Embedded Files
CI Championships & Inter Insulars
Thanks to Jersey Table Tennis for hosting a hard-fought and competitive weekend of action. Full reports, results and photos are available here
Men's Singles: Garry Dodd
Women's Singles: Hannah Silcock
Men's Doubles: Luc Miller & Leon Pierre
Women's Doubles: Kathryn Silcock & Hannah Silcock
Mixed Doubles: Luc Miller & Hannah Silcock
Under 11 Open Singles: Rory Quinn
Under 13 Open Singles: Jonty Porter
Under 15 Boys Singles: Theo De Poerck
Under 15 Girls Singles: Ella Devlin
Under 18 Men's Singles: John Le Fondre
Under 18 Women's Singles: Hannah Silcock
Under 18 Open Doubles: John Le Fondre & Hannah Silcock
Under 21 Open Singles: Hannah Silcock
Restricted Singles: Paul Hainsworth
Veterans Singles: Gregorz Frankowski
Women's Veterans Singles: Kay Chivers
Veterans Doubles: Mariusz Cieminski & Gregorz Frankowski
Over 50 Singles: Phil Ogier
Over 60 Singles: Eugene Ellis
Over 70 Singles: Keith Opie
Aggregate:
Jersey 92-38 Guernsey
Morning session:
Under 11: JSY 10-0 GSY
Under 15: JSY 8-2 GSY
Under 18W: JSY 10-0 GSY
Under 21: JSY 9-1 GSY
Restricted: JSY 10-0 GSY
Over 40: JSY 8-2 GSY
Afternoon session:
Under 13: JSY 8-2 GSY
Under 18M : JSY 9-1 GSY
Over 50: JSY 5-5 GSY
Over 60: JSY 2-8 GSY
Over 70: JSY 3-7 GSY
Evening session:
Men: JSY 9-1 GSY
Women: JSY 1-9 GSY
Friendly:
Under 15: JSY 6-4 GSY
Divisional Championships
Results
Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4
Division 1
With a large number of players due to be in action against Jersey in the Channel Islands Championships and Inter-Insulars next weekend, it was a good final opportunity for them to obtain some big match table time. This season ending event for the top flight has been extremely fruitful for Lawrence Stacey, who had emerged victorious in 5 of the prior 6 years. His consecutive run of 5 titles ended at the hands of twin Joshua in a close 5-set semi-final last year, however the Division 1 averages winner roared back to winning ways on Wednesday evening, the top seed coming through over 2nd seed and record 11-time former winner Phil Ogier in a hard fought 4 set encounter in the showpiece final. 21 players contested the initial group stages of the event and due to the eligibility rules, it resulted in most groups containing more than 1 Division 1 player.
Two of these groups contained a trio of solely Division 1 entrants and despite some close matches, the seeded players did emerge as group winners. Ryan Bichard seeded 3 had tough clashes against the highest unseeded player, Jamie Ferbrache and Sam Clark. Whilst he cantered to a straight sets win over Clark, he had a stiff test from Ferbrache, eventually coming through a decisive 5th set 11-7. Ferbrache dispatched Clark in straight sets to qualify as runner-up. Paul Hainsworth was seeded 4 and he battled through 2 tough matches to top Group D. His first win came over Connor Powell over 4 close sets, but he needed to dig deep in his next clash against Steve Ozanne. Ozanne started slowly before putting himself firmly into the ascendancy at 2-1 up. Hainsworth regrouped and managed to fight through, taking the final set 11-6. Ozanne bounced back well from the defeat to overcome Powell in straight sets.
There were no other issues for the other seeded players, who all qualified as group winners with little issues. The biggest surprise result came in Group G where Division 2 player Kennedy Chepkor did excellently to dispatch the tricky Division 1 player Craig Dunning in 4 sets. Chepkor qualified as runner-up to 7th seed Jez Powell, who won their clash in straight sets. The knockout rounds included some more tasty affairs and none more so than 6 th seed Liam Robilliard against Nye Matthew. Robilliard was in trouble when trailing 2-1, however he snuck through the 4th set 15-13, before edging a similarly tight decider 11-9.
On an adjacent table, Hainsworth was doing battle with Ferbrache, in another tight tussle. Ferbrache started well and had a narrow lead in the 2nd set, having comfortably won the opener 11-6. Hainsworth managed to pinch the 2nd 13-11, before winning similarly tight 3 rd and 4th sets by scores of 12-10 and 16-14.
Bichard ended the evening of Ozanne in straight sets, whilst Powell defeated Joseph Bourgaize in a close straight sets win. Champion Stacey was a comfortable straight sets winner over Powell in the Quarters, a feat mirrored by finalist Ogier over southpaw Andy Gill. Hainsworth was involved in a close match with Robilliard which saw match points come and go for both players. Having battled back from 2-1 and 9-7 down, Robilliard had his chances in the deciding end, but Hainsworth just managed to clinch it 14-12. The surprise result of the night was however taking place on table 2 between 5th seed Matthew Casey and Bichard. Despite losing the opening set, Casey bounced back excellently, winning in 4 sets, with the third set triumph of 13-11 being pivotal to this success. Casey was unable to continue with this strong momentum as he was ousted in straight sets by Ogier in the first semi-final. Hainsworth had his moments against Stacey in the other semi-final, as he took the second set 11-9 and produced some strong points during the clash, however Stacey had too much and won the final 2 sets by matching 11-8 scores. The opening set of the final was a tough one, but it saw Ogier battle through 15-13. Stacey increased his level well to win the next 2 sets 11-6, before securing another title in this event, 13-11 the score in the concluding 4th set.
Division 2
Island Ladies champion Kay Chivers claimed the Division 2 title for a record 9th time, but the veteran did not have an easy route to victory. There was a surprise in the group stage as 2nd seed Andy Ferbrache suffered a shock defeat to 3rd Division junior Micah Cohen, thereby only gaining runner-up spot in Group B. 8th seed Terry Trustum suffered a similar fate, losing out to unseeded Brandon Ferbrache on a 3-way countback in Group G, only progressing on games ratio.
Ferbrache rallied well from the early setback and did well to overcome dangerous 6th seed Cameron Powell in a knockout match that went the distance, while 3rd seed Kenedy Chepkor expertly saved 2 match points in scraping past unseeded Ben Foote, 12-10 in the 5th set. In the quarter final, Chivers ended Brandon Ferbrache’s fine run in 4 close games, while Ferbrache did well to overcome recent Under-18 island champion Luke Evans in another 5th set nailbiter. His run ultimately ended to Chivers in the semi-final, where the veteran’s error-free pushing game proved a winning formula against her opponent’s open attacking loops. In the other semi-final, Cohen’s superb run was ended by Chepkor, with the 15-year old unable to return his opponent’s fierce forehand drives. The final was more one-sided than many expected as Chivers’ experience and steady play told once again against a more expansive opponent, as she came through 11-8, 11-6, 11-8.
Division 3
Micah Cohen has dominated Division 3 this season and has also impressed whilst reserving in Division 2. The Division 3 Averages and league title winner lost just 1 of his 84 singles matches during the season and he also won over 70% of the 48 singles matches he contested in the 2nd. It thus came as no surprise that last seasons Division 4 Championships winner strolled to the Division 3 title.
The largest surprise of the group stages saw 4th Division Junior Olivia Gilbert qualify through a tricky Group G including 7th seed Ken Falla and fellow Whistlers stalwart Ian Fitchet. Despite losing to Falla in 4 sets, she played well to edge past Fitchet 13-11 in the 4th set of their clash. Her evening ended in the Last 16 to eventual finalist and 5th seed Richard Wellfair, however she competed well here too, only losing 14-12 in the 4th set of their encounter. Gilbert’s Division 4 team-mate and recent Primary Schools International Girls Singles bronze medallist Isla Bretel went one better during her Last 16 clash as she caused the upset of the competition when she fought back superbly from a 2-0 deficit to dispatch 3rd seed Steve Martin over the full 5 set distance.
The higher seeded players expectedly navigated through the quarter final stage, however Wellfair needed to battle back from 2-1 down to end the strong run of Bretel in 5 sets. Wellfair’s tough evening continued in the semi-finals where he was up against 2nd seed Shaun Mosley. He saw himself staring down the barrel when trailing 2-1 once more, but again he showed strong resolve to win over the full 5 set distance. Cohen on the other hand had his first real test of the night, against 4th seed Sekao Nwako. Nwako managed to take the 3rd set and was threatening a comeback, Cohen managing to conclude proceedings 11-9 in the 4th.
The final was ultimately a one-sided affair with Cohen’s strong defensive abilities at the fore proving too much for his Panthers colleague Wellfair. The first set was fairly close and saw Cohen win 11-8, however he ran away with it after that and won the following sets by matching 11-5 scores.
Division 4
Division 4 saw a smaller entry than the other divisions, but the entry was packed with possible winners. After some tight group games, Thea Cummins overcame fellow junior Ella Le Ber in 3 lose games, while another recent Primary Schools medallist, Olivia Gilbert, overcame Simon Carter.
Cummins’ run was ended by Division 4 league averages winner, Rolands Tracums, while Isla Bretel narrowly beat Gilbert 3-1. The final was an excellent display of attacking play from both athletes, with in-form Bretel’s forehands proving particularly effective against her more experienced opponent. Ultimately this tactic paid off, as the 11-year-old won 11-6, 11-7, 14-16, 11-7 to cap off a successful first league season for the junior star.
Medal Success at Primary Schools International
Guernsey's under-12 table tennis team celebrated an unprecedented success at the Primary Schools International held in Cardiff last weekend, returning home with a historic haul of medals.
The annual competition features some of the brightest young table tennis stars from the Home Nations and the Sarnians showed that they can compete at this level, with a superb silver medal for the girl’s team, as well as individual bronze medals for Luke Evans and Isla Bretel. Indeed, the last medals won by Guernsey came back in 2012, when a boys team featuring the likes of Ben Foss and Ryan Bichard won bronze medal and individually in 2007 when a young Alice Loveridge was starting out.
The team event, held on Friday and Saturday, saw the boys’ team suffer a narrow 7-3 loss to Scotland, with Evans excelling in his singles matches and partnering with Daniel Martin for a strong doubles win. Despite defeats against Ireland and Wales, Evans continued to impress with key individual victories, while Sam Cox secured an important win against Jersey's James Cleverley.
Meanwhile the girls team shook off an early loss to the dominant England team, to record victories against Scotland and Wales, both 7-3, followed by an emphatic 9-1 score against Jersey to seal an historic silver medal.
Sunday saw the start of the individual event and again the girls shone, with Isla Bretel, Thea Cummins and Olivia Gilbert progressing from the group stage into the main draw, with Gilbert particularly impressive in coming back from 2-0 behind to beat Scotland’s Lucy Stakim in five sets.
In the boys’ event, Evans shook off an early loss to England’s Zach Sarri to win his remaining two matches and also progress.
In the knockout stage, Cummins was defeated by Scotland’s excellent Anne Chan while Gilbert fought hard but was narrowly ousted by Gracie David from Wales. By virtue of winning her group, Bretel was afforded a bye into the quarter-final, where she faced Scotland’s Maria Cassino, who had defeated her in the team match 24 hours earlier. However, the 10-year-old produced a flawless performance full of attacking verve and control to dominate the match, winning 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 and progressing to the semi-final. This proved a tougher task as she met top seed and eventual champion Cindy Xiao from England, and despite continuing her fine forehands, went down 3-0.
On the adjacent table, Evans was also playing his semi-final and was on his own hot streak, beating Jersey’s Jonty Porter, who had beaten him in the team event 3-1, and Ireland’s tricky pimpled bat player Andrew Lowe 3-0. Saisurya Kumar was his semi-final opponent and the England junior quickly opened up a two set lead. From this point, Evans changed his tactics, looping well off both wings to trouble his opponent, claiming the next two games to set up a decider. Ultimately it was a cruel end as 4 unreturnable net cords and edge balls ultimately swung the match the way of Kumar 11-8.
To top off the day, Megan Robinson played well to progress to the final of the girls’ consolation event, where she narrowly lost to Pollyanna Protheroe from Wales in 5 sets.
Island Championships
Finals Night Summary Results:
Under-11:
Morgan Finn 4-1 Perran Lomax
Under-13:
Luke Evans 4-0 Isla Bretel
Under-15 Boys:
Luke Evans 4-3 Cameron Powell
Under-15 Girls:
Keira Eldridge 4-0 Thea Cummins
Under-18 Boys:
Luke Evans 4-1 Oskar Cleal
Under-18 Girls:
Keira Eldridge 4-0 Isla Bretel
Under-18 Doubles:
Oskar Cleal/Cameron Powell 4-1 Barnaby Groves/Luke Evans
Under-21:
Oskar Cleal 4-0 Micah Cohen
Men's Singles:
Garry Dodd 4-0 Lawrence Stacey
Women's Singles:
Kay Chivers 4-0 Becks O'Keefe
Men's Doubles:
Garry Dodd/Josh Butler 4-2 Josh Stacey/Lawrence Stacey
Women's Doubles:
Kay Chivers/Marli Barker 4-0 Charlotte Casey/Paula Le Ber
Mixed Doubles
Garry Dodd/Marli Barker 4-1 Matt Casey/Charlotte Casey
Restricted Singles
Paul Hainsworth 4-3 Matt Casey
Veterans Open Singles:
Phil Ogier 4-0 Jez Powell
Ladies Veterans Singles:
Kay Chivers 4-0 Becks O'Keefe
Veterans Open Doubles:
Phil Ogier/Jez Powell 4-1 Jamie Ferbrache/Andy Gill
Over-50 Open Singles:
Phil Ogier 4-0 Nye Matthew
Over-60 Open Singles:
Mark Pipet 4-0 Craig Dunning
Over-70 Open Singles:
Keith Opie 4-0 Brian Ferbrache
Lions Novelty Doubles
Andy Gill once again proved he is becoming somewhat of a doubles specialist as he teamed up with Simon Carter to win the Lions Novelty Doubles for the 3rd time in five years.
The tournament, first played in 1975, is a unique event in the calendar whereby players enter individually but are paired up with another entrant based on ranking, with high-ranked players paired with those lower down the list. As a result, it produces some unorthodox combinations of players of different styles and abilities, producing plenty of close and competitive matches.
Indeed, Gill and Carter went the full distance in both their group stage matches, scraping past Division 3 pairing Shaun Mosley and Maija Hansen as well as Jamie Ferbrache and previous winner Marion Phillips, both in 5 sets.
In the quarterfinals they came through a tricky encounter against defenders Derek Cave and Micah Cohen, also in 5 sets, while junior pairing Ollie Sparks and Keira Eldridge defeated top-ranked Matt Casey with Judah Nwako, 11-9 in a pulsating final set. Both pairings had more straightforward semi final performances as they surged past Alexis Aquino with Sekao Nwako and Kenedy Chepkor and Olivia Gilbert respectively.
By the final, Gill and Carter had gelled well, with the Division 1 player’s familiar left-handed attacking top spins well complimented by Carter’s steady style of play. Sparks and Eldridge did well to claim the 2nd end, but their opponent’s consistency and extra spin ultimately proved too much as they went down 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6.
League Presentations
The Doric Insurance Senior Leagues have been concluded for the 2024/25 season, with the annual presentation evenings held this week. Thanks to Peter Vivian for taking the photos and congratulations to the award winners:
Division 1:
Winners: Whistlers A (Joe Bourgaize, Josh Stacey, Matt Casey
Runner-up: Whistlers B (Dawn Morgan, Lawrence Stacey, Oskar Cleal)
Averages Winner: Lawrence Stacey
Averages Runner-up: Joshua Stacey
Players' Player of the Year: Oskar Cleal
Division 2:
Winners: Lions F (Caden Brouard, James Crocker, Joe Ingrouille)
Runner-up: Whistlers D (Henri Whitehorne, Kay Chivers, Keith Opie)
Averages Winner: Caden Brouard
Averages Runner-up: Mark Pipet
Players' Player of the Year: Luke Evans
Division 3:
Winners: Ravenscroft Panthers D (Micah Cohen, Shaun Mosley, Steve Martin)
Runner-up: Ravenscroft Panthers E (Richard Wellfair, Vicki Stacey, Xavier Ingrouille)
Averages Winner: Micah Cohen
Averages Runner-up: Shaun Mosley
Players' Player of the Year: Xavier Ingrouille
Division 4:
Winners: Ravenscroft Panthers G (Isla Bretel, Olivia Gilbert, Thea Cummins)
Runner-up: Lions K (Diane Le Page, Rolands Tracums, Val Guilbert
Averages Winner: Rolands Tracums
Averages Runner-up: Thea Cummins
Players' Player of the Year: Ella Le Ber
Collenette Jones Junior Banded Tournament
It was an afternoon of high quality action as the final Collenette Jones Junior Banded Tournament took place this afternoon. Well done to the award winners:
Band 1 Winner: Oskar Cleal,
Runner-up: Barnaby Groves
Band 2 Winner: Keira Eldridge,
Runner-up: Thea Cummins
Band 3 Winner: Jack Dorey,
Runner-up: Morgan Finn
Player of the Day: Xavier Ingrouille
GTTA Individual Handicap Singles
Micah Cohen is the new name on the GTTA Individual Handicap trophy as the 14-year-old continued his fine run of recent form with a trophy win, beating Maija Hansen in the final.
The annual competition attracted its usual healthy entry from across the local table tennis leagues, with many of the club’s social and junior players competing against the cream of the top division. The competition features a format whereby matches are played best-of-three up to 21 points, incorporating handicaps to account for differences in skill levels.
Cohen was drawn in a difficult group, featuring Green player Josh Stacey and another fast-improving junior, Olivia Gilbert. While he overcame a 12-point deficit to defeat Gilbert, Stacey used his tactical nous to good effect to come through 27-25, 24-22. Division 4 averages leader Rolands Tracums was also in good form as he defeated in-form Ollie Sparks and Simon Carter in 3 sets.
After two knockout rounds, the quarter finals still featured players from across the GTTA leagues, as Craig Dunning won the all-Division 1 clash with Jez Powell, while Juliette Yeaman ended the fine run of Division 4’s Frank Coppolo in straight sets. By this time, Hansen was coming into form as she made light work of a 6-point handicap to out-attack Derek Cave and then played some excellent smashes and forehand loops to counter the defensive play of Dunning in the semi-final. On the next table, Cohen got the better of Yeaman 21-14, 21-9 to set up an intriguing final.
However it proved a somewhat cagier affair between the two Division 3 regulars as both players initially tested each other’s durability with some extended pushing rallies. Hansen opened up effectively and caused her opponent some problems, but ultimately the defensive prowess of Cohen came through strongly 21-18, 22-20.
Jack Carrington Singles
Paul Hainsworth emerged triumphant in the Jack Carrington Singles tournament, ending a 16-year drought by overcoming a robust challenge from Dan Collenette in the final.
The tournament, restricted to players who have not represented Guernsey in the prestigious Green Trophy Inter-Insular event over the past two years, saw a strong field of 37 competitors vying for the title, despite the absence of the ineligible Ben Foss, Joshua Stacey, Lawrence Stacey and Ryan Bichard.
The seeded players proceeded as expected out of the group stages with few issues. Division 2 regular Terry Trustum narrowly missed out on qualifying from his group after fiercely contested matches against 11th seed Barnaby Groves and improving veteran Martin Sarre, both of which ended in narrow five-set losses.
The last 16 threw up some intriguing clashes, with Sam Clark showcasing excellent form as he defeated 6th seed Steve Ozanne in straight games, while Cameron Powell continued his good recent run by defeating Sarre 3-1. Clark's streak was halted by Jamie Ferbrache, who continued his hot form from a successful weekend at the Veterans British League. Meanwhile, Hainsworth comfortably dispatched defender Craig Dunning in straight sets.
The match of the round was undoubtedly between 2nd seed Matt Casey and Groves, as the 14-year-old sought to repeat a recent league victory with another upset against the 2021 Jack Carrington champion. The match was a tight contest, with both players tentatively seeking to force errors, but ultimately, Casey's greater match experience proved decisive as he claimed his place in the semi-final 8-11, 12-10, 17-15, 9-11, 11-9.
In the semi-finals, Hainsworth started strongly and, despite dropping the second game, secured a four-game victory over Ferbrache. Collenette, on the other hand, displayed his attacking prowess in a high-quality five-set win over Casey.
The final was also a close affair, with both players balancing the need to attack and at sometimes play conservatively, although Collenette claimed the 2nd game, Hainsworth dug in to win 11-7, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9 and pick up the trophy for the first time since 2009.
Veterans British League
Guernsey’s debut season within the Veterans British Club league concluded in sensational fashion
this weekend, where the Division 5 (Group 2) title was achieved. The Island’s leading Veterans
exhibited some impressive play at the Draycott and Long Eaton Table Tennis Club in the East
Midlands, their 4 dominant victories securing promotion to a higher division next season.
Phil Ogier, Jamie Ferbrache and Steve Ozanne all competed in the first weekend of action, however
Jez Powell made his debut in the competition this time out, replacing Nye Matthew, who had played
in the first round of fixtures way back in October. The successful weekend’s action saw the team
finish impressively with an unbeaten season.
Saturday’s action was thick and fast as it saw 3 matches contested. There were no signs of rust or a
slow start as Smash Table Tennis Kettering were emphatically whitewashed 6-0 by the Sarnian
contingent in the morning. Powell was straight out of the blocks with a strong straight sets win over
Barry Thompson and he followed up by dispatching Terence Clifton in 5 sets. Ferbrache overcame
Clifton in 4 sets and Andy Logan in straight sets, whilst Steve Ozanne defeated Logan in 4 sets and
Thompson in straight sets to conclude proceedings.
Junior British League
Guernsey’s leading Junior Boys table tennis players concluded an extremely successful debut season in the Youth British Club Leagues this weekend.
The competition, previously known as the Junior British League, had not been attended by Guernsey for several years, however the return to action was fruitful as it saw Guernsey return as medallists following a strong weekend which led to a second-placed finish. Given the system works on ranking points to determine the structures of the Divisions, the vital points gained by the players this season should lead to promotion next season.
The team to compete this weekend was Oskar Cleal and Barnaby Groves, who had also competed in the opening round of fixtures, as well as Luke Evans, who was making his debut in the competition.
The side went into the weekend in 2nd position in Division 9, the entry level Division of the leagues, knowing that a top 4 finish was likely – the league then splits into a top half and bottom half to determine the final positions.
The first match of the weekend at the Draycott and Long Eaton Table Tennis Centre in Derby was against 7th placed Irish based side Dublin 1 and a 4-2 victory was achieved. Cleal made a fast start to the weekend and was unbeaten. He dispatched Connor Sheehan in 4 sets before earning an impressive straight sets win over the number 1 Daniel Patterson. Groves was ousted in 5 sets by Patterson in the match opener, but he overcame Jack O’Connell in the penultimate match to put the win in sight. Evans duly converted in the final game of the match, with a nice 4 set win over Sheehan. He had earlier been unfortunate not to get past O’Connell, with the Irish player battling back from 2-1 down to come through over the distance.
Joshua Stacey put an end to twin Lawrence’s dominant run of domestic titles on Monday evening, when he picked up his second Senior Open tournament of the season, the Lions Spot for Sport. Joshua’s victory was his third in this event in the last 5 seasons and denied twin Lawrence a hat-trick of titles this season, following his Whistlers Open Singles and Capelles Open Singles triumphs in November and January, respectively.
The final did see a repeat of those prior events with a battle between the siblings, with Joshua the stronger player on this occasion as he sealed the title courtesy of a 3-1 win.
There was a healthy entry of 37 players that comprised the initial group stages of the event, which saw all 12 seeded players navigate safely to the knockout rounds as group winners. This was however doubtful on a few occasions and none more so than in an extremely tough Group G, which was the only group to be made up entirely of Division 1 players. 6th seed Dan Collenette was immediately on the ropes when he was defeated in 5 sets in the opening match by upcoming junior Barnaby Groves, however he put himself back in contention of qualification thanks to a strong straight sets win over Nye Matthew. Groves came remarkably close to topping the group, only to be edged out 14-12 in the deciding 5th end of his encounter with Ravenscroft Panthers A team-mate Matthew. The result on countback was that Collenette topped the group, with Groves as runner-up.
On an adjacent table, 7th seed Jamie Ferbrache was also embroiled in a tough match against the tricky 2nd Division player Kennedy Chepkor. Ferbrache managed to weather the storm as he overturned a 2-1 deficit to come through 11-9 in the decider. The final seed to have a tough test was 12th seed Craig Dunning, who had a very close contest with Martin Sarre. Dunning comfortably took the opener 11-4, however when he was edged out 15-13 in the 2nd end, there was all to play for in the deciding third end, due to this being the sole group containing 4 players. The decider was incredibly even closer than the 2nd, with Sarre’s strong forehand attacking strokes causing Dunning issues. Dunning however did just enough and eventually squeezed past by the lengthy 18-16 scoreline.
Despite there only being 8 matches contested at the Last 32 stage, this did see a number of close matches, as well as a surprise victory.
The surprise victory came from 2nd Division junior Cameron Powell, who did superbly to dispatch 10th seeded Division 1 player Joseph Bourgaize in 4 sets with an assured performance. In the close matches, 11th seed Sam Clark battled back from 2-0 down to defeat Sarre, Chepkor withstood a fightback from Terry Trustum to come through in 5 sets, whilst Brandon Ferbrache fought back from 2-1 down to oust fellow Ravenscroft player Ben Foote, 14-12 the score in the deciding end.
The Last 16 saw some well contested matches, however only one went the distance and it saw Ferbrache defeat Andy Gill in 5 sets. The round also saw an impressive 4 set victory obtained by 9th seed Steve Ozanne over 5th seed Liam Robilliard, whilst the other battle between seeded players resulted in a 4-set win for Collenette over Clark.
The Quarter Finals thus largely contained the expected seeds and saw some interesting clashes. The closest saw 4th seed Paul Hainsworth come through a tough encounter with 6th seed Matthew Casey in 5 sets, the final set being narrowly won 13-11 at the 5th time of asking, with Casey having done well by saving match points from 8-10 down.
Champion Joshua defeated Collenette in 4 sets, Lawrence beat Ferbrache in straight sets, whilst Ogier defeated Lions B team-mate Ozanne in straight sets.
The first semi-final saw Lawrence come through against Hainsworth in 4 sets, however the match on the neighbouring table between Joshua and Ogier was a classic tussle, containing several exceptional rallies and shot making. Ogier has tested Stacey on each occasion they have played this season and once more he looked in a strong position, when opening up a 2-1 advantage. Stacey has however always managed to navigate his way past his elder opponent, and he was able to so once more here, powering through the final 2 sets 11-7, 11-6.
The final was a typically close and well contested clash, which saw all sets contested only settled by just 2 points. A key set was the 3rd, which saw Joshua open up a 2-1 lead when he snuck it 14-12, however Lawrence was in charge for large stages of the 4th set and it seemed that another deciding set was inevitable to decide proceedings between the pair. Joshua however battled well and managed to force his way back into the set and over the line, 11-9 the score that secured him another Spot for Sport crown.
Island Championships
The 2025 Island Championships take place between 28th March and 2nd April and entries are now open via the links below.
Fill out online and email to tournaments@gtta.org.uk
Print out and hand in to the tournament box at GTTA Centre
Collenette Jones Junior Banded Tournament
The GTTA Centre hosted an exciting weekend for young table tennis players, as 20 juniors competed in the second Collenette Jones Junior Banded Tournament of the season.
Band 1 saw a thrilling competition with Luke Evans securing the title. Barnaby Groves claimed the runner-up spot after a closely contested tie with Micah Cohen. Despite both winning four matches and losing one, Groves clinched victory in their final match with a score of 3–0, overcoming Cohen’s defensive prowess with a score of 11–7, 11–6, 11–8.
In Band 2, Olivia Gilbert emerged victorious, leaving Isla Bretel in second place. Their match was a crowd favourite, filled with long, explosive rallies and powerful forehands that had spectators on the edge of their seats. Gilbert eventually triumphed, taking the fifth and final set 16–14.
Band 3 unveiled a new rising star, 9-year-old Keil Butt, who demonstrated his recent improvment by winning all his matches, dropping only one set to newcomer Morgan Finn. Perran Lomax earned the runner-up position in this competitive bracket.
The Player of the Day award, was given to 11-year-old Thea Cummins for her positive, attacking play and excellent attitude in her Band 1 debut.
The next junior tournament is scheduled for Saturday, 15th March, promising another day of high-energy table tennis action.
Channel Islands Top 12
Jersey's Chris Wheeler has won the Channel Islands Top 12 tournament, remaining unbeaten. Leon Pierre was runner-up with Lawrence Stacey in 3rd. Full results to follow.
Qualified players:
Guernsey
Lawrence Stacey, Joshua Stacey, Phil Ogier, Jamie Ferbrache, Matthew Stubbington, Oskar Cleal
Jersey
Chris Wheeler, Leon Pierre, Chris Morshead, Alfie Sutherland, John Le Fondre, William Cornthwaite
Capelles Ladies Handicap Singles
Rising junior talent Isla Bretel clinched the Capelles Ladies Handicap Singles title with a thrilling victory over Emily Gavey in a high-quality final. The event, the third instalment in the January Capelles series, boasts a roster of distinguished past winners, including Alice Edwards and Kay Chivers, in the first-to-21 handicap format.
The tournament witnessed some exciting matchups, with Whistlers F teammates Gavey and Keira Eldridge facing off in the round-robin group stage. Eldridge showcased resilience by recovering from a set down to win 22-20 in the decider. Meanwhile, Bretel overcame Ravenscroft Panthers G teammate Thea Cummins and advanced as group runner-up, despite a 2-0 loss to Megan Robinson.
The random draw pitted teammates against each other again in the semi-finals, where Gavey triumphed over Sian Craig, 2-1. Meanwhile Bretel fired some excellent attacking shots, making the most of her 9-point start to defeat Juliette Yeaman.
The final was a spectacular display of attacking play, with few defensive shots as both players hit the ball hard and true. Gavey took an early lead by winning the first game, but Bretel bounced back, utilising her 4-point start to claim the second game. The deciding game was intense and closely contested, but Bretel held her nerve to secure the victory with scores of 18-21, 21-10, 21-19.
Peter Powell & Becks O'Keefe Cups
15-year-old Oskar Cleal followed up on his recent impressive results in Division 1 of the Doric Senior Leagues by securing top spot in the Peter Powell Endeavour Cup. He successfully defended his title despite losing to 3rd place Cameron Powell in the third round.
An even tougher test was to come in round 6 for Cleal, as he came up against another in-form player, 11-year-old Luke Evans who was at that point unbeaten. Cleal remained composed and successfully navigated through the tricky clash, as there were some lengthy exchanges with both players controlling the ball well from their forehand side. Ultimately it was Cleal that had the extra speed and spin along with consistency during the leg and he came through 11-9, 11-4.
The players went into the final round knowing that they had no room for errors, and both needed to win their games to go on countback for first and second place.
Cleal was first up against Junior Top 12 Qualification winner Barnaby Groves and did well to win straight sets, with the only real danger coming in the 2nd, which he won 11-8. Evans came through his match against the improving Xavier Ingrouille. The tournament's highly competitive nature was apparent, as the small margin of difference in skill levels meant several matches went down to the wire.
In the equivalent girls’ event, Keira Eldridge showcased her recent improvement as she emerged victorious in the second Becks O’Keefe Cup. Eldridge claimed the title by defeating all her opponents, despite facing some tough, hard-fought matches throughout the event. The highlight of her journey came when she was 1-1 and trailing 2-10 against the fast and attacking 4th place contender Olivia Gilbert. Eldridge held her nerve and skillfully mixed up her shots to clinch an impressive comeback, winning the game 12-10.
The round robin system proved effective, with many matches going the distance and final positions determined by countback. Thea Cummins secured second place with 8 points, thanks to her head-to-head victory over Isla Bretel, who also finished with 8 points. Bretel settled for third place.
The Stacey twins' recent run of success in open table tennis tournaments shows no sign of stopping as Lawrence Stacey defeated his brother Josh to claim victory in the Capelles Open Singles tournament.
Following his triumphs in the Channel Islands Top 12 Qualifier and the Senior Group tournaments, Lawrence Stacey entered the Capelles event as the top seed. He breezed through the group stages with wins over Division 3 players Ken Falla and Keira Eldridge.
Not all seeded players had it all own way, however, as 5th seed Dan Collenette was defeated in the group by up-and-coming junior Barnaby Groves, while Oskar Cleal survived a difficult group, despite losing to 2nd Division Mark Fenwick in 5 sets.
Cleal, only 15 years old, used this setback as motivation, delivering a strong performance in subsequent matches. He defeated Joe Bourgaize 3-1 before narrowly losing to sixth seed Jamie Ferbrache 11-8 in a tight deciding set.
Indeed, by the quarter finals, there were very few one-sided matches as Division 1’s best players slugged it out, and it was difficult to predict a favourite at that stage. Matt Casey ended the run of Ferbrache with a fine 3-1 win, while Jez Powell played some intelligent shots to take a game off Lawrence Stacey before succumbing 3-1.
In the semi-finals, Lawrence saw off the fight of Casey with relative ease, while Josh Came through a 4-set encounter with multiple time previous winner Phil Ogier.
“It always goes to five” is a phrase frequently heard in the hall before the brother face off in a major final, due to their tendency to battle out some tight matches and this final was no exception.
Lawrence claimed the first set, but Josh bounced back with his trademark whipped backhands to take a 2-1 lead. Lawrence ensured the match went to a fifth and deciding set, where the key moment came at 8-8 with an extraordinary rally that drew loud applause from the supporters. Fuelled by the adrenaline of this moment, Lawrence closed out the match 11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8 to secure the title.
Ruth Vaudin and Andy Gill emerged victorious in the first GTTA tournament of 2025, securing the initial win in the Capelles series. They claimed the title by defeating Henri Whitehorne and Mark Fenwick in the final.
The latest edition of the Handicap Doubles drew a substantial entry of players, both young and old. The format involves individual entries, with participants randomly paired and their handicaps averaged out, following the classic ‘first to 21’ playing system.
The handicap system proved effective, as many group matches went the distance. Ken Falla and Micah Cohen breezed through their group with 2 wins but were then defeated by Erin Vaudin and Island player Josh Stacey, who looked like early favourites for the title. Ruth Vaudin and Gill were an example of 2 players at either end of the GTTA leagues, but a pair who gelled excellently together as they made best use of their +10 start in knocking out the dangerous junior pairing of Barnaby Groves and Cameron Powell. 2nd Division pair Whitehorne and Fenwick overcame a 16-point deficit to squeak past Division 4’s Frank Coppolo and Steph Evans.
The highlight of the quarter-final matches was young Connor Osborne and Ian Le Page holding their nerve to overcome Jack Dorey and Marc Cohen, 26-24 in the deciding end. The semi-finals were also close affairs, as Whitehorne and Fenwick ended the run of Osborne and Le Page, while on the next table, there was family pride at stake as Ruth Vaudin with Gill, faced daughter Erin. Stacey and Erin Vaudin won game two on deuce before conceding some unlucky points in losing out 21-18 in the decider.
By the final, Vaudin and Gill were looking formidable, with Gill’s left-handed top spin shots causing their opponent’s problems, while Vaudin was equally effective with some excellent service returns and her ability to dispatch any high balls with well-timed smashes. Ultimately they triumphed 21-9, 21-16 off a +9 start.
Lawrence Stacey topped the table after a fierce night of competition at the Channel Island Top 12 Qualification. The annual event sees 10 of the top table tennis players compete in a round robin, with the top 6 going on to face Jersey's top 6 in January.
With Ben Foss and Ryan Bichard unavailable, Josh and Lawrence Stacey looked strong favourites to progress alongside the likes of Division 1 stalwart Phil Ogier. Both Stacey brothers had extremely close contests with Ogier, who showed typical determination and some expert ball retrieval to foil any attacking shots coming his way. Eventually both did prevail, Lawrence by a score of 3-1 and Josh coming back from behind to win 3-2. In the final match of the night, the Stacey twins faced off for first place and this time it was Lawrence who manoeuvred his sibling with some fine backhands to win 10-12, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9.
Dan Collenette replicated his recent fine league form to finish in 4th, while performance of the night probably came from Jamie Ferbrache, who claimed the scalps of Matt Stubbington and Dawn Morgan to finish 5th. Stubbington ended up taking the final qualification spot in 6th, ahead of Morgan and Ozanne. 15-year old Oskar Cleal was the youngest player by 8 years, but defied his relative lack of experience in taking sets off many of his opponents with his trademark attacking style. He also claimed a gritty 3-2 win against Sam Clark to finish 9th.
The CI Top 12 takes place on 25th January at the Geurnsey Table Tennis Centre.
Mixed Team World Cup Umpiring
Guernsey Blue Badge International umpire Ben Foote has recently returned from Chengdu, China where he officiated at the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup.
Foote was one of only 4 foreign match officials selected for the prestigious event and was first umpire for the final match between South Korea and China, which the hosts won by an 8-1 scoreline.
Foote said of the event: "It was a fantastic experience, my first visit to China. The stadium held 7000 spectators and was sold out each day which meant there was a great atmosphere around the event. The event also trialled the new video review system, Table Tennis Review, which was used in the final as the Korean players challenged and successfully overturned a decision on obstruction. It was quite nerve-wracking at the time, but a privilege to be a part of"
Collenette Jones Junior Banded Tournament
A fantastic afternoon of matches at the first Collenette Jones Banded Tournament of the season, well done to all. Photos & results to follow.
Band 1 Winner: Barnaby Groves,
Runner-up: Luke Evans
Band 2: Ella Le Ber
Runner-up: Isla Bretel
Band 3: Connor Osbourne
Runner-up: Jack Dorey
Player of the Day: Isabella De Carteret
Bat & Ball Visit
Four teams from Bat & Ball made their annual visit to Guernsey at the weekend and this time we came away with the honours by a score of 45-35!
We look forward to welcoming the back next year
The Whistlers Open Singles had another large field of 42 entrants were vying for the spoils. The players in the draw to watch were defending champion and 3-time prior winner Ben Foss, Lawrence Stacey, and another former winner Phil Ogier.
In the end it was Lawrence that took his 4th title in this event, following a strong straight sets win against twin Joshua in the showpiece final, to cap off an entertaining evening of table tennis. There were no surprises during the initial group stages as all 14 seeded players emerged. The only seed not to top the group was 13th seed Caden Brouard, who was defeated in straight sets by junior Oskar Cleal in straight sets.
There was a surprise qualifier in the form of Terry Trustum, who played some excellent table tennis to qualify as runner-up in group F. He defeated the dangerous Kennedy Chepkor in straight sets and also came close to earning a super upset against 5th seed Jez Powell. Trustum led 2-0 after taking the second 14-12, however he could not get over the line, with Powell taking the remaining sets 11-9, 11-7, 11-5. Trustum’s evening was ended in the first knockout round, as Cleal dispatched him in 4 sets in the closest match of the round. The other closer match saw 8th seed Jamie Ferbrache end the evening of Brouard in 4 sets.
The Last 16 saw the meeting of all other seeds and in each contest the higher ranked player made it through to the Quarters. Notably, Ferbrache continued on his way by beating 12th seed Kay Chivers in 4 sets, champion Stacey beat 14th seed Connor Powell in 4 sets and 5th seed Ryan Bichard beat 9th seed Nye Matthew in 4 sets. Ferbrache’s evening ended at the quarter finals stage, however he won the opening set against top seed and former Lions team-mate Foss, before falling in 4 sets. Lawrence was extended to 4 sets by Powell, the same score which Ogier defeated Bichard by. The final quarter saw Joshua dispatch 7th seed Steve Ozanne in straight sets.
The first semi-final between the most decorated winners of this event in recent years, Foss and Lawrence, was a classic. Foss won the opener before Lawrence powered back to lead 2-1. Foss comfortably won the 4th to set-up a final set sudden death shootout. The set could have gone either way, but Lawrence managed to sneak through 12-10. The other semi-final saw an impressive performance form Joshua as he defeated Ogier strongly in straight sets.
The final was a fitting end between Whistlers players Lawrence and Joshua. Every set was closely contested, with only a few points in it, but Lawrence had the edge throughout and sealed the title thanks to an 11-8, 11-9, 11-8 win.
Channel Islands Junior Top 12
Barnaby Groves was the Guernsey star in the Channel Islands Junior Top 12 event held in Jersey over the weekend, claiming 3rd spot in a well-contested event. With the Caesareans fielding a strong team it was always going to be a tricky assignment, with four of the Sarnian team were making their debut this year. They were also at the younger end of the age group, with all six qualifiers aged 14 or less, in what is an Under-18 event.
After two early defeats, Groves found his groove and beat Theo De Poerck, William Cornthwaite and Freya Allaway in familiar attacking style. He faced Jersey's top-ranked John Le Fondre in the final round of the afternoon in a winner takes all match, but ultimately the experience of his opponent counted as 17-year old Le Fondre played tactically well to come through 3 tight sets and take home the trophy. This pushed Groves down to 3rd place behind Callum Allaway, but a huge improvement on 11th place from last year.
Other players showed glimpses of future potential, with Oskar Cleal unlucky in some close encounters and Micah Cohen finishing a creditable 9th in his first major tournament.
The Lions Senior Group tournament was held on Monday evening and such was the anticipation for the event, that it saw the highest field of entrants in recent memory, with a sizable field of 43 players competing for the crown.
The defending champion, Ben Foss, was absent as a late scratch, which left the field wide open. The tournament has only been won by a few individuals over the past 16 years, with just 4 players having picked up the title in that period. Only 3-time consecutive winner Lawrence Stacey and 11-time former champion Phil Ogier were former winners of the event in the draw. In the end though, it was Joshua Stacey who picked up his maiden crown in this event, narrowly outlasting Ryan Bichard over 5 sets in a dramatic finish which saw him save a match point in the process.
The victory was the first open title for Stacey since the 2022/23 season, with him having experienced defeats in a few finals last season, including in this very event, where he lost in 4 sets to Foss. Despite this, he did experience good success last season by virtue of winning the Channel Islands Open Top 12, as well as clinching the title in the season ending Division 1 Championships.
There were no surprises in the initial group stages as all 14 seeded players emerged as group winners, with the expected players in each group also qualifying as runners-up. The First round also saw the higher ranked players make it through, but there were a couple of compelling matches at this stage. Barnaby Groves is one of the upcoming junior players in the top flight of the senior leagues and the Ravenscroft Panthers player found himself in a tight tussle with Division 2 player Kennedy Chepkor. Chepkor took the opener before pinching a close 4th set 11-9 to force a deciding end. The decider could have gone either way, but in the end Groves did enough to squeeze through 13-11.
Another close match saw 10th seed Matthew Casey in a 5-set clash with fellow Division 1 player Connor Powell. Casey was always in front and despite Powell forcing the decider, Casey did enough in the final set and took it 11-8. The Last 16 saw a pair of results where higher ranked players were defeated and this included 5th seed Paul Hainsworth who was beaten in 4 close sets by 9th seed Jamie Ferbrache, the first ever victory for Ferbrache over Hainsworth, in a match where he played some excellent attacking strokes. The other result to go against seeding was 12th seed Nye Matthew’s 4-set win over 8th seed Joseph Bourgaize, as Matthew responded well to dropping the opening set. The evening ended here for Groves, although he did provide a good account for himself against 3rd seed Lawrence Stacey in a 4-set defeat.
The Quarter finals saw wins for the higher ranked players, albeit 4th seed Bichard was extended to 4 sets by Lions C team-mate and 6th seed Dan Collenette in an entertaining match. The semi finals consisted of two high quality affairs, firstly between twins Joshua and Lawrence Stacey. Lawrence started brighter and edged the opener 13-11. He was in a reasonable position in the second end, before losing out 11-9, but again found himself with an advantage at 10-8 in the third. Joshua dug deep here and saved both set points, going on to clinch the important set 14-12. He then continued with the momentum and closed out the match, which included some excellent rallies, 11-7.
On an adjacent table, the other prior winner of this event, 2nd seed Ogier, was embroiled in a tight clash of his own against Bichard. Bichard started well and was always in charge of the contest during the early stages. Despite trailing 1-0 and 2-1, Ogier fought well to force a decider, edging the 4th end 12-10. Ogier started the decider strongly, but Bichard rallied well and turned the tides from around the middle stages of the set and in the end powered through 11-6.
The signs looked ominous for Bichard in the first part of the final, as Stacey was in full flow and romped through the opener 11-2 and was looking set to extend his advantage. Bichard started to improve his game, and it saw him pinch the close second 12-10 and he followed up with another narrow success in the third, 14-12. Stacey looked to be in trouble in the 4th at during the middle parts, but he raised his game at the right time to come through 11-7. It was fitting that the decider went all the way and it looked like Bichard was on his way to the title when he opened up a 9-6 lead. Stacey fought back well, however it was Bichard to hold the first match point at 10-9. It looked like victory was surely his after a well-constructed point led to what would usually be considered a match winning forehand smash, but unfortunately for him he put this long, letting Stacey off the hook. Stacey needed no further invitations, and he sealed the title 12-10 courtesy of 2 strong points, ending with a trademark forehand topspin drive.
British Leagues
Guernsey's Senior, Junior and Veteran British Clubs League teams have all been in action in the UK in recent weeks, with more fixtures scheduled before Christmas. Keep up to date with how they've fared on the dedicated British League page:
Junior Top 12 Qualification
Barnaby Groves will lead Guernsey’s junior table tennis squad in the Channel Islands Junior Top 12 tournament after a highly successful display in the local qualifier. With 10 players competing for six spots and a chance to face Jersey, the event saw high-level matches as Guernsey’s top juniors battled through nine intense rounds.
Groves played excellently to claim nine wins, cementing his place at the top. His toughest challenge came from 11-year-old Luke Evans, who pushed to a deciding game after taking a two-set lead. Groves kept his nerve to narrowly edge out the match, winning 12-10 in the final set. Evans, who only suffered one other defeat to Albie Lihou, secured second place, while Lihou claimed a third place with some impressive performances.
Reflecting on his win, Groves said, "I was really pleased to win it. The matches were tough, and last year I came fifth. It's good practice for Junior British League this weekend."
For many, the event provided valuable experience. Division 3 defensive player Micah Cohen defied expectations, defeating several more seasoned players to finish fourth, ahead of Ollie Sparks and Cameron Powell. Newcomers Emily Gavey and Keira Eldridge also showcased their potential, with Eldridge putting up a strong fight against Groves, pushing him with attacking loops and forehand smashes.
The competitors were all on the younger side of the under-18 event , with the oldest competitor being 15 years old, showing Guernsey has a new crop of table tennis stars in the making.
Standings:
1. Barnaby Groves
2. Luke Evans
3. Albie Lihou
4. Micah Cohen
5. Ollie Sparks
6. Cameron Powell
------------
7. Oskar Cleal
8. Emily Gavey
9. Keira Eldridge
10. Xavier Ingrouille
Veterans British League - Weekend 1
The GTTA has enjoyed continued involvement within the Senior British National Leagues for many years now. This involvement has been fruitful and has enabled the Island’s leading players to improve the overall standard of the local game. Until this season however, Guernsey had never sent a team to compete in the Veterans British League. With the hosting of the extremely popular and successful Veterans Six Nations under our belt in September, it was finally the time for some of Guernsey’s leading Veterans to travel across the water and compete in the Veterans British Club League for the first time.
The destination was the impressive Draycott and Long Eaton Table Tennis Club in the East Midlands. The venue is the biggest in the East Midlands and is self-declared as having some of the best playing conditions within the UK. Whilst the Senior British Club League sees action spread across several venues within the UK, the Veterans is one of the exceptions, with all action taking place at the same venue. The competition is fierce and of a sizable scale, with action taking place across 6 Divisions, with 10 separate leagues in operation. This all equates to an impressive 64 teams competing, meaning 32 matches took place in each of the 5 rounds contested over the weekend.
Junior Top 12 Qualification Selection
The following players have been selected to contest the Junior Top 12 Qualification on 8th October 2024
Albie Lihou
Barnaby Groves
Cameron Powell
Emily Gavey
Keira Eldridge
Luke Evans
Micah Cohen
Ollie Sparks
Oskar Cleal
Xavier Ingrouille
Veterans Home Countries
The Guernsey Table Tennis Association hosted the Veteran Home Countries tournament on 13th - 15th September.
Find out more on our dedicated page
St Pauls Handicap Singles
The St Paul’s Handicap, opening tournament of the year, had a healthy entry number of 36 competitors who played out of 12 groups, with the top two of each group going through to the knockout stage.
Keira Eldridge was the young heroine of the night. She battled through several difficult rounds after progressing from the group stages. Notably close battles were between fellow juniors Luke Evans in the last 16 then Olivia Gilbert in the quarter-final, both matches going the distance, before beating Albie Lihou in the semi-final. Despite having an 11 point start on her slightly older opponent, she found herself 14-18 down in the second game, but rallied off several great points to take the game 23-21, and with it, the match.
At the other end of the draw there were several battles between more seasoned players, with Shane Cotter battling through in a hard fought, last 16 draw, against fellow third division player, Shaun Mosley. Then followed this by beating Shaun Evans in the quarter-final, saving two match points in the process.
Shane went on to beat Ruth Vaudin in the semi-final in another match that went to the wire, winning 23-21 in the third. But it was Keira who came out firing in the final, with some dazzling but consistent attack play to beat Shane fairly comfortably to take the silverware and the title.
Summer League
Summer League has finished for another season, finishing with 12 tables, 10 of four and 2 of five making a total of 50 players, what a wonderful turn out.
Well we have our winner Micah Cohen on 80 points with joint runner ups Maija Hansen and Andriy Lyashko both on 77 points. We hope everyone has had a fun time. Keith and myself would like to thank everyone who has taken part, also a big thank you to Ben Foote who enters the final match results on the website together with our report and the result list of points.
Guernsey players shine in Sussex and Riga
After an intense four-day training camp in Worthing, a group of 10 young Guernsey table tennis players stayed on to participate in the Sussex One Star tournament. With many of the competitors playing well above their age group, there were some impressive performances that showed that the Sarnians have potential to compete on the UK circuit.
Shelby Timms gave a good account of herself in the Junior Girls event, winning her group without losing a set. She beat Jersey’s Freya Allaway 3-2 in the Quarter Final, winning 11-2 in the final end to show excellent mental fortitude under pressure in an otherwise tight game. Timms went from strength to strength in the subsequent rounds, beating Wales’ Lily Walters in the final 3-1. Two players qualified through their round-robin group in the Junior Boys event with 12-year-old Aiden Ozanne topping his group, impressively beating the number 1 seed in five sets. He eventually was defeated in a narrow five-setter by the eventual winner James Roberts. Ollie Sparks came second in his group so also progressing to the main draw, where he was defeated by Hassin in the next round. The other Sarnians went into the plate competition, with Oskar Cleal claiming the title over fellow Sarnian Barnaby Groves. In the Girls event, 11-year-old Thea Cummins was played superbly to win the plate with 10-year-old Isla Bretel runner up.
In the afternoon the players participated in the Men’s and Women’s Open event, where Timms reached the quarter finals, losing out to Walters on this occasion. The fast-improving Ozanne reached the quarter finals of the Men’s Singles, losing to eventual winner Adam Klos. Albie Lihou was another Guernsey player to qualify through their group, this time losing out in the first round to Klos 3-0. Cleal progressed to the final in the plate event but this time finished runner-up to Simon Kear.
The event was a great experience for the GTTA juniors after an intense 4-day training camp, thanks to Halo Home Assist, Rothschilds, Investec and Guernsey Sports Commission for their support.
A week earlier, 11-year-old prospect Luke Evans was able to attend the prestigious EuroTalents Selection training camp in Riga, Latvia, which is organised by the European Table Tennis Union for rising stars of the sport. Evans was the only British player in attendance and overcame any initial language barriers he had the opportunity to train with some of the best age-group players in Europe, with 42 under-11 players and 27 top coaches in attendance from countries including Spain, Greece, Turkey and Hungary.
“The camp was a great experience for me” said Evans, “it was a very high standard, a lot higher than I was expecting. I learnt a lot from the coaches there, especially how to improve my arm speed when playing my shots”.
The 6-day residential camp involved five and a half hours of practice and tactical coaching per day, with rest periods in between and Evans paired up with a boy from Azerbaijan as a practice partner.
“I’m definitely inspired to do it all again” he said before heading off to the Euro Minichamps tournament this weekend. Held in Schiltigheim, France, Evans will compete against top European players such as England’s Dimitar Dimitrov, recently ranked number 1 Under-11 in the World Table Tennis rankings.
Summer Pickleball
The inaugural Summer Pickleball League concluded this week, congratulations to Drop Shot Wendy for taking the title ahead of runners-up Pickled Onions and 3rd placed The Cochsters.
We hope you all enjoyed it, stay tuned for more!
Senior Schools International
Guernsey's top junior table tennis talents showcased their skills at the annual Senior Schools International tournament held on the Isle of Man last weekend. Sixteen players competed across Under-14, Under-16, and Under-18 age groups, facing elite opponents from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Jersey, and the host nation.
In the Under-14 Boys category, Guernsey's 'A' team secured a commendable 7th place. Despite a narrow play-off defeat to Jersey 'A', the team achieved strong 5-0 victories over Isle of Man 'B' and Wales. Notable performances included Barnaby Groves' victories over England’s Ibrahim Hussain and Scotland’s William Wang. The 'B' team, featuring Aiden Ozanne and Luke Evans, both still under 12, finished 9th and featured 5-0 win against Isle of Man 'A' and a 3-1 victory over Wales.
The Under-14 Girls team was also youthful, with 3 of the 4 players representing Guernsey in April’s Primary Schools International and used the tournament as experience at this level of competition. One particular highlight was Keira Eldridge’s strong 3-0 win over Jersey’s Anna Middleton
The Under-16 Boys teams came 9th and 10th respectively, but with all players being young for their age group, with both teams unlucky in defeat to Jersey and Ireland 3-2. In the Under-16 Girls team event, Emily Gavey picked up an impressive win against Ireland’s Caoimhe Deane.
The Under-18 Girls duo, Shelby Timms and Hollie Jenkins, finished 6th, triumphing 3-2 over Scotland 'B' and narrowly losing to a strong Isle of Man pair. Timms ended the tournament with four wins out of eight, showcasing her tenacity and improved strokeplay.
Sunday's individual events saw Guernsey players competing in round robin groups. In the Under-14 Boys category, Oskar Cleal excelled, defeating Scotland's Angus Halliday and England’s Ibrahim Hussain and advancing as the group winner despite a narrow loss to Jersey’s Callum Allaway. Groves also impressed, securing wins against players from Isle of Man and Wales, though he narrowly lost to Jersey's Oskar Karwowski in a tight five-game match. Groves finished with a superb 13 wins out of 17 played over the weekend.
In the Under-16 event, Cameron Powell and Xavier Ingrouille progressed through their groups, with Ingrouille's notable victory over Jersey's Jack Le Blond highlighting his improved attacking game.
Due to flight and ferry delays affecting the Welsh and Scottish teams, some matches were moved from Friday into an already tightly-packed Saturday schedule and the players deserve credit for enduring long and tiring days. Despite this it was a strong showing from the team, with many players having one or more years left in their respective age groups, the future looks bright for next year’s instalment, which will be held in Jersey.
Guernsey Teams:
Under-14:
Boys: Oskar Cleal, Barnaby Groves, Aiden Ozanne, Luke Evans
Girls: Keira Eldridge, Ella Le Ber, Isla Bretel, Thea Cummins
Under-16:
Boys: Cameron Powell, Albie Lihou, Ollie Sparks, Xavier Ingrouille
Girls: Emily Gavey, Sian Craig
Under-18:
Girls: Shelby Timms, Hollie Jenkins
Here Come the Girls!
Saturday 26th May 2024 saw the Table Tennis England’s 1st Girls’ National Talent Identification Day. The day aimed to identify and empower young female players with potential to join the England Talent Pathway. The event was run by the England Performance team and coaches on the SHEcoaches programme.
Guernsey’s Isla Bretel was one of 30 girls chosen from an application field of 150 girls across the UK to take part in this talent ID event. The day was held at the David Ross Sports Village at Nottingham University and was run by Gordon Fearn, a level 4 coach and head of The GB Futures Squad along with the team of SHECoaches; Collette Neenan, Eva Toth, Emily Bolton and Jo Green.
The day started with an 11am roll call and a knock up with the other girls and the coaches. A bit of a get to know you, where are you from, how long have you played etc. The girls had been split into groups of 6 and would rotate around a number of different stations with their group throughout the day with a dedicated female strong coaching team.
A series of different skills and training exercises were on offer under the tuition and guidance of the Level 3 and Level 4 coaches. Multiball, Services, Fundamentals, Movement, General Practice, Fun Games all ending the 7 hour long day with a Q&A with a top player!
The Q&A session was with Anna Hursey, Wales’ very own recently qualified Olympian! The girls all got to ask her at least 1 question, so Isla took full advantage and asked her 5! Including, how she relaxes before games and what her favourite serve is. The girls all then could try and return Anna’s serves as well as witness her talents, gain insights into Anna’s table tennis journey and be inspired by her achievements.
The day was a great opportunity to be amongst a large group of girls, which not only showcased the girls’ talents but also emphasised the importance of mentorship and support in nurturing young female athletes within the sports community.
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