The Harvard table tennis team toppled Salem State, regarded as the number one team in New England, 11-7, last weekend.

The tournament games went at a fast and furious pace. Rallies rarely went beyond four or five hits, as both teams brought to the tournament an aggressive and smashing approach to table tennis.

Jeff Golan, number one on the Harvard team and formerly ranked number two in New England, managed only one win. However, Anders Carlsson and Shang Lai Kung provided the Crimson with victory edge by winning two of their three close matches.

Kung, a minus 14 handicapper, was the only player to showcase a defense-minded style. Much like Bobby Riggs, Kung chopped, lobbed, and "out-Englished" his opponents with an expertly applied backspin.

Despite the 5-4 victory, the first division -- Golan, Carlsson, and Kung -- were all soundly defeated by Salem State's number one player, Mike Allen.

Minus 36 Handicap

Allen, a minus 36 handicap player who practiced 45 hours each week this summer, used the Chinese penholder grip--thumb and index finger wrapped around the handle, with three fingers behind the paddle. His quick offensive strokes symied the Crimson.

"Allen is such an intense, mental player," said captain Carlsson, who lost to Allen 21-17, and 21-19. "He was ready to top-spin smash the ball each time so that you have to serve fast or hit to his backhand just to get a fair chance at him."

Besides Allen, Salem State featured a woman player in its second division. Harvard's second trio--Rick Climan, Cass Sunstein, and Don Bales -- fared well against the men, but not against the woman and won, 6-3. Each were expected to lose to Salem's John Blois. But when Crimson second division ace Climan faced Sue Therrien, no one expected her to prevail.

Strategy Off

"Our strategy was a bit off in all the games today," Carlsson explained afterwards. "In Miss Therrien's particular case, Rick played her too fast which is conducive to a lot of costly, foolish errors."

Carlsson was nevertheless satisfied with his team's performance and expects the same team that produced last year's 3-3-1 record to improve.

"The league will be incrdibly tough this year, "Carlsson said at the team's practice site, the Currier Fishbowl. "MIT and Brown will be the class of the league. And to show you how serious people are beginning to take this sport, Yale sent two players to table tennis camp in Sweden."