The American tennis star Big Bill Tilden served a tennis ball at 263 kilometres per hour in 1931. The Australian cricketer Jeff Thomson bowled one delivery against the West Indies at just over 160 kilometres per hour in 1975. Table tennis balls have been measured at speeds of 170 kilometres per hour. But none of these exceed the speeds reached by the ball in pelota. This is a game that originated in Europe in the Middle Ages. It resembles squash only it’s much faster. Pelota players wear a long curved wickerwork basket strapped to the hand, which they use to throw the ball against the walls of the court as hard as they can. In 1979 a pelota ball was clocked at 302 kilo metres per hour. Even more amazing is that another player had to try to return it.
Picture Credit : Google
