Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin had Otago men's singles champion Ben Duffy on the hop. Mr Chin was all concentration and his hard-hitting moves worked a treat.
Otago coach Wang Qi and Mr Duffy showed the crowd how fast and exciting the sport could be.
Mr Duffy jumped on to seats and planter boxes while he continued to hit the ball right on the mark.
Meanwhile, the crowd of about 50 was discussing table tennis tactics, something they probably never planned for their Tuesday lunch break.
Mr Duffy said he organised the event to attract new players and bring a "fever" to the city.
It was organised by the Otago Table Tennis Association and Sport Otago to attract new players to the sport and prove it is a sport for all ages and abilities.
In Otago, the youngest table tennis player is a 3-year-old and the oldest is in their 80s.
