The staccato of plastic meeting wooden table and rubber-clad paddle in rapid succession filled the Clifton Town Hall as little orange balls whizzed back and forth, competitors across a range of ages and skill levels vying for the title of Ping Pong Champion.

Saturday, Feb. 6 marked the town’s second annual Ping Pong Tournament. Clifton resident and one of the organizers of the event said last year, the Clifton Betterment Association was looking for “something fun to do in the wintertime” that would also be a vehicle for bringing the town together during the doldrums of winter.

“There are different levels of players, and it’s something everyone can do,” said Strang. “It’s a community activity that’s fun for different ages. It’s proved to be all those things.”

Categories for this year’s tournament included Kids Under 12, ages 12-14, 15-17, Adults for Fun and Adults Intermediate/Advanced. In all, 46 players registered prior to the event, Strang said.

Graham Milne has lived in Clifton for three and a half years but this was his first outing for Ping Pong. He won three matches but lost in the final of the Adults for Fun category to Herndon resident Kyle Rodgers, a Langley graduate who recently finished college.

“It’s been great, good fun,” Milne said. “Clifton is an amazing community -- it’s small, everyone knows everyone, it reminds me of my home country, England.”

Rodgers’ mother Cathy grew up in Clifton. “We come to the cafe in town, for Clifton Day and to visit my old house,” she said. “It’s so quaint here, everyone’s so friendly. It still feels so homey.”

Getting residents out of their historic homes and into workout gear is the goal of Get Fit Clifton, a wellness initiative started by the Clifton Betterment Association late in 2015. The Ping Pong tournament falls under their umbrella of fitness classes and demonstrations, and healthy eating and cooking workshops.

“The program launched in November 2014 with a two-mile group walk through the Webb Nature Sanctuary and Eight-Acre Park,” Lynne Strang said in an email. “Since then, we've had several more group walks, a yoga demonstration and, of course, the ping pong tournament.”