In his day job , he is well versed at telling his sidekick Watson just how 'elementary ' things can be . But Benedict Cumberbatch found the shoe was very much on the other foot when he tried his hand at table tennis yesterday . The Sherlock star was challenged to a game by Chinese ping pong legend Deng Yaping while hosting the Laureus World Sports Awards in Shanghai , it was reported by People 's Daily Online . But despite using a wooden spoon to give the actor a fighting chance , Deng still won the match . Here 's how it 's done , detective : Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is challenged to a table tennis match by Chinese ping pong legend Deng Yaping , who beat him despite playing with a wooden spoon . Cumberbatch is a huge celebrity in China because of the popularity of the Sherlock TV series and his skit with Deng went down a storm with the audience . Opening the sketch , the star says : ' I 'm getting a little nervous because I ca n't help noticing that there 's a ping pong table behind us . ' Turning to Deng , he says : 'You want me to play you ? ' She replies : 'How about that ? ' to which Cumberbatch gasps : 'Oh my God ! ' Deng , one of the world 's most successful players , at first offers the star a jumbo-sized paddle in an attempt to ease his nerves . But politely declining , he says : ' I 'm a bit better than that . ' The Sherlock Star was challenged to a game while hosting the Laureus World Sports Awards in Shanghai . Level playing field : Deng , one of the world 's most successful players , eventually plays with a normal paddle . She then hands him a normal-sized paddle , but Cumberbatch still fears he will be beaten . As a final option , she picks up a wooden spoon , adding : 'My mum uses this for cooking . ' The actor jokes : 'And you 're going to beat me with it ? That 's what my mother used to say to me ! ' The pair have three rallies which end with Cumberbatch hitting it into the net twice and shooting it long the third time . They then have one final rally with Deng using a normal paddle , which she finishes with a smash , with the TV feed edited to show the ball bouncing out of the building and then back into his mouth .
Ping pong legend Deng challenged actor to game at sports awards . Deng Yaping offers star a jumbo-sized bat to give him fighting chance during skit . Instead , she picks up a wooden spoon that 'my mother uses for cooking ' Actor jokes : 'You 're going to beat me with it ? My mother said that to me ! '