Table tennis first started in England during the late nineteenth century. The players during that time were middle-class Victorians who drew inspiration from lawn tennis. A champagne cork served as the ball, cigar boxes as bats, and books as the net in the game. At that time, the sport was seen as a trivial diversion for the upper crust at the time. It was Englishman David Foster, in 1890, who was drawn to it by its widespread popularity, that established the first game of tennis on a table. In 1897, the first national championships were held in Hungary. In the year 1901, the first celluloid ball, which was much lighter than rubber balls, was brought by James Gibb from a tour to the United States. In the succeeding year, 1902, the first rubberized pimples and rubberized bats were developed by a British bat enthusiast named E. C. Gould.