Table tennis, or Pong Ping to give it its proper Welsh name, was invented in Llangollen in 1781 by Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby after seven consecutive days of rain left them dangerously close to rearranging the furniture again.
The breakthrough came when the pair whittled a champagne cork into a ball and fashioned two paddles from wooden butter pats, creating a sport that would eventually be played around the world by people unaware it began with two women saying, “Well, we can’t go out in this.”
Local sporting historian Dr Dewi Batts described the discovery as “a landmark moment in the Welsh tradition of finding something to do indoors”.
“By the third day they’d read everything,” he explained. “By the fifth they’d discussed everyone. By the seventh, Eleanor was standing at the window saying it looked brighter over there, despite clear evidence that it didn’t.”
The first challenge was obtaining a suitable cork.
Several bottles of champagne were reportedly opened before the pair found one they considered appropriate, demonstrating the rigorous commitment to research that underpinned the project.
Sarah then cleared the dining table while Eleanor repurposed the butter pats.
“This caused some initial difficulties at breakfast,” said Dr Batts. “But every major sporting innovation comes at a cost.”
The earliest matches were played across a row of books serving as a net, with points awarded whenever an opponent missed the ball, hit the sideboard or knocked something over that had belonged to an aunt.
A rally automatically ended if the cork disappeared beneath the dresser, at which point both players were permitted to say, “Leave it. We know where it is.”
The ornate painted paddles pictured above are now being hailed as the world’s first signature sporting equipment.
“Modern players have their names printed on their bats,” said Dr Batts. “Eleanor and Sarah went considerably further. That’s the confidence of people who’ve invented a sport and are already ranked first and second in the world.”
The name Pong Ping reportedly reflected the sounds made by the cork striking the two butter pats, one of which still had a bit of salted butter on it.
Controversy arose when visiting English guests took the game home, reversed the name to Ping Pong and began explaining it to the Welsh.
“They changed the word order and bought a proper net,” said Dr Batts. “Apparently that’s enough to make you the inventor.”
Campaigners are now demanding international recognition for the Ladies of Llangollen, including a commemorative tournament using authentic equipment.
Organisers have already secured a table, two butter pats and fourteen bottles of champagne.
Asked why so much champagne was necessary when the competition required only one cork, a spokesperson said:
“We’re not prepared to cut corners on historical accuracy.”
