should be emulated and trained against, has established it as a common grip even in China. Many world-class European and East Asian players currently use the shakehand grip, and it
1850-410: Is usually a counterattack against drives, normally high loop drives. The racket is held closed and near to the ball, which is hit with a short movement "off the bounce" (immediately after hitting the table) so that the ball travels faster to the other side. Kenta Matsudaira is known for primarily using counter-hit for offense. When a player tries to attack a ball that has not bounced beyond the edge of
1924-525: The Chinese Civil War had a "passion for the English game of table tennis" which he found "bizarre". On the other hand, the popularity of the sport waned in the 1930s Soviet Union, partly because of the promotion of team and military sports, and partly because of a theory that the game had adverse health effects. In the 1950s, paddles that used a rubber sheet combined with an underlying sponge layer changed
1998-603: The UK Singles Chart in 1986, with five Matchroom players featured on backup vocals and in the video . Hearn's first foray into boxing promotion was the Frank Bruno vs. Joe Bugner heavyweight clash in 1987 in front of 35,000 people at White Hart Lane . The range of sports increased in 1994 with the Mosconi Cup , an event which sees teams from Europe and the United States compete in a 9-ball pool tournament. It has become
2072-629: The United Kingdom with DAZN , Sky Sports , ITV , and the BBC . Matchroom formed in 1982 concentrating on snooker management with the likes of Steve Davis , Dennis Taylor , and Jimmy White under contract. It sponsored two non- ranking tournaments, the Matchroom Professional Championship (1986–1988, restricted to its contracted players) and Matchroom League (1987–1994). A novelty song called " Snooker Loopy " by " Chas & Dave and The Matchroom Mob" reached number 6 in
2146-455: The 1860s or 1870s, who brought it back with them. A row of books stood up along the center of the table as a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to continuously hit a golf-ball. In 1883, British sporting goods company Slazenger filed a patent for a net for table tennis. The name "ping-pong" was in wide use before British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in 1901. The name "ping-pong" then came to describe
2220-490: The 1960s, the loop is essentially the reverse of the chop. The racket is parallel to the direction of the stroke ("closed") and the racket thus grazes the ball, resulting in a large amount of topspin. A good loop drive will arc quite a bit, and once striking the opponent's side of the table will jump forward, much like a kick serve in tennis. Most professional players nowadays, such as Ding Ning , Timo Boll and Zhang Jike , primarily use loop for offense. The counter-hit
2294-516: The ITTF handbook, which was first published in 1927. The current (fiftieth) version was published in 2022. After the 2000 Olympics in Sydney , the ITTF instituted several rule changes that were aimed at making table tennis more viable as a televised spectator sport. First, the older 38 mm (1.50 in) balls were officially replaced by 40 mm (1.57 in) balls in October 2000. This increased
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2368-549: The Olympic Games since 1988 and the Commonwealth Games since 2002. In doubles, all the rules of single play are applied except for the following. Service Order of play, serving and receiving If a game is unfinished after 10 minutes of play and fewer than 18 points have been scored, the expedite system is initiated. The umpire interrupts the game, and the game resumes with players serving for one point in turn. If
2442-810: The UK's leading developmental golf tour, in association with the PGA. Later, in the 2000s, came ten pin bowling's Weber Cup . In 2009, Barry Hearn became the majority shareholder in World Snooker Tour Ltd. Since then the sport has grown, with prize money increased and new events introduced worldwide. More recently, Matchroom has launched the World Championship of Ping Pong , Superstars of Gymnastics, British Basketball All-Stars, and British Fast5 Netball All-Stars. In May 2018, Matchroom Boxing agreed five-year deal with DAZN reportedly worth £740 million to promote 16 fights in
2516-514: The US on the channel. In June 2021, both firms extended its agreement. In April 2021, Barry Hearn stepped down as chairman with his son Eddie taking over the role. Barry will continue as president in an advisory role, while Eddie takes over as head of the PGA EuroPro tour, alongside overseeing Matchroom's wider operations and continuing to head the boxing division. Barry Hearn Barry Maurice William Hearn OBE (born 19 June 1948 )
2590-461: The United States' five participants in the World Championships used it. 'A good ready position will enable you to move quickly into position and to stay balanced whilst playing powerful strokes.' The stance in table tennis is also known as the 'ready position'. It is the position every player initially adopts when receiving and returns to after playing a shot in order to be prepared to make
2664-405: The air. The ITTF states that all events after July 2014 are played with a new poly material ball. The international rules specify that the game is played with a sphere having a mass of 2.7 grams (0.095 oz) and a diameter of 40 millimetres (1.57 in). The rules say that the ball shall bounce up 24–26 cm (9.4–10.2 in) when dropped from a height of 30.5 cm (12.0 in) onto
2738-545: The back of the racket, but are also in contact with one another. Japanese and Korean penholders will often use a square-headed racket for an away-from-the-table style of play. Traditionally these square-headed rackets feature a block of cork on top of the handle, as well as a thin layer of cork on the back of the racket, for increased grip and comfort. Penhold styles are popular among players originating from East Asian countries such as China , Japan , South Korea , and Taiwan . Traditionally, penhold players use only one side of
2812-468: The ball to float slowly to the other side of the table. A push can be difficult to attack because the backspin on the ball causes it to drop toward the table upon striking the opponent's racket. In order to attack a push, a player must usually loop (if the push is long) or flip (if the push is short) the ball back over the net. Often, the best option for beginners is to simply push the ball back again, resulting in pushing rallies. Against good players, it may be
2886-472: The ball's air resistance and effectively slowed down the game. By that time, players had begun increasing the thickness of the fast sponge layer on their paddles, which made the game excessively fast and difficult to watch on television. A few months later, the ITTF changed from a 21-point to an 11-point scoring system (and the serve rotation was reduced from five points to two), effective in September 2001. This
2960-645: The basis of his future career, promoting snooker via colour television. Hearn began promoting sporting events in 1974, working with amateur snooker players Geoff Foulds, father of Neal Foulds , and Vic Harris . In 1976, he became manager of Steve Davis , who went on to win the World Championship six times. Hearn prospered from the snooker boom of the 1980s when he formed Matchroom with players Davis and Tony Meo . Later Matchroom snooker players include Terry Griffiths , Dennis Taylor , Willie Thorne , Neal Foulds , Jimmy White , Cliff Thorburn and Ronnie O'Sullivan . Hearn appeared alongside many Matchroom players in
3034-461: The club's longest run in the bottom division (the fourth tier) of the Football League since its creation (in 1958). At the culmination of the 2005–06 season, Orient earned promotion to the third tier of English league football ( League One ), their first automatic promotion since the 1969–70 season. In April 2017, Hearn resigned as honorary president of Leyton Orient registering his disapproval of
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3108-433: The color of the ball. The player has the right to inspect their opponent's racket before a match to see the type of rubber used and what color it is. Despite high-speed play and rapid exchanges, a player can see clearly what side of the racket was used to hit the ball. Current rules state that, unless damaged in play, the racket cannot be exchanged for another racket at any time during a match. According to ITTF rule 2.13.1,
3182-656: The couple have two children, Katie and Eddie Hearn . After nearly going bankrupt in the early 1990s, and suffering a heart attack in 2002, he returned and has become a multi-millionaire. Hearn was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to sport. That year, Hearn was inducted into the Professional Darts Corporation Hall of Fame . Table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong )
3256-403: The expedite system is introduced while the ball is not in play, the previous receiver shall serve first. Under the expedite system, the server must win the point before the opponent makes 13 consecutive returns or the point goes to the opponent. The system can also be initiated at any time at the request of both players or pairs. Once introduced, the expedite system remains in force until the end of
3330-426: The first service is decided by lot, normally a coin toss . It is also common for one player (or the umpire/scorer) to hide the ball in one or the other hand, usually hidden under the table, allowing the other player to guess which hand the ball is in. The correct or incorrect guess gives the "winner" the option to choose to serve, receive, or to choose which side of the table to use. (A common but non-sanctioned method
3404-477: The game dramatically, introducing greater spin and speed. These were introduced to Britain by sports goods manufacturer S.W. Hancock Ltd. The use of speed glue beginning in the mid-1980s increased the spin and speed even further, resulting in changes to the equipment to "slow the game down". Table tennis was introduced as an Olympic sport at the Olympics in 1988 . The official rules and regulations are specified in
3478-462: The game played using the rather expensive Jaques's equipment, with other manufacturers calling it table tennis. A similar situation arose in the United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the "ping-pong" name to Parker Brothers . Parker Brothers then enforced its trademark for the term in the 1920s, making the various associations change their names to "table tennis" instead of the more common, but trademarked, term. The U.S. trademark for "Ping-Pong"
3552-447: The game. The commercial business was separated from the regulatory body, the WPBSA . Hearn moved into boxing in 1987, his first promotion being the Frank Bruno versus Joe Bugner bout at White Hart Lane in October 1987. He offered the television rights to Greg Dyke of London Weekend Television for £200,000, who agreed to pay £250,000 because he did not believe Hearn could deliver for
3626-461: The match. As it is intended as a rule to shorten the duration of a match, it is mainly deployed in defensive players' matches, which tend to have longer points. Though table tennis players grip their rackets in various ways, their grips can be classified into two major families of styles, penhold and shakehand . The rules of table tennis do not prescribe the manner in which one must grip the racket, and numerous grips are employed. The penhold grip
3700-484: The new owner, Francesco Becchetti, who he claimed had "not played by the rules" leaving Leyton Orient players and staff unpaid for March 2017. Hearn is an enthusiastic fisherman. After watching the first recording of Wrestle Mania in Ockenden , he pitched the idea of Fish-o-Mania to Greg Dyke at LWT. Turned down, he sold the idea to Sky Sports , establishing a successful now 19-year television franchise. Married to Susan,
3774-413: The next shot. It involves the feet being spaced wider than shoulder width and a partial crouch being adopted; the crouch is an efficient posture for moving quickly from and also preloads the muscles enabling a more dynamic movement. The upper torso is positioned slightly forward and the player is looking forwards. The racket is held at the ready with a bent arm. The position should feel balanced and provide
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#17330849175133848-415: The numerous spin and speed choices at the server's disposal. A let is a rally of which the result is not scored, and is called in the following circumstances: A let is also called foul service, if the ball hits the server's side of the table, if the ball does not pass further than the edge, and if the ball hits the table edge and hits the net. A point is scored by the player for any of several results of
3922-424: The opponent and the umpire must have a clear view of the ball at all times. If the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service they may first interrupt play and give a warning to the server. If the serve is a clear failure or is doubted again by the umpire after the warning, the receiver scores a point. If the service is "good", then the receiver must make a "good" return by hitting the ball back before it bounces
3996-432: The point for service). In game play, the player serving the ball commences a play. The server first stands with the ball held on the open palm of the hand not carrying the paddle, called the freehand, and tosses the ball directly upward without spin, at least 16 cm (6.3 in) high. The server strikes the ball with the racket on the ball's descent so that it first touches the server's court, and then touches directly
4070-404: The quality of the ball with a star rating system, usually from one to three, three being the highest grade. As this system is not standard across manufacturers, the only way a ball may be used in official competition is upon ITTF approval (the ITTF approval can be seen printed on the ball). The 40 mm ball was introduced after the end of the 2000 Summer Olympics ; previously a 38 mm ball
4144-537: The quoted price. Hearn has since promoted many leading British and Irish boxers, including Chris Eubank , Nigel Benn , Lennox Lewis , Naseem Hamed , Steve Collins and Herbie Hide . Hearn withdrew his boxers Herbie Hide and Steve Collins from the High Noon in Hong Kong event at the last minute, scheduled on 22 October 1994, when promoter John Daly could not come up with the purses. Hearn said, "But to be honest I
4218-432: The racket is primarily perpendicular to the direction of the stroke and most of the energy applied to the ball results in speed rather than spin , creating a shot that does not arc much, but is fast enough that it can be difficult to return. A speed drive is used mostly for keeping the ball in play, applying pressure on the opponent, and potentially opening up an opportunity for a more powerful attack. Perfected during
4292-459: The racket to hit the ball during normal play, and the side which is in contact with the last three fingers is generally not used. This configuration is sometimes referred to as "traditional penhold" and is more commonly found in square-headed racket styles. However, the Chinese developed a technique in the 1990s in which a penholder uses both sides of the racket to hit the ball, where the player produces
4366-542: The racquet is used to hit the ball, two contrasting rubber types can be applied to the blade, offering the advantage of "twiddling" the racket to fool the opponent. Seemiller paired inverted rubber with anti-spin rubber. Many players today combine inverted and long-pipped rubber. The grip is considered exceptional for blocking, especially on the backhand side, and for forehand loops of backspin balls. The Seemiller grip's popularity reached its apex in 1985 when four (Danny Seemiller, Ricky Seemiller, Eric Boggan and Brian Masters) of
4440-413: The rally) until the end of the game, unless both players score ten points or the expedite system is operated, when the sequences of serving and receiving stay the same but each player serves for only one point in turn (Deuce). The player serving first in a game receives first in the next game of the match. After each game, players switch sides of the table. In the last possible game of a match, for example
4514-412: The rally: A game shall be won by the player first scoring 11 points unless both players score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the first player subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points. A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of games. In competition play, matches are typically best of five or seven games. Service alternates between opponents every two points (regardless of winner of
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#17330849175134588-399: The receiver's court without touching the net assembly. In casual games, many players do not toss the ball upward; however, this is technically illegal and can give the serving player an unfair advantage. The ball must remain behind the endline and above the playing surface of the table at all times during the service. The server's body or clothing cannot be used to obstruct sight of the ball;
4662-530: The seventh game in a best of seven match, players change ends when the first player scores five points, regardless of whose turn it is to serve. If the sequence of serving and receiving is out of turn or the ends are not changed, points scored in the wrong situation are still calculated and the game shall be resumed with the order at the score that has been reached. In addition to games between individual players, pairs may also play table tennis. Singles and doubles are both played in international competition, including
4736-443: The table, the player does not have the room to wind up in a backswing . The ball may still be attacked , however, and the resulting shot is called a flip because the backswing is compressed into a quick wrist action. A flip is not a single stroke and can resemble either a loop drive or a loop in its characteristics. What identifies the stroke is that the backswing is compressed into a short wrist flick. A player will typically execute
4810-538: The term "racket", though "bat" is common in Britain, and "paddle" in the U.S. and Canada. The wooden portion of the racket, often referred to as the "blade", commonly features anywhere between one and seven plies of wood, though cork, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aluminum fiber, and Kevlar are sometimes used. According to the ITTF regulations, at least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be of natural wood. Common wood types include balsa , limba , cypress , and hinoki , which
4884-403: The video for " Snooker Loopy ", a hit for "rockney" pop rock duo Chas & Dave . In December 2009 Hearn was elected as the new WPBSA Chairman after Sir Rodney Walker failed to get re-elected and left his post. In June 2010, following a vote by the members, Hearn took over a 51% controlling interest in the organisation's commercial business World Snooker Limited with a view to revitalising
4958-414: The wooden blade. Table tennis was growing in popularity by 1901 to the extent that tournaments were being organized, books were being written on the subject, and an unofficial world championship was held in 1902. In those early days, the scoring system was the same as in lawn tennis . Although both a "Table Tennis Association" and a "Ping Pong Association" existed by 1910, a new Table Tennis Association
5032-675: Was founded in 1921, and renamed the English Table Tennis Association in 1926. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) followed in 1926. London hosted the first official World Championships in 1926. In 1933, the United States Table Tennis Association , now called USA Table Tennis, was formed. In the 1930s, Edgar Snow commented in Red Star Over China that the Communist forces in
5106-510: Was hypnotised by Cult -leader Tony Quinn to not feel pain as "What a load of rubbish". Hearn was until April 2021 the chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation , one of darts' two governing bodies, the sport having been split since the world's leading players left the British Darts Organisation in 1992. He made several attempts to buy out the rival body, which would reunify the game, but has been unsuccessful. Hearn
5180-400: Was intended to make games more fast-paced and exciting. The ITTF also changed the rules on service to prevent a player from hiding the ball during service, in order to increase the average length of rallies and to reduce the server's advantage, effective in 2002. For the opponent to have time to realize a serve is taking place, the ball must be tossed a minimum of 16 centimetres (6.3 in) in
5254-512: Was standard. This created some controversies. Vladimir Samsonov , the World No. 1 table tennis professional at the time, threatened to pull out of the World Cup, which was scheduled to debut the new regulation ball on 12 October 2000. The table is 2.74 m (9.0 ft) long, 1.525 m (5.0 ft) wide, and 76 cm (2.5 ft) high with any continuous material so long as the table yields
5328-577: Was the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C. Hearn was born in 1948 on a council estate in Dagenham , Essex . His family moved to the Debden estate in Loughton. He was educated at Buckhurst Hill County High School . He worked and then ran a series of small businesses as a teenager, from washing cars to picking fruit and vegetables. After qualifying as an accountant , Hearn took over the role of finance director to
5402-523: Was the chairman of the football league club Leyton Orient from 1995 to 2014. Before Hearn's takeover the club was facing a financial disaster due to the collapse of the then chairman Tony Wood's coffee business in Rwanda at the time of the Rwandan genocide . Hearn's intervention and financial input assured the club's future. Although Hearn has been successful in stabilising the club financially, his tenure included
5476-533: Was very pleased with myself in Hong Kong. I stood my ground. How many others would have?" In April 2008 Hearn introduced the Prizefighter series , a knockout tournament featuring 8 different boxers. His son Eddie now manages the boxing side of the business. Hearn is credited as appearing in the film One Night in Millstreet . In the trailer for the film Hearn is seen dismissing claims made that boxer Steve Collins
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