The game that fell out of favour with the advent of super-spin inducing rubber bats years ago is back in the mainstream thanks to a potent mixture of speed, power and old-fashioned skill courtesy of the technology-free sandpaper bats.

Now into its eighth year at the iconic Alexandra Palace, London, the World Championship is a throwback to the early days of table tennis and is catapulting ping pong into the big league and onto the international television stage. England’s Andrew Baggaley is a four-time champion, while Russia’s Maxim Shmyrev has won the event three times.