Umpiring decision related to conditions of play

Chris Knowles Asked 3 months ago

Hi,

Sorry about the long question but -

I was umpiring a match (in a regulated tournament) in which a player hits a return ball against their opponent. However it does not land on the opponents side of the table and the point is given to the opponent (based on -'2.10.1.4 if the ball passes over his or her court or beyond his or her end line without 
touching his or her court, after being struck by an opponent').

The player immediately said the shot/rally should be called a let and shows me his bat surface which has a small mark indicating that the ball was damp (sweat/water).

Should the umpire give the point to the opponent or call a let?

There was definitely a mark on the bat and a clear indication that the ball was damp however the point had been concluded and it was not obvious to the umpire that there was a 'disturbance to the conditions of play' whilst the ball was in play (reference rule 2.9.2.4 because the conditions of play are disturbed in a way which could affect the outcome of the rally). 

Curiously the ball didn't appear to just drop off the bat as usual with a damp ball/rubber but went over the end of the table of the opponents court suggesting that any moisture didn't have that much effect on the shot. If the ball had died off the players bat onto the table or into the net I might have called a let assuming I considered it was caused by the damp ball and not a result of a mistake by the player. However, the player certainly considered his shot was affected by the conditions of the ball.