Question: A precursor to table tennis in 1891 was a game called Gossima which used rubber balls. The game was revolutionised by an enthusiast from Croydon, James Gibb, an engineer who returned from New York with a small celluloid ball. In which year was this? Answer: 1901
Pétanque (‘feet together’ in Provençal) was first played in the small town of La Ciotat in the south of France when an elderly boules player found his rheumatism so bad that he couldn’t make the necessary steps to launch his boules. In which year was this? Answer: 1907
Stewart’s Puzzler August 2025 Question: Where in England was bowls first played? Answer: The oldest surviving bowling green in England, and probably the world, is in the heart of Southampton, at the southern end of Lower Canal Road. Southampton Old Bowling Green was established in 1299 adjacent to God’s House Hospital, founded in 1185 as…
Question: Is it true that in 1588 Sir Francis Drake continued playing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe while the Spanish Armada approached? Answer: Probably not. It was said that Drake continued playing a game of bowls despite the need to launch his fleet against the Spanish because he was waiting for the tide…
Stewarts Puzzler late May 2025 Question: According to international table tennis rules, how many ping-pong balls of 40mm diameter would you need to gather together to weigh exactly 27 grams (1oz)? Answer: Ten