Ping Pong

Like Young@Heart (2006), Stephen Walker's poignant study of a geriatric choir, this introduction to the fiercely competitive world of veterans table tennis proves that age is just a number if you retain a zest for life and the will to win. The primary focus is on Brits Les D'Arcy (89) and Terry Donlon (81), who have both overcome serious health issues to stay at the top of their game. They travel to Inner Mongolia for the 2010 world championships, where fellow octogenarians, blowsy Texan Lisa Modlich and feisty German Ursula Bihl, prove equally committed - as does plucky 100-year-old Aussie Dorothy DeLow. Director Hugh Hartford does a decent job of profiling the contenders, but the actual game coverage is perfunctory and confused. Nonetheless, the doughty spirit of D'Arcy and Donlon shines through, as they keep on defying the odds to play another day.