Chester Barnes' custom square racket is not what made him unique, but it is an emblematic example of his eccentricity. Now both have been laid to rest, as we learn the sad news of Barnes' passing on Thursday at age 74. Born in Essex, England in 1947, George Barnes was nicknamed "Chester" by his father in honor of Charlie Chester, a comedian spanning the ages of radio and television. The name stuck, proving prescient as George "Chester" Barnes would grow to be an intergenerational entertainer. At age 12, when Barnes was too short to play snooker in the local game hall, his father consoled him with a game of table tennis. He took to it immediately, flourishing under the coaching of English champion Ian Harrison. Experimenting with racket shapes and the novel "looping" technique emerging from Asia, Barnes stood out in Europe with his signature square bat and rounded forehand topspin trajectories. More than a novelty, Barnes' rectilinear racket ran roughshod over his native island. In 1963, shortly before his sixteenth birthday, Barnes won his first national championship. To date, he is still youngest ever English champion, a feat unlikely to be excelled. Barnes won the next two national championships for good measure, the finals broadcast on BBC. Barnes was a household name in England, and his custom square bat and accessories sold briskly. In 1967, he reached his peak world ranking at #16. Despite his success, or perhaps in part because of it, Barnes frequently clashed with the stodgy old guard of the England Table Tennis Association. Barnes was fond of pulling stunts like publicly threatening to quit the national team if he was not ranked England's #1 player, knowing full well he had already secured the position. Barnes' cheeky interviews attracted attention and ruffled feathers in equal measure, often leading to his tacitly punitive omission from the national team. Barnes became known as "the George Best of table tennis," reminiscent of the charismatic Irish soccer star. American sports fans might find a more familiar comparison with another "bad boy" athlete, one John McEnroe. After a roller-coaster career, Barnes retires from competitive table tennis in 1975. He would occasionally break out the old square bat for the odd exhibition here and there, but generally preferred to work with quadrupedal athletes. Barnes found a second sporting career as an assistant to horse trainer Martin Pipe. "He was never short of a laugh or a joke," wrote Pipe after his protégé's passing. Indeed, this is the portrait which emerges from all who remember him. As his former table tennis rival, colleague and exhibition partner Trevor Taylor reflected, "He was a real character and had a wicked sense of humour... he was a brilliant exhibition player and he learned to become a comedian." Fulfilling his father's prophecy, "Chester" Barnes had become the Charlie Chester of table tennis. Like a square peg in a world of round holes, Chester Barnes never quite fit in to the establishment. Like his square bat in a realm redundant with round rackets, this irreverent champion will forever be remembered as one of a kind.

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