News Archive
2022-2023 Season
Summer League
Congratulations to 2023 Summer League champion, Nye Matthew, who finished just ahead of joint runners-up Alex Hutchinson and Aiden Ozanne. We had 86 different players compete over the summer, thanks as always to Kay Keith for organising.
1. Nye Matthew - 78 points
2= Alex Hutchinson - 73
2= Aiden Ozanne - 73
4. Josh Stacey - 70
NatWest International Island Games
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to our table tennis centre the 2023 NatWest Island Games, we trust, that you will all enjoy the next six days of competition in our company.
We apologise for the arduous team playing schedule but this is due to the number of team matches we have to get through within the time frame.
For the first time at an Island Games we will be playing the singles and doubles events to a finish, I hope you will find this a better system and should give you all some free time to visit other sports.
I'm sure you will all join us in thanking the visiting and Guernsey tournament officials and the many other volunteers throughout Guernsey who's help I'm sure is going to be of great value.
We sincerely hope that your stay with us will be a memorable one and that when you return to your own island you will have made new friends as well as having renewed acquaintances.
Good luck to you all
Derek Webb
President, Guernsey Table Tennis Association
Senior Schools International
Some of Guernsey’s best junior table tennis players travelled to Galway, Ireland at the weekend for the annual Senior Schools International. The tournament features the cream of junior players from across the Home Nations, with representatives from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man and Jersey also competing in under-14, under-16 and under-18 categories, The standout performer from a Sarnian perspective was that of 17-year old Shelby Timms, who will make her Island Games debut in a few days’ time, as she recorded an impressive 5 wins out of 10. This included two excellent victories over Scotland and only narrow defeats against girls from Ireland and England, including sisters Anna and Erin Green, who have high international junior rankings.
The Guernsey squad put in some good performances against strong opposition, with some players notably playing out of their age group and the experiences of playing at a higher level will stand them in good stead future events and the next edition in the Isle of Man.
Wrong-handed Tournament
Ben Foss claimed his second victory in the Peter and Rosemary Powell Wrong-handed tournament on Monday, defeating fellow Island Games player Josh Stacey in the final. This was only the second edition of the tournament, which was added to the GTTA calendar last year as it tests players' abilities with their 'opposite hand'.
With some players finding the switch easier than others, Foss looked supremely comfortable playing left-handed and after dropping an end to Lawrence Stacey in the quarter final, was flawless against Andy Ferbrache and Josh Stacey, with a casual observer noticing little difference in the standard of shots between this and a standard right-handed match between the pair. Foss came through 11-8, 14-12, 12-10 to add his name to the trophy once more.
Senior Schools Selection
Congratulations to the players selected to represent Guernsey at the Senior Schools International in Ireland later this month.:
U18 Boys: Connor Powell, Ollie Sparks
U18 Girls: Shelby Timms, Hollie Jenkins
U14 Boys A: Oskar Cleal, Aiden Ozanne.
U14 Boys B: Barnaby Groves, Albie Lihou
U14 Girls: Emily Gavey, Charlotte Dicker
NPCs: Derek Webb, Becks O'Keefe, Ben Foote, Maurice James
Umpires: Derek Carter, Brian Le Cras
British League Cup
Garry Dodd continued his strong form whilst representing his Drumchapel Glasgow Senior British League team in the inaugural SBL Premier Cup and the side upset the seedings and narrowly missed out on a bronze medal finish.
This debut staging of this competition included the 7 teams that comprised the elite Premier Division of the Senior British Leagues this season as well as the Scottish based Drumchapel side that Dodd represents by virtue of them having won the Championship Division this season – with promotion to the Premier Division having been secured a few months back. The event was thus staged as the top eight clubs in British Table Tennis battling to be the first to lift the trophy.
The action took place at the BATTS Table Tennis Club in Harlow and all matches during the weekend were streamed live on Table Tennis England TV.
Dodd’s Drumchapel side had been drawn against a fellow Scottish based side in the form of North Ayrshire 1 in the initial Quarter-Final stages, a side that finished 3rd in the Premier Division and were thus seeded third for the event.
CI Championships & Inter Insulars
Jersey may have come away with the overall greater success during the recent annual Channel Island Championships and Inter-Insulars, however it was the Sarnians who experienced the large majority of success across all of the blue riband events contested
Island Games Team Announcement
The following players have been selected to represent Guernsey in the Island Games:
Ben Foss
Garry Dodd
Joshua Stacey
Lawrence Stacey
Alice Edwards
Charlotte Casey
Dawn Morgan
Shelby Timms
Team Captain: Joshua Butler
Divisional Championships
With the annual Channel Islands Table Tennis Championships and Inter-Insulars taking place this coming weekend, the final domestic table tennis of the season was contested the week prior via the Divisional Championships.
A number of the players competing in these events will also see action via representation for Guernsey at the weekend and it was a good chance for some last-minute match practice to be obtained. The Division 1 championships in particular saw the leading Green Trophy trio of Ben Foss, Joshua Stacey and Lawrence Stacey all vying for glory, alongside a packed entry of strong Division 1 players.
The trio are aiming to defend the Green Trophy which they comfortably won against Jersey 8-2 last year and all reached the latter stages of the competition. However it was to be 2nd seed Lawrence that stormed to the title when he overcame 4th seed Phil Ogier in the final in 4 sets. The Division 1 Championships competition is known to be one of the hardest to win in the calendar because there are no easy matches. The only entrants allowed to enter are players that have competed in the top-flight or the Division below.
This threw up some extremely tough groups including Group D which included four Division 1 players. Ogier was in this group and advanced as group winner, however he was pushed in 2 of his group matches and needed a third and deciding set to overcome both Ben Sharp and Jez Powell, with matches being played in a best of 3 format for the groups containing 4 players. His other win came against Ryan Gilson in straight sets. Powell qualified as runner-up due to him beating Sharp and Gilson in straight sets.
Group A was the closest group of them all in respect of the player that claimed the runners-up spot. Foss had comfortably topped the group with straight sets wins over Andy Gill, Craig Dunning and Brandon Ferbrache, however that trio all shared wins against each other. Gill defeated Dunning 2-1, but lost to Ferbrache 2-1, whilst Dunning beat Ferbrache 2-1. This led to the rare scenario where all players in contention for qualification had the exact same games difference ratio and it needed to instead go down to points ratio. Division 1’s Gill edged through due to his points ratio being +5, with both Dunning and Ferbrache on -2.
The players to qualify through each group were as expected except Group C where James Crocker ended runner-up, in part due to Matt Casey’s withdrawal following his opening match where he was injured and Group F where 2nd Division’s Caden Brouard took the runner-up spot behind 5th seed Paul Hainsworth. Brouard defeated Charlotte Casey in 4 closely contested sets. The toughest match of the Last 16 saw Hainsworth come up against Powell, who started brightly and comfortably took the opening set 11-6. The second set remained tight until the latter stages when Hainsworth pushed on and took it 11-7, before he maintained the upper hand and won in 4 sets. He continued his momentum in the quarter final stages where he surprised 3rd seed Joshua Stacey and won in 4 sets. Hainsworth had won the first 2 sets before Stacey comfortably won the 3rd end. It looked like Hainsworth had control again whilst leading 8-4 in the following end, but Stacey fought back well and forced Hainsworth to battle through 12-10.
In the other matches Foss defeated Morgan in straight sets, Ogier defeated 6th seed Ryan Bichard in straight sets and Lawrence ended the run of Gill in 4 sets. Hainsworth started the semi-final against Lawrence brightly but paid the price for not closing out the set as he let a 9-3 lead slip before being edged out 15-13. Stacey went on strongly to win in straight sets. On an adjacent table Ogier was playing strong table tennis against Foss and from parity at 1-1, he played well to close out the following 2 ends 11-8 and make the final. Stacey was always on top in the showpiece final after winning the opening ends 11-6,11-8, however Ogier kept himself in contention by winning the third 11-7. He also reduced a deficit in the 4th set, however Stacey held his nerve and closed it out 11-9 to seal the title, his 5th consecutive in this event.
Second-seed Craig Dunning won the 2nd Division Championships after beating Caden Brouard in the final. Dunning has missed a majority of the season through injury but returned to take the title over the much-improved under-21 player Brouard. The late withdrawal of Kay Chivers and Nye Matthew due to illness opened the draw up and many of the remaining seeds struggled in the group stage with Shelby Timms James Crocker and Keith Opie failing to win their groups, while Jayden Tucknott was surprisingly eliminated. This meant the knockout stage featured some tough matches early on including 3rd vs 4th seeds as Andy Ferbrache beat Timms. Brouard had looked player to beat as he only dropped one set before the semi-final stage, where he came across Marli Barker who pushed him all the way and was unfortunate to go down 11-9 in the deciding end. The top seed could never quite get going in the final as he struggles with Dunning’s pimpled backhand rubber and went down 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7.
Division 3 ended in a contest between youth and experience, as the final was between 3rd seed Over 70’s player Ken Falla against current Under 15 Island Champion and Whistlers G team-mate Oskar Cleal. 1964 champion Falla’s consistent tricky play with his pimple bat proved too much for the rapidly improving youngster and he earned victory for the second time in this event, in straight sets. Cleal should take confidence away from the tournament despite the defeat as he earned himself the result of the tournament in the semi-final stage. Here he was up against top seed Steve Potter and he did superbly to battle back from 2-0 down to win over the full 5 ses.
A special mention should also go to 4th Division Ravenscroft Panthers player Huxley Le Conte who punched well above his weight to reach the semi-final stages. He earned himself a fantastic 4 set win over 2nd seed Shane Cotter in the Quarter finals before pushing Falla in a losing 4 set effort. He had started the night with upsets from the off as he qualified from Group A at the expense of Cameron Powell, who he beat in 2 close sets – 12-10, 13-11.
The 4th division league season produced an exciting race for the title with several teams challenging right until the final week and the individual championships gave these players a chance to shine. The group stage was unpredictable and produced some very close matches as 3rd seed Albie Lihou exited after losses to Ravenscroft Panthers teammates Seb Jennings and Richard Wellfair. The latter player’s excellent night continued as he then defeated 2nd seed Andy Ozanne by three games to one in the last 16 before going down to top seed Alex Paul 3-1 in the quarter final. On the other tables Barnaby Groves defeated the dangerous Luke Evans whilst Jennings played well to beat Ollie Sparks 3-0. Primary Schools International player Alex Hutchinson was tenacious in beating the in-form Huxley Le Conte in tight five sets 11-6, 13-11, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9 before overcoming Jennings in the semi-final. The match of the night was in the other half of the draw where Groves was imperious in knocking out top seed Paul for the loss of only 14 points, 11-6, 11-2, 11-6. The final pitted the 4th seed against unseeded Hutchinson and it was a superb spectacle that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a higher division. Both players showing no fear and producing some fine top spin rallies, but Groves’ extra experience won out as he claimed the title 11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9.
Results
Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4
Jersey Open
Garry Dodd continues to earn strong results in the season which will culminate in the first Natwest Island Games on home soil in 20 years. He took the highest ranked player in the competition to a deciding set during the Men’s Team final and added to that success by emerging victorious in Band 1. He concluded the weekend with another strong showing in the Open.
A large number of highly ranked players from England were present and particularly on the Men’s side as 2 former English Internationals that are currently ranked in the top 10 in England were competing. This included 6th ranked former Commonwealth Games medalist Christopher Doran and 9th ranked former Team GB Olympian Darius Knight.
Dodd teamed with Caesarean rival Luc Miller in the Men’s team event on Friday where they were 2nd seeds. They fared well in reaching the final as expected where they faced Doran and another Caesarean in the form of Jordan Wykes, who was ranked just above Dodd heading into the weekend’s action at 18 in the English Men’s rankings.
Saturday saw the turn of the banded events and Dodd was the highest ranked player in the Men’s Band 1 Singles event. The event hosted several top names including the young and upcoming Ralph Pattison, who is ranked 27 in the Senior Men and is the top Cadet (under 15) Boy in England. Pattison was seeded at 2 for the event and made his way to the final in style. The final was another top one for the spectators and the first end looked to be key. Dodd held a set point at 10-9, however a strong topspin return from the youngster restored parity at 10-10 and Pattison snuck it 12-10 much to the frustration of the leading Sarnian player. Dodd held his nerve to close out the tight 4th end 11-9, but then trailed the deciding set 6-4 and 7-5. Dodd used all of his experience and saved his best for the end however as he stormed back with 5 unanswered points to seal it 11-8.
Dodd was the 5th highest ranked player in the Open event on the Sunday and this led to a tough draw which saw him up against Knight as early as the Quarter finals. Knight made the final after defeating Wykes 3-1 in the semi-finals, however Doran had too much for him and took the title, also in 4 sets.
2 other Sarnians were competing in the event and each fared well. Marli Barker was runner-up in Women’s Band 3 to Holly McNamara, whilst Shelby Timms won Women’s Band 4 where she finished ahead of McNamara.
GTTA Individual Handicap
Aiden Ozanne continued his strong end to the season, by claiming the GTTA Individual Handicap Singles in a hard-fought win over fellow Primary Schools International player Luca Sidaner in a captivating final.
It was a strong showing by the GTTA's junior contingent as the four semi-finalists were all under-16, in a competition previously dominated by adult players. The group stages produced a mix of results as many of the Division 4 players used their handicaps well to see off higher-ranked opposition, though the likes of Josh and Lawrence Stacey were equally impressive, using patient and conservative tactics to pull back 18-point deficits in some cases in first-to-21 matches. Both did well to progress through their respective groups. Those with an attacking mindset bore most fruit, including Barnaby Groves, who whitewashed Division 1's Jez Powell, winning 3 points with no reply to record the rarely recorded score of 21-0.
Ozanne did well to overcome the defensive play of Seb Jennings, who had earlier knocked out Josh Stacey, in the first semi-final by a score of 23-21, 21-18. On the adjacent table Sidaner narrowly got past Albie Lihou in a tight two-set encounter.
The final was also incredibly close and despite the late hour, produced some fantastic attacking rallies. Both players looked sharp from their experiences playing some of the UK's best under-12s in the Primary Schools International, as Sidaner opened up well with topspin on his backhand, while Ozanne was dominant on his forehand side. Even at 20-16 down in the deciding 3rd game, Sidaner fought back to 20-19 before Ozanne claimed the final point, winning 22-20, 13-21, 21-19
Primary Schools International
Guernsey’s top under-12 table tennis players had the chance to compete against some of the best in in their age group at the weekend at the annual Primary Schools International. Having been held in Guernsey last year, it was the first overseas event for most of the 9-strong squad who travelled to the prestigious Oundle School, near Peterborough for the 3-day tournament.
The Sarnians were largely able to hold their own against strong opposition from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man and Jersey and the high standard of play is highlighted in the fact that many previous competitors have gone on to play professionally, including the likes of future Olympians Liam Pitchford and Tom Jarvis at the start of their table tennis careers.
There were eight teams in the boys’ event, and Guernsey finished in an excellent 5th place after victories over the Isle of Man (7-3), Jersey (6-4) and an excellent 10-0 win over Wales. Guernsey’s Luca Sidaner was also in action, having agreed to step in to play for the Jersey team which only had three boys available, and they finished one place lower in 6th. The girls had a tougher time and ended up 8th in their category, but with a young squad, used the weekend as an opportunity to play against and learn from some of the top under-12 players in the British Isles.
After two days of team event action, the individual tournament was played on Sunday and all of the boys managed at least one group win, but all narrowly failed to make it into the main draw. There was success in the plate competition however, as Aiden Ozanne reached the semi-final where he was defeated by Bahao Chen from Scotland, the eventual plate winner. Alex Hutchinson was also unlucky not to claim a medal as he lost narrowly to Wales’ Oliver Harvey 11-9 in the final end, having battled back from 2-0 down in a gripping encounter. The weekend was a busy one for the young players with long days and plenty of matches against top opposition, however with many of the squad having at least one more year in this age group the signs are promising for the future.
The team were kindly sponsored by Halo Home Assist
Lions Novelty Doubles
There are new names on the Lions Novelty Doubles trophy this year after the pairing of Ian Le Page and Karen Brouard claimed the title.
After a competitive group stage, featuring numerous matches won on deuce and other countback scenarios, the pairing of top-ranked Jez Powell with Ruth Vaudin looked particularly strong, as they beat the dangerous Nye Matthew and Katey Collenette in 4 games in the quarter-final. Meanwhile Le Page and Brouard had a close battle with Peter Vivian and junior player Albie Lihou, scraping through 13-11 in the deciding end, while Andy Ferbrache and Sandra Sebire knocked out reigning champion Andy Gill with Keith De Carteret, also in 5 games.
The semi-finals were both decided in 4 games, as the ranking system continued to throw up some tight matches as Ferbrache and Sebire and the Ravenscroft Panthers duo of Mark Windsor and Steve Martin were defeated. The final was an edgy affair, with a few service errors mixed with some tremendous attacking forehands and counter hits from all four competitors, with Le Page and Brouard triumphing 5-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5.
British League
The final fixtures of the 2022/23 British National League season went very well for the leading Island table tennis players.
Following the superb success of Garry Dodd in the Championship winning Drumchapel Glasgow side, the top Sarnian players also excelled and finished their campaign with flying colours, resulting in a promotion to National A next season.
Guernsey I were in pole position in National B1 heading into the final weekend of matches with a 2 point advantage from closest rivals Huddersfield, however the strong Guernsey outfit practically sealed the title on the first day of action at the Halton Regional Table Tennis Centre in Widnes.
Full report on the British League page
Island Championships
Leading Island players Garry Dodd and Alice Edwards dominated proceedings at the annual Island Championships final night, sweeping up all available titles.
Dodd controlled proceedings during all 3 of his finals and came away with the loss of just 2 sets across the 14 contested. This was finished off in the blue riband Men’s Singles event where he claimed his impressive 11th title, moving him to within just 5 of the record holder, Bert Brenton. His opponent in the final was the rapidly improving second seed Ben Foss, who fought valiantly in defeat. He managed to stay with Dodd during the early stages of the encounter, which is not an easy thing to do and he became the first player to take a set off him in Island or CI Men’s Singles action in 2 seasons. This was achieved in the second end of the encounter which he claimed surprisingly comfortably 11-5. The third end was also closely fought for the early and middle stages, however Dodd, who is ranked in and around the top 15 in England for Senior Men, managed to keep himself composed as he finished off the set 11-9 with a clever serve which deceived his younger opponent. Foss continued to battle despite trailing, however Dodd simply had too much firepower and he took the next 2 ends 11-6, 11-7 to retain his title.
The Men’s Doubles saw him team with Joshua Butler in an event which they had already won together 3 times previously. The pair that has last won the title together in 2017 were always on top against top seeded twins Lawrence and Joshua Stacey and it felt like the opening set was decisive. Dodd and Butler came out on top 14-12 and from there cruised through the next 2 ends. The 4th was another tight one which could have gone either way, however again Dodd and Butler played the big points well to seal it 14-12. This victory made it title number 10 for Dodd in an event where has won the title with 5 different partners.
The Mixed Doubles saw the strong pairing of Dodd and Edwards in action and they romped to a 4-1 win over Joshua Stacey and Dawn Morgan. Stacey and Morgan did well to prevent the inevitable when winning the 4th end 11-7, however the champions raised their level in the next set to close it out 11-6. This result was the first time that the duo had won the title together, however it was also title number 5 in this event for each of them.
Edwards' other events were also extremely fruitful as she mopped up a further 3 titles on the night. This was headlined by her clash with 17-time Women’s Singles Champion Kay Chivers. Edwards herself was a 7-time champion heading into the match and she made no mistakes with a classy straight sets win.
The Women’s Doubles was another fairly comfortable affair as she combined with rising star Shelby Timms to overcome the duo that have won 10 titles together in this event, Morgan and Chivers. Edwards and Timms led throughout and despite dropping the 4th set, won in 5 sets. Edwards final title came in the Restricted Singles. She was a comfortable straight sets winner over Ryan Bichard as she never let last year’s beaten finalist into the contest.
Across the other events, Phil Ogier, Ben Sharp and Aiden Ozanne were multiple winners.
Ogier has been the dominant force in the Over 40’s events and has won them every year since being able to enter them. The former leading Island player and 7-time Men’s Singles champions made it 10 consecutive titles in each event this time out. In the Singles he comfortably blew away surprise finalist Steve Ozanne for the loss of just 12 points, however he had a much tougher test in the Doubles.
Alongside Jez Powell they have been an unbeatable combination in this event, however they were tested by debuting pair Jamie Ferbrache and Andy Gill in this event. Ferbrache and Gill played some strong attacking table tennis throughout which enabled them to open up a 2-1 lead. The 4th set was crucial and it saw the defending champions edge through 13-11. With honors now even the experience and quality of Ogier and Powell shone through as they won the final 2 ends comfortably.
Sharp is one of the leading junior players currently making his mark in the top flight of the Doric Insurance sponsored senior leagues and he came away with titles in both of the Under 18 Events. In the Singles he made no mistakes as he ruthlessly dispatched Jayden Tucknott in straight sets. In the Open Doubles he had a much tougher test alongside Connor Powell against Tucknott and James Crocker. The underdogs Tucknott and Powell competed very well and led 3-2. Sharp and Powell did not relent however and closed out the final 2 ends 11-9, 11-7.
Sharp came very close to making it 3 titles but fell in a close encounter to top seed and defending champion Dan Collenette in the Under 21 Open Singles final. Collenette led 2-0 before Sharp took the next 2 ends beyond the regulation 11 points. The 5th set could have gone either way, but it was the elder player who pinched it 15-13 before going on to close out the deciding end 11-7.
Ozanne was the youngest player to experience double success as he picked up the Under 11 and Under 13 Open Singles titles. In the Under 11 event he came through against the talented youngster Luke Evans in an entertaining 6 set encounter, whilst in the Under 13 event he upset the seedings to oust top seed Cameron Powell, also in another entertaining 6 set encounter. In this one he won the 6th end 14-12 to seal the title. He also contested a third final in the Under 15 Boys Singles, however Oskar Cleal was one step too far and the in-form Cleal won in 5 sets.
Timms followed up on her prior success in the Women’s Doubles to pick up her second title on the night with a comfortable straight sets win over Hollie Jenkins in the Under 18 Women’s Singles, whilst unseeded Keira Eldridge did superbly to storm past seeded player Emily Gavey in the Under 15 Girls Singles in 5 sets.
Morgan is one of the most decorated players in terms of number of Island Championships won and she added another this year in the Women’s Veterans Singles. She bounced back very well from losing the opening end comfortably to long time adversary Chivers to win in 5 sets. She was close to making it 2 titles on the night, but she fell against an inspired Gill in the Over 50’s Open Singles. In a repeat of the 2019 final, the outcome was the same, albeit the match a lot closer contested. Gill picked up his 2nd title in this event when he battled back from 3-1 down to edge through over the full 7 sets.
Mark Pipet is another serial winner in the Island Championships and the 14-time Men’s Singles champion made it title number 6 in the Over 60’s Open Singles when he defeated Chivers in 5 well contested sets. The final champion of the night was Keith Opie who picked up his second title in the Over 70’s Open Singles event. He defeated Maurice James comfortably in straight sets.
Men's Singles
Garry Dodd beat Ben Foss, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7
Women's Singles
Alice Edwards beat Kay Chivers, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4
Men's Doubles
Garry Dodd & Josh Butler beat Lawrence Stacey & Josh Stacey, 14-12, 11-6, 11-3, 14-12
Women's Doubles
Alice Edwards & Shelby Timms beat Kay Chivers & Dawn Morgan, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5
Mixed Doubles
Alice Edwards & Garry Dodd beat Dawn Moran & Josh Stacey, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6
Veteran Singles
Phil Ogier beat Steve Ozanne, 11-4, 11-1, 11-3, 11-4
Women's Veteran Singles
Dawn Morgan beat Kay Chivers, 4-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9
Veterans Doubles
Phil Ogier & Jez Powell beat Andy Gill & Jamie Ferbrache, 8-11, 11-3, 8-11, 13-11, 11-3, 11-5
Over 50 Singles
Andy Gill beat Dawn Morgan, 11-5, 14-16, 3-11, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5
Over 60 Singles
Mark Pipet beat Kay Chivers, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10
Over 70 Singles
Keith Opie beat Maurice James, 11-3, 11-2, 11-6, 11-6
Restricted Singles
Alice Edwards beat Ryan Bichard, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3
Under 21 Open Singles
Dan Collenette beat Ben Sharp, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 12-14, 15-13, 11-7
Under 18 Men's Singles
Ben Sharp beat Jayden Tucknott, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4
Under 18 Women's Singles
Shelby Timms beat Hollie Jenkins, 11-7, 11-2, 11-2, 11-6
Under 18 Doubles
Ben Sharp & Connor Powell beat James Crocker & Jayden Tucknott, 12-10, 5-11, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7
Under 15 Boys Singles
Oskar Cleal beat Aiden Ozanne, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8
Under 15 Girls Singles
Keira Eldridge beat Emily Gavey 11-3, 9-11, 11-8, 17-15, 11-8
Under 13 Singles
Aiden Ozanne beat Cameron Powell, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 14-12
Under 11 Singles
Aiden Ozanne beat Luke Evans, 11-1, 7-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5
Primary Schools International
The following players have been selected to represent Guernsey in the upcoming Primary Schools International:
Aiden Ozanne
Alex Hutchinson
Cameron Powell
Luca Sidaner
Luke Evans
Ella Le Ber
Keira Eldridge
Megan Robinson
Thea Cummins
Good luck all!
League Presentations
The end of season league presentations took place after the final round of matches, with the trophies presented by Martin Sarre from league sponsors, Doric Insurance.
Well done to all who took part and thanks to Doric Insurance for their continued support.
Details and photos are on the Senior Leagues page
Junior League
This afternoon was the last weekend of Junior League for this season, well done to the winners:
1. Luke Evans
2. Mason Eldridge
3. Leonardo Guariento
Junior Group Singles
Ben Sharp is showing good form in the lead up to the table tennis Island Championships as he won the Junior Group Tournament on Saturday afternoon. There was a healthy entry from across the junior training squads, with players as young as 8 years old competing with older players, some of whom are in their last year as juniors and regularly competing in the top senior leagues.
Sharp overcame promising 13-year-old 3rd seed Oskar Cleal in the semi-final before meeting current under-18 girls champion Shelby Timms in the final, beating her 11-6, 11-9, 11-3.
In the consolation event, Xavier Ingrouille evidenced his recent improvement, not dropping a game in wins over Keira Eldridge, Charlotte Dicker and runner-up Daniel Martin.
The Player of the Day awards were given to Samuel Cox and Isla Bretel. With two more weeks of the Senior Leagues to play, the next tournament is the much-anticipated Island Championships, which commence on 24th March.
Ryan Bichard continued his impressive form this calendar year in claiming his first Jack Carrington Singles title at the Guernsey Table Tennis Centre on Monday evening.
The event continued the recent trend of a large entry and due to the unique tournament rules, which state but that players who have played in the Green trophy in the last two seasons are ineligible to take part, it was hard to predict a winner. This opened up the event for a number of top players who do not usually find their name on the honours boards.
Bichard was seeded 4th behind the experienced trio of Phil Ogier, Paul Hainsworth and Jez Powell, and currently lies in 7th place in the Division One averages, posing a threat to some of the island’s top players with a host of impressive league wins this season.
The large entry meant that the group stage was split onto 14 tables, a sight not seen in recent times, underlining the popularity of the tournament. The seeded individuals all navigated their way through to the knockout stage with relative ease and the only one to fall at the first round was 14th seed Shelby Timms, who lost out to Whistlers D teammate Keith Opie 3-1.
Sam Clark was also eliminated early, falling to the awkward style of Division 2 player Craig Dunning, but the biggest shock of the evening came in the quarter final, with 9th seed Joe Bourgaize in inspired form to defeat Powell 3-2. Despite his good form and powerful forehand drives, Bourgaize could not quite muster the same intensity in semi-final however, as top seed Ogier’s fine defence and counter-attack strategies were too much for his younger opponent.
Bichard had to dig deep to overcome 2021 champion, the dangerous 6th seed Matt Casey in his quarter final. The match went the full 5 game distance 7-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-9, 11-6 and Bichard used that momentum to immediately claim an excellent straight sets victory over Hainsworth.
The final was played late in the evening, but Bichard showed no signs of tiredness as he attacked Ogier down both flanks, unleashing his trademark backhand loops complemented by some excellent placement on the forehand. This successfully played Ogier out of position and despite claiming the third game, the top seed was unable to contain the attacks, with Bichard triumphing 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8.
Next up on the tournament calendar is the Junior Group on Saturday, before the Island Championships, which commence on Friday 24th March.
Inter Insular Selections
The following players have been selected for the 2023 Inter Insulars, which take place in Jersey on 1st May and include two new team events, the Restricted (21-40) and Over-70s.
Green (Men's)
Ben Foss
Joshua Stacey
Lawrence Stacey
Margaret (Women's)
Dawn Morgan
Kay Chivers
Shelby Timms
Restricted (21-40)
Alice Edwards
Paul Hainsworth
Ryan Bichard
Under-21
Ben Sharp
Caden Brouard
Dan Collenette
Over-40
Jamie Ferbrache
Jez Powell
Phil Ogier
Over-50
Andy Gill
Dawn Morgan
Jez Powell
Over-60
Andy Ferbrache
Kay Chivers
Mark Pipet
Over-70
Chas Elliott
Keith Opie
Maurice James
Under-18 Boys
Ben Sharp
Connor Powell
James Crocker
Under-18 Girls
Emily Gavey
Hollie Jenkins
Shelby Timms
Under-15
Alex Hutchinson
Cameron Powell
Oskar Cleal
Under-13
Alibie Lihou
Barnaby Groves
Oliver Sparks
Under-11
Aiden Ozanne
Luca Sidaner
Luke Evans
Mark Kilby Hard Bat
It was the case of lucky 13 for the Island’s best hard bat player, as Paul Hainsworth won yet another Mark Kilby title and, in the process, broke another record. Hainsworth has been almost unbeatable in this tournament and this 13th crown in the past 14 years saw him also clinch the longstanding record of most consecutive Open tournament wins.
He had been tied with Garry Dodd, Phil Ogier and Ian Powell with 7 consecutive years of tournament wins in an Open tournament heading into this event as they held the same records in the Capelles Open Singles, Spot for Sport and Senior Group events respectively. This longstanding record held by Powell for just shy of 30 years was however broken on Wednesday evening following Hainsworth’s hard fought straight sets winner against his main hard bat rival over the past few years, Joshua Stacey, making it 8 in a row.
The record-breaking feat tied in with a historic mark for the tournament as it was the 40th anniversary of the popular tournament. Mark J Kilby was a talented young table tennis player who tragically passed away in the early 1980’s and he would have been in 60 in May of this year. The players always compete for the most unique and personable trophies available each year as it is the exact table tennis bat used by Mark and his family that was dipped in silver 40 years ago.
When the event started in the 1980’s the rules were much more in common with the game at that time as back then sets were played up to 21 points with 38mm balls used. In the modern era and since 2000 sets are much more concise and played to 11 points, with a larger 40mm ball used which was introduced with the intent of enabling longer rallies to take place. Nowadays it is thus something unique for the players competing having to play to the old scoring rules and using the smaller balls. The single exception to the traditional 21 game scoring is that players take turns serving 2 points each, which is different to the 5 serves that was previously in force when the sport was played to a 21 point length.
The other notable difference is the fact that all matches are played using standard pimple bats with no sponge, otherwise known as hard bats. The Lions table tennis club had purchased some new hard bats for the event last year and these were used successfully for a second time. This adds to the unique nature of the tournament as every single entrant is playing with the same equipment and there are no advantages which can be seen in the modern game with the sponge rubber-based blades, of which numerous varieties are available. This of course acts as a leveler as the technique required to play effectively is very different to the normal table tennis players are used to throughout the rest of the season.
The event was well attended despite it taking place during the Half Term break and a number of Division 1 players were present across the 8 initial groups. The GTTA tournament committee changed it up when doing the draw as it was done openly, with no seeded players in place. This threw up several possibilities in terms of player placement in not only the initial group stages, but also the knockout draw. The largest impact this had during the initial group stages saw 2 of the best hard bat players in the same group as Hainsworth was in a group containing last year’s beaten finalist and recent Ping Pong Challenge semi finalist Caden Brouard. The repeat of the 2022 final saw Hainsworth come through comfortably in straight sets and he ended as group winner ahead of Brouard who was runner-up due to his straight sets victory over Shane Cotter.
Most of the other groups saw the expected players come through as group winners, however there were a few unexpected results and hard fought groups and none more so than Group B which incredibly took over 90 minutes to be concluded, with all 3 group matches going the full 3 set distance. The much-fancied Ken Falla was unable to take top spot and had to settle for runner-up. He had beaten Mick Ingrouille in his opening match, but fell to rising 2nd Division player Shelby Timms in the final match. Timms had earlier battled past Ingrouille in a very tight match where all games were won by just 2 points.
Another tough group was on an adjacent table as Group F saw Division 1 players Liam Robilliard and Steve Ozanne in the same group as left-handed 2nd Division player James Crocker. Robilliard and Ozanne each beat Crocker in straight sets before battling out a hard fought 3 set match. Ozanne held his nerve and in the end clinched the final set 21-19. Group G saw the other surprise result as Division 1 player Andy Gill failed to qualify. He had beaten Will Davidson in straight sets, but fell to a surprising straight sets loss to junior Alex Hutchinson in straight sets. Davidson had beaten Hutchinson in straight sets in the opener which meant that Gill missed out on countback.
Despite the unseeded nature of the tournament, it transpired that the draw went favourably as the leading players Hainsworth and Stacey were still in separate halves, as were Lawrence Stacey and Brouard, the other renowned strong hard bat players. The Last 16 saw comfortable wins across the board. Falla put an end to Hutchinson’s excellent evening, Timms put out Davidson and Robilliard came through against fellow Division 1 player Sam Clark.
The theme of straight sets wins continued in the Quarters, however finalist Stacey was tested by Robilliard where he only just won the second set 21-19. This set saw what must have been the shot of the tournament as Robilliard hit a spectacular backhand drive around the net off a wide Stacey serve. Brouard defeated the tricky veteran Falla, Lawrence put out Timms and Hainsworth ended the evening of Ozanne.
The semi finals were also won in straight sets and a lot more comfortably than prior meetings between the players. Hainsworth was ruthless from the off against Lawrence due the 8-0 lead he accumulated in the opening end. Stacey did rally well but, in the end, could not match the consistency of the defending champion, who won 21-8, 21-11.
Joshua on the other hand was just as dominant against Brouard and won 21-10, 21-13 with some excellent attacking strokes off both the forehand and backhand wing. Joshua started the final at a rapid pace and was unstoppable for the first few points as he opened up an early 5-1 advantage. This include some excellent backhand punch shots, in addition to his renowned strong forehand drives. Hainsworth managed to wear down Stacey with his consistent play and after restoring parity at around 10-10 he surged to the opening end 21-13.
It looked ominous for Stacey when he trailed the next set 9-3 as Hainsworth was in pole position. He played 2 excellent backhand punches down the line from here and a few uncharacteristic forehand errors from Hainsworth eventually enabled him to draw level at 12-12. He had all the momentum from here and looked to have turned it round with the match looking to be heading to a decider with him holding a 19-16 lead. A missed forehand drive opportunity long of the table at this point proved to be crucial as Hainsworth then showed his typical battling qualities when he reeled off the next 4 points to edge it 21-19 and claim the title and consecutive Open Tournament victories record.
Lions Spot for Sport
Lawrence Stacey continued his fine form in the lead up to next month’s Island Championships by claiming another major tournament title on Monday evening. While illness meant some top Division 1 players such as Ben Foss and Paul Hainsworth were absent, there was still a strong entry including the Stacey brothers and Phil Ogier.
The group stages went according to seeding, although one notable surprise was the fast improving 13-year-old Oskar Cleal, who claimed the scalp of Connor Powell and progressed from his group as a result. The Division 3 player was on the verge of causing another upset in the next round, including taking one end 11-1, before eventually succumbing to the craft of Division 2 player Craig Dunning.
James Crocker was another junior player excelling on the day and he did well to push Division 1 stalwart Jez Powell the full distance before being defeated 11-8 in the deciding end. unning continued his streak by beating 5th seed Sam Clark in the round of 16, before Josh Stacey ended his run in the quarter final.
The semi-finals were intriguing as top seed Ogier was drawn against Josh Stacey, while Lawrence faced Jez Powell. Experimenting with a new ‘cybershape’ bat, Powell was attacking with vigour and took one end off Stacey before falling 11-8, 11-5, 12-14, 11-1. On the next table, Josh overcame the tough defence of Ogier, also winning in four games.
Josh has had recent success in this event, winning in 2020 and 2022, but ultimately the final was a surprisingly one-sided affair when compared to most clashes between the evenly matched twins. Lawrence took a hold of the game early on and claimed first game using his trademark forehand drive to good effect and looked likely to take the second game. However, Lawrence showed good mental strength, playing a couple of superb points to come back and win on deuce. Using that momentum, Lawrence was able to make a strong start to the third game as some of Josh's attacks faltered under pressure. He was not able to recompose himself, showing a couple of moments of frustration as his brother came through with the loss of only three points, winning 11-2, 12-10, 11-3 to win the Spot for Sport for only the second time
Bellerive Junior Banded Tournament
Well done to all the players who competed in the final Bellerive Junior Banded Tournament of the season this afternoon. Some really close matches and great to see the progress made throughout this season.
Thanks to sponsors Bellerive for their support this season.
The winners & runners up were:
Band 1 Winner: Aiden Ozanne
Runner-up: Oskar Cleal
Band 2 Winner: Jamie Regan
Runner-up: Xavier Ingrouille
Band 3 Winner: Leonardo Guariento
Runner-up: Noah Nicolle
Band 4 Winner: Isla Bretel, Jasper Kimber
Runner-up: Connor Osbourne
Player of the Day: Keira Eldridge
Paul Hainsworth’s reputation of being the leading hard bat player in the Island continued Saturday afternoon when he claimed the annual Ping Pong Challenge Open tournament for the third consecutive year. His opponent in the final was a familiar foe in the form of Joshua Stacey, the 2019/20 champion and the individual who has now lost out to Hainsworth in the prior 3 finals, this time missing out 3-1.
Local Ravenscroft Panthers player Mick Ingrouille was the driving force behind the tournament continuing and donated the impressive trophy and this season saw the conclusion of the 5th event under its new guise.
The format is in keeping with the prior WCPP Qualification event with a few minor differences. The main difference is that the games are contested to the traditional table tennis scoring of 11 points, rather than the 15 used for WCPP matches.
This event is always a popular one on the GTTA calendar such to the extent that the 32-entry limit cane restrict some players the opportunity of competing. The 32 players were split into equal groups of 8 players, with 4 seeded players heading each group. This seeding is largely garnered from prior performances in this event and also the local Mark Kilby Hard Bat singles competition instead of the usual table tennis rankings, as there are a number of widely acknowledge ‘hard bat specialists’ that would not normally be in the mix for a top 4 seeding in a normal table tennis event.
The seeds this year were unsurprisingly headed by the finalists from the prior 2 seasons in the form of Hainsworth and Stacey, with Josh’s twin Lawrence who lost in the semi finals last year 3rd seed and 2nd Division St Pauls player Chas Elliott the final seed, due to his consistent performances in hard bat tournaments in prior years. It was however not plain sailing for the seeded players as Hainsworth was the only seed to successfully navigate his group unbeaten. He beat all 7 rivals in straight sets in Group A, which saw Jez Powell finish second despite losing to Sam Clark 2-1 in his opening match. Nye Matthew impressed in his first time competing in this event and came through in 3rd spot, with Jamie Loveridge taking the final qualification spot into the main draw at the expense of Clark, who he beat 2-0 in the final decisive match of the group.
Josh did manage to top his group despite not winning all his matches. His sole defeat came at the hands of the tricky Ken Falla in 3 sets. It looked like he would win easily he took the opener 11-4, but Falla did exceptionally well to clinch the remaining 2 ends by winning the sudden death points at 10-10 in the final 2 sets. Craig Dunning was 2nd in the group as he lost just the sole match to Stacey in 3 sets, whilst junior Ben Sharp was 3rd. Falla claimed the final qualification spot having finished level on wins with Sharp, but having lost to the youngster in 3 sets.
Lawrence did not top his group and this was because he was defeated by debutant Mark Pipet in 3 sets. Pipet has not played in a hard bat event of any form for many years, but he showed his class in qualifying as group winner. He lost just the single match to James Crocker in his first match of the afternoon 2-1, but topped the group due to head to head ratio with Stacey. Crocker finished in 3rd spot, whilst the 4th qualifier went to Rachael Sharp, which was an excellent result for the 4th Division Lions player.
Elliott faced a similar fate to Lawrence as he too finished 2nd in his group. This was due to his 2-1 defeat to Caden Brouard, another player who has good pedigree with a hard bat – he was the beaten finalist in the Mark Kilby tournament last year. Brouard went unbeaten in the group as winner. Terry Trustum who was also debuting in this event finished as 3rd qualifier, with 1st Division player Joseph Bourgaize completing the list of qualifiers for the knockout of the main draw.
The live draw threw up some interesting Last 16 clashes, however in the end the 4 seeded players and other expected winners came through. The closest match almost saw an untimely exit for Elliott as he trailed 4-2 in the deciding end against Sharp, but managed to come through comfortably in the end. Another close game was between Brouard and Loveridge, with Brouard coming back to win 2-1 after losing the opening game.
The Quarter Finals saw some tough clashes and none more so than at the top of the draw where Hainsworth was up against the 2019/20 runner-up Lawrence. It was a well contested match that ultimately went the way of Hainsworth in straight sets, aided by a few uncharacteristic service errors from Stacey. The other match from the top half of the draw was a tasty affair between Pipet and Powell and Pipet continued his dream run with a tough 3 set win. The bottom half of the draw say Joshua defeat 4th seed Elliott comfortably in straight sets and he was joined in the semis by Brouard who came through against Dunning in straight sets.
Both semi finals were well contested and each went the distance. Hainsworth had looked to be cruising to the final, but let an 8-5 lead in the second set slip and he lost the end 11-10 on the sudden death point. The first end conceded during the afternoon did not deter him as he started brightly in the deciding end and a few missed attacking shots from Pipet in the opening 5 points enabled Hainsworth to run away with it as he took the game 11-1. On the adjacent table, Joshua and Brouard were embroiled in a classic of their own. Brouard managed to clinch a tight opener before Stacey battled back strongly to win the second end. The deciding end was won by Stacey fairly comfortably despite some good play from Brouard.
Ping Pong Challenge
The opening game of the final proved to be key as it went all the way to a sudden death point. Stacey had experienced fortune to get into this position with 3 unreturnable nets and edges and looked to be in a strong position to pinch the end, however Hainsworth did just enough to get through. Stacey bounced back strongly in the second end and led throughout, closing it out 11-7 with some explosive forehand topspin winners. The third end was another hard-fought set which Hainsworth led during the majority. Stacey declined to use either of his 2 golden ball points when serving at 7-9 and this enabled Hainsworth to come through the end 11-7.
The fourth end was closely contested through the early and middle stages before Hainsworth pulled away into a commanding 9-5 lead. Stacey now took the opportunity to use the first of his golden point balls to excellent effect as it saw him win the point to get back to 7-9. He then continued his good run to restore parity at 9-9 and pile the pressure on the defending champion. Hainsworth however held firm and his consistent play proved too much for Stacey in the end and he won the final 2 points to seal yet another crown.
The consolation event which included all players that failed to qualify for the main draw was won by Sam Clark as he defeated Marli Barker 3-1 in the final.
Standings:
Lawrence Stacey
Ben Foss
Leon Pierre
Alice Edwards
Grzegorz Frankowski
Eugene Ellis
Paul Hainsworth
Ryan Bichard
Dan Collenette
Alfie Sutherland
John Le Fondre
Ian Lambert
Channel Islands Top 12
Report courtesy Guernsey Press:
LAWRENCE STACEY completed a near-perfect defence of his Channel Islands Top 12 trophy on Saturday. The in-form player maintained an unbeaten run in the recent local qualifier and only faltered in his very last match of the two-part programme, losing 3-2 to Jersey favourite Leon Pierre in last weekend’s inter-island round at the GTTA Centre. Pierre had also gone unbeaten in his local qualifier.
Overall Stacey graduated with a nearly spotless record – winning 10 of his 11 counting matches across the two competitions – to repeat last year’s title success on Jersey soil. Teammate Ben Foss took that second spot on countback from Pierre, both having lost only twice all competition.
‘I’m very happy with how I’ve played, both in the qualifier and in the main event today,’ the winner said.
‘Very happy to win it for the second time in a row.
‘It would have been nice to end on a high and to win all of the matches, but Leon played really well, so I can’t take anything away from him and he deserved to win the match in the end.’
In that final match, the Sarnian had edged the first set 14-12, only to lose the next two. He nevertheless took the fourth 11-8 to force a decider. The other players had by then gathered around to watch Stacey, who fell five points behind in the middle of the decisive set after a few punishing errors but then played some patient table tennis to close the gap to two, before losing 11-8.
But the 2022-23 Senior Group and Whistlers Open winner still left in high spirits. ‘I probably saved some of my best table tennis for today and the qualifier,’ he added. ‘This has probably been the event where I’ve played the best overall – it’s always useful to save it for the right time.
‘It’s been a fairly good season for me.’
Second-placed Foss had a perfect run in Saturday’s stage, beating all the Jersey players but suffering the repercussions of his two losses on local soil last month. Alice Edwards (nee Loveridge) has shown that she can still run with the best of them on her comeback season and had another solid tournament, placing fourth. Both had helped Stacey seal the title by beating Pierre – in Foss’ case, a straightforward 3-0 victory.
Jersey’s Grzegorz Frankowski and Eugene Ellis completed the top six. While the visiting Caesareans had a few smaller victories to celebrate, Guernsey remain the driving force in the Top 12, having won the individual title every year from 2017 onwards.
British League
The penultimate weekend of table tennis action within the British National Leagues went very well for the leading Island players with some excellent results obtained, leaving the top side in pole position for promotion.
This is the same position as the leading player in the Channel Islands, Garry Dodd, whose Drumchapel Glasgow TTC 1 side are leading the lofty Championship Division at the London Academy table tennis club venue.
Dodd has been in sensational form so far this season and it saw him ranked the equivalent of 11 in the Senior Male English ranking list heading into the weekend, where he was sitting with an unbeaten record of 16 consecutive wins.
He continued the unbeaten run whilst helping his side to an opening weekend 7-1 win over Fusion 2 where he came past 85 ranked Ryszard Pelc in 5 sets before comfortably finding his stride with a straight sets win over 62 ranked Joshua Dye.
Capelles Ladies Handicap Singles
There was a bumper entry for the last of the traditional January Capelles tournaments, with the 18 players from across the GTTA leagues being the best participation for a number of years. It was relative newcomer Linda Britton who took the honours, beating experienced social league player Cheryl Wingrave in the final.
After some tight group stage matches, it was clearly the lower league players were in the ascendancy by the quarter final stage as the likes of Shelby Timms, Juliette Yeaman and Marli Barker had been knocked out by lower-ranked opposition. Britton had looked particularly composed, winning all her matches 2-0, including the scalp of 3rd Division Jenny Powell by an impressive 21-8, 21-5 in the semi-final off a +18 handicap. In the lower half of the draw, Wingrave was looking equally dangerous, overcoming a +5 start to get past junior Keira Eldridge, before betting Katy Collenette (+3) by a score of 21-12, 21-16.
Britton had a +12 start in the final and made best use of this, winning the first end 21-12 with some impressive backhand winners. Despite the deficit, Wingrave rallied strongly in the 2nd game, retrieving the scores back to deuce, before finally succumbing 24-22.
Sporting Achievement Awards
Well done to International Umpire Ben Foote, who won the Dave Dorey Memorial Trophy at the 2022 Sporting Achievement Awards after travelling the world in 2022 to officiate at top tabel tennis events.
The Dave Dorey Trophy is awarded for the outstanding contribution to sport and Guernsey’s only international blue badge Table Tennis umpire Ben Foote beat off strong competition to take the title. Ben has had a busy couple of years travelling the world to officiate at some of the top events including the ITTF World Championships in Houston, the European Youth Top 10 in Tours, France, and the Dusseldorf Open last month but the highlight of Ben’s year was umpiring the men’s gold medal match between England’s Liam Pitchford and India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July.
Capelles Open Singles
Joshua Stacey made the perfect start to the 2023 calendar year by storming to the Capelles Open Singles title with a 4 set victory over 7 time prior winner and top seed Phil Ogier on Monday evening. Stacey, a prior winner of this event himself back in 2016, successfully navigated his way through the event, without dropping a single game en route to the final.
The event was heavily supported by 48 members of the Association, split into 12 equal groups of 4 players. The format for Open tournaments over the past few seasons has typically been groups of 3 players contested as best of 5 sets singles matches in the initial stages, however these groups of 4 contested the matches in a more condensed best of 3 sets format.
Notable omissions from the event included the leading 3 players in the Division 1 averages in the form of Ben Foss, Lawrence Stacey and Alice Edwards as well as Paul Hainsworth and Ryan Bichard, all of whom had been the leading 5 local qualifiers for the upcoming Channel Islands Open Top 12 event.
This enabled a number of other players the opportunity to enjoy deep runs in the event and this was epitomized none more so than 6th seeded Division 2 player Nye Matthew, who reached his first ever Open Tournament semi-final. There were no casualties in the group stages for any of the 12 seeded players, however a few did fall to unexpected defeats and ended up as runners-up in their groups.
9th seed Chas Elliott was the highest ranked player not to top his group. He lost comfortably in straight sets to fellow 2nd Division player Brian Ferbrache. 12th and final seed Jonah Ingrouille had a tough battle in all his group matches. He had successfully ousted Peter Vivian and youngster Ollie Sparks in 3 sets, despite losing the opener in both, but he was unable to get past the tricky returning Craig Dunning, who won in straight sets and was group winner. Ferbrache’s strong evening continued with a hard fought 5 set win over left-handed James Crocker in the opening knockout round, whilst 10th seed Andy Ferbrache ended Elliott’s evening by winning in 4.
Ingrouille also faced off against a fellow seeded player, but he managed to come through in 4 sets in a tight tussle with 11th seed Shelby Timms. Ingrouille continued his strong run when he defeated 7th seed Caden Brouard in the Last 16. Brian Ferbrache’s evening ended in a 4 set loss to 5th seeded Division 1 player Joseph Bourgaize, whilst Andy Ferbrache was edged out by Matthew, who fought back from 2-1 down to win over the distance.
Ogier and Stacey cruised to the semi finals by virtue of straight sets wins over Ingrouille and 8th seed Andy Gill respectively in the Quarters. 3rd seed Jez Powell ended the run of Bourgaize in straight sets, whilst Matthew upset the seeding when he defeated 4th seed Steve Ozanne in 4 sets. Matthew’s strong run ultimately came to an end at the hand of Stacey in straight sets, whilst Ogier was also a straight sets winner over Powell in the other semi final encounter.
The opening end of the final proved to be key and it saw Stacey edge it 12-10. Ogier battled back very strongly to take the next set 11-4, however he was unable to stop the powerful topspin strokes of Stacey, who powered through the following sets 11-6, 11-8 to take the title.
Capelles Handicap Doubles
Derek Cave won his second handicap table tennis event of the season, teaming up with Helen Barker to claim the Capelles Handicap Doubles. Traditionally played on the first week of each calendar year, the tournament attracted a bumper entry for 2023 with players from across the GTTA leagues keen to get their bats out again after the Christmas break. The format is a simple one where players enter individually and are randomly allocated a playing partner, with the average handicap of the pair taken. Games played under the old ‘first to 21’ playing system rather than the modern standard of 11 points.
After a competitive group stage with many matches going the distance, the lower leagues appeared to be coming out on top, as Division 1 stars Josh Stacey, Jamie Ferbrache and Sam Clark all fell at this stage. Coincidentally, brothers and Lions teammates Andy and Brian Ferbrache were drawn together and looked a good bet to lift the trophy, but they were surprisingly beaten by Cave and Barker in the first knockout round, 21-12, 21-6. Barker and Cave then brushed past the strong pairing of 2022 winner Andy Gill and improving 2nd Division junior Shelby Timms. In the other semi-final, 2nd Division left-hander Connor Powell was gelling well with Social League player Sonia Le Page as they beat Ben Foote and newcomer Alexis Aquino. Powell and Le Page continued their good form in the final and claimed the first game, but then Cave and Barker turned on the style and ultimately triumphed 18-21, 21-1, 21-4.
Top 12 Qualification
Standings
Lawrence Stacey (8 wins out of 8)
Alice Edwards (6 wins out of 8)
Paul Hainsworth (6 wins out of 8)
Ben Foss (6 wins out of 8)
Ryan Bichard (4 wins out of 8)
Dan Collenette (2 wins out of 8)
Matthew Casey (2 wins out of 8)
Jamie Ferbrache (1 win out of 8)
Ben Sharp (1 win out of 8)
With action from the domestic Doric Insurance sponsored leagues concluded for 2022, there was just one event left to contest in the calendar year. The event in question was the prestigious Channel Islands Top 12 Qualification event, with the Island’s leading players all vying to get the chance to compete against Jersey’s top 6 players in January at the GTTA centre. The prior staging of the event in January 2022 had been extremely fruitful for the Sarnians as the top 3 spots were claimed impressively on Jersey soil.
The line-up for the qualification event this year was another strong one as it included Alice Edwards, who has returned to competitive action this season, as well as the majority of other leading Island players who compete for the Guernsey sides in the British National Leagues. The notable absences however were Phil Ogier who has been struggling with injury and more unexpectedly Joshua Stacey, who was ill and thus unable to compete at the last minute.
The late withdrawal of Stacey left just 9 players aiming to finish in the top 6 and in the end the 6 qualifiers were largely as expected with the exception of the 6th qualifier. That being said the final order of the qualifiers was outside of the expected outcomes with 4 players finishing higher than their ranking in advance of the event.
2nd ranked player Lawrence Stacey is the defending champion and he gave himself the best possible chance of retaining his crown after an assured evening of play. He joins Jersey star Leon Pierre with an unbeaten record heading into the crunch CI matches next month but was made to work hard in 2 of his 8 encounters. He was joined by Edwards, Paul Hainsworth, Ben Foss, Ryan Bichard and Daniel Collenette as qualifiers.
His toughest match came during his clash with Edwards, in his penultimate match of the night. Edwards looked in absolute cruise control after she emphatically won the opening 2 ends for the loss of just 6 points. Stacey showed superb battling abilities to produce an excellent comeback, winning the final 3 ends all by the narrow score of 11-9.
His other tough affair came a few rounds prior against Bichard, who is showing excellent form so far this season. They had fought out a similarly close encounter in the league a few weeks prior and once more Stacey came through the tight match and took the deciding end 11-7. His other wins were fairly comfortable and he only dropped individual sets to Foss, Collenette and Matt Casey on the way to his perfect record.
The battle for 2nd spot ended out being a three-way tie between the players ranked 1, 3 and 4 for the event, in the form of Foss, Edwards and Hainsworth. Each of these players beat each other which resulted in a countback needing to be done based on sets won in the clashes between each other.
Edwards finished 1 spot higher than her ranking in 2nd place due to her comfortable straight sets win over Hainsworth. She was however defeated by Foss in 5 sets, despite the Division 1 averages leader suffering a minor injury halfway through the final set of their encounter.
4th ranked Hainsworth finished 1 spot higher in 3rd and he picked up his best win of the season during his straight sets triumph over Foss. He navigated an exceptionally tight first set 18-16 before winning the other close games 11-7, 13-11. He was particularly sharp off the forehand wing with some strong attacking topspin strokes.
Bichard qualified 5th which was in line with his ranking. He was a comfortable straight sets winner over all players ranked below him except for Casey, whom he battled past in 5 sets in the final round of the night, in an encounter which he had trailed 2-1.
Collenette was the final qualifier and he defied his ranking of 8, although this was only on countback ahead of 7th ranked Casey. He fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat to Ben Sharp, who finished in 9th spot but defeated Jamie Ferbrache in 4 sets and more crucially came through a humdinger with Casey. Casey looked to be in control in that clash when leading 2-0 and 7-5, however Collenette battled strongly and won the final 3 ends 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 to complete a top-notch comeback.
Casey will also rue his opening round encounter with Hainsworth where he looked in utter control after winning the first set 11-4 and holding a surprise 8-0 lead in the 2nd set. Hainsworth somehow battled back to 8-8 and then saved 2 set points at 8-10 to come back and pinch the set. Casey did regain his lead at 2-1, but Hainsworth again dug in and edged it in 5.
Collenette too was in pole position against Hainsworth in the final round of the night after he edged the first 2 sets by matching 15-13 scores. Hainsworth however again stuck in and battled hard and came through the final 3 sets 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 to complete another escape. Ferbrache played well during the evening despite finishing outside the top 6 and earned a straight sets win over Sharp.
Jersey’s top 6 qualifiers are Leon Pierre, Gregorz Frankowski, Eugene Ellis, Chris Morshead, Alfie Sutherland and Ian Lambert and the action will take place in Guernsey on Saturday 28th January 2023.
British League
The second weekend of table tennis action within the British National Leagues did not disappoint with excellent results obtained for the leading Island players, whilst the leading player in the Channel Islands, Garry Dodd, continued to excel for his side in the lofty Championship Division.
For the Guernsey sides, it was the Guernsey 1 side of Lawrence Stacey, Ben Foss, Joshua Stacey and Ryan Bichard that produced some excellent results that now sees them joint top of the table in National B1 with 2 other sides.
Full report on the British League page
Bellerive Junior Banded Tournament
The second Junior Banded tournament of the season took place on Saturday, with the participants all playing in new yellow shirts courtesy of new sponsors Bellerive.
It was a bright day both on and off the table at the Bellerive Junior Banded Tournament and the
The Guernsey Table Tennis Centre was awash with colour as the junior players all sported new yellow t-shirts, courtesy of new sponsors Bellerive and this was matched by some excellent table tennis matches with many showing match maturity beyond their ages.
The tournament saw players compete over 4 bands based on experience and ability. Band 1 was hotly contested as Albie Lihou came out on top, showing good determination in many of his matches, even when trailing on points. A great example of this was his match with Ollie Sparks, who eventually finished third on countback. Lihou was trailing 9-4 in the fifth and final set but composed himself and played some intelligent table tennis to ultimately win 15-13. The group was very open and this was demonstrated by players picking up at least one win. Alex Hutchinson was another players to have a good afternoon and claimed the runner up spot ahead of Sparks.
Band 2 winner Xavier Ingrouille competed in his first banded tournament of the season and took top spot, dropping only one set to third place Luca Sidaner. This group also saw all players pick up at least one win, with the runner-up being left-hander Daniel Read.
Band 3 saw some of the GTTA’s up-and-coming junior girls make their mark against the boys with 12-year-old Ella Le Ber taking first place, displaying possibly the best table tennis that she has ever played. She showed her ability to pick up any loose balls with her forceful backhand winning many crucial points. Second place went to another improving junior female player, 11-year-old Keira Eldridge.
Band 4 saw many players competing for the first time and also saw the players all beating each other. The improving Henry James claimed top spot with seven victories, with newcomer Isla Bretel finishing in 2nd place on countback having beaten Mason Eldridge, who finished 3rd in their head-to-head.
Band 4's Robin Manning won the player of the day award for his positive attitude and good sportsmanship both on and off the table.
Bat & Ball
The annual visit from the UK based Bat and Ball team resulted in the visitors regaining the trophy which Guernsey had won last year. Last year the strong Sarnian side romped to a decisive 72-48 triumph, however this was reversed this season with a closer 55-45 win for the visitors.
Guernsey had a stronger line-up on the first evening of action, as all players in the Men’s A and B sides consisted of Division 1 players, with a further 2 x Division 1 players in the C team. This enabled a strong start to be obtained and a 27-23 lead to be taken into the deciding evening’s play on the Thursday evening. The Thursday saw a comfortable win for the Bat and Ball side which saw them as eventual winners.
Wednesday Evening
The Men’s A side of Lawrence Stacey, Paul Hainsworth and Ryan Bichard edged through 6-4 in a clash where none of the 6 players were unbeaten. Stacey defeated the tricky defender Barrie Guilbert in 4 sets and the awkward Roger Pingram in straight sets, whilst Ryan Bichard beat the highest ranked player in attendance John Robinson impressively in 4 sets and Pingram in 4 sets. Hainsworth added a comfortable straight sets win over Pingram and was unfortunate to be edged out in 5 sets by Guilbert, who won a tight 4th 14-12 before winning the deciding end comfortably. The crucial doubles match went the way of Stacey and Bichard as they beat Robinson and Guilbert in 5 closely contested sets.
The Men’s B side of Jez Powell, Jamie Ferbrache, Sam Clark and Steve Ozanne also edged through 6-4. Powell and Ferbrache each won their 2 singles matches, however Ferbrache needed the full 5 sets to overcome both Steve Kerns an Andy Meads. Ozanne beat Kerns in straight sets and teamed with Clark to win one of the doubles matches against Kerns and Meads in 4 sets.
The Men’s C side bolstered by the inclusion of Division 1 Whistlers A team-mates Ryan Gilson and Ben Sharp romped to an 8-2 win. Gilson of course led the way strongly with an unbeaten night. He defeated Keith Mellor and Jack Davies in straight sets before coming back from 2-0 down to beat Trevor Spraggs 12-10 in the decisive 5th end. Sharp likewise beat Davies in straight sets and Spraggs in 5 sets in an almost repeat display as he too came back from 2-0 down to Spraggs. His win against Mellor was in 4 sets. The duo combined to win the doubles against Spraggs an Mellor in straight sets. Ben Foote added a further Guernsey win when he beat Davies in straight sets.
The Ladies A team saw the visitors edge through 6-4. Paula Le Ber was the best performer as the Division 2 player beat Mandy Joncas in 4 sets and Sarah Whithorn in 5 sets. Charlotte Casey and Shelby Timms each beat Whithorn in singles action, however the Sarnians could not find any further wins to get something from the tie. The doubles proved to be the best chance and Casey and Timms were edged out in 5 sets by Whithorn and Karen Henry, who was unbeaten in the fixture.
The Ladies B team suffered a 7-3 defeat. Marli Barker was the best Guernsey performer as she beat Anne Vickers in straight sets and Dolly Gilbert in straight sets. She also teamed with Jenny Powell to win the doubles over Vickers and Gilbert in 5 sets.
Thursday Evening
On paper it always looked like it would be a trickier test on the final evening of action as Sarnians had just 3 Division 1 players in action across the Men’s Teams, 5 lower than the prior evening. This told as 3 victories the prior evening turned into 2 x defeats and a draw the following night.
The Men’s A team were still strong as it was all Division 1 players in the form of Joshua Stacey, Powell and Ozanne, however they fell to a 6-4 loss. Stacey in particular had a top evening as he won all of his singles matches, losing just the single end to Robinson in the process. Ozanne edged past Pingram in 5 sets, however the decisive 5th rubber could not be clinched. Powell looked like he might do this in the final match of the night against Pingram, however Pingram edged through 11-8 in the deciding set.
The Men’s B team fell to a heavy 8-2 defeat. Caden Brouard was the sole victor in singles action as he beat Spraggs 17-15 in the 4th end of their clash. Tim Le Page and Andy Ferbrache combined to win the doubles over Mellor and Meads in straight sets. The result was however extremely harsh and flatted the visitors as the final 4 singles matches were all settled in favour of the Bat & Ball side in 5 sets. Brouard lost to Dale Aitkenhead, Jonah Ingrouille lost to Spraggs, Ferbrache lost to Mellor and Le Page lost to Meads. Brouard and Le Page had been 2-1 up, whilst Ferbrache had been 2-0 up.
The Men’s C team drew 5-5 in a well contested clash. Brian Ferbrache was the best performer for the Sarnians as he beat Kerns in 5 sets and Davies in straight sets. Gary Wilcocks and Peter Vivian each beat Davies in straight sets, whilst Ferbrache and Vivian won the doubles over Davies and Spraggs in straight sets.
In a reverse result of the prior evening, the Ladies A team won 6-4 against the visitors. Le Ber once more won twice as she beat Whithorn and Terri Allison in straight sets. This feat was repeated by Timms, albeit she needed to come back from 2-0 down to battle past Allison 12-10 in the deciding 5th end of their encounter. Barker beat Allison in 4 sets in the other Guernsey singles win, whilst Le Ber teamed with Barker to win the vital doubles match against Henry and Whithorn in 4 sets.
The Ladies C side fell to a heavy 9-1 defeat. Powell was the only winner as she defeated Gilbert in 4 sets.
CI Junior Top 12
1. Hannah Silcock (J)
2. Leon Pierre (J)
3. John Le Fondre (J)
4. Ben Sharp (G)
5. Caden Brouard (G)
6. Shelby Timms (G)
7. James Crocker (G)
8. Alex Fernandes (J)
9. Connor Powell (G)
10. Kevan Moreira (J)
11. Oscar Watkins (J)
12. Jayden Tucknott (G)
It was a tough away day for Guernsey's best junior table tennis players at the Geoff Reed Table Tennis Centre as they faced off against Jersey's best in the annual CI Junior Top 12 tournament. Ben Sharp had claimed top spot in the local qualification event held in October, followed by in-form Division 2 players Caden Brouard and James Crocker but Jersey's contigent was also strong. They included Commonwealth Games star Hannah Silcock and reigning CI under-21 champion Leon Pierre, still only 17, and they provided tricky opposition.
Sharp had a good day, but was ultimately defeated by both Pierre and the eventual champion Silcock, while also losing out narrowly to John Le Fondre. Broaurd, Crocker and Shelby Timms all had similar results, meaning that the Jersey trio took the top places, but Guernsey did claim 4th to 7th spots. Connor Powell ended up in 9th place with good wins against Kevan Moreira and Oscar Watkins, while Jayden Tucknott finished in 12th. The CI Open Top 12 Qualificaiton takes place on 20th December.
Preston Grand Prix
Photo courtesy Table Tennis England
Garry Dodd continues to display strong form in the UK as the leading player in the Channel Islands stormed to an impressive Band One title in the recent Preston Grand Prix. The left-handed star found himself seeded 4 for the event, but a run of strong performances saw him upset the odds and clinch the crown and his winners cheque for £130.
He came through his group without issue before he started facing some highly ranked players. His hardest test of the entire event came in one of the opening knockout rounds where he was extended to 5 sets by American Howard Onweng. Onweng had played a part in the surprise elimination of Jersey rival Jordan Wykes in the group stages but Dodd narrowly avoided the same fate, edging a tight final end 12-10. His next tests came against higher ranked players and this commenced in the Quarter Finals against Rhys Davies who is ranked 27 in England and following that his best win came in the semi-final stage where he beat England number 21 and second seed Umair Mauthoor strongly in 4 sets.
Arguably though his strongest performance came in the final when he powered past England number 29 Naphat Boonyaprapa in straight sets by the score of 11-8, 13-11, 11-8.
Dodd’s run in the Open event on the following day ended in a disappointing defeat to training partner Jie Fu Tham who is one of the top 20 U21 players in England and who put in a strong performance during the encounter.
The successful weekend has however seen Dodd’s ranking rise higher and he is now 26 on the ratings list, which is equivalent points wise to being ranked 17 in England on the Men’s list.
Whistlers Open
Lawrence Stacey continued his strong start to the season by retaining the Whistlers Open Singles title he won last year. The victory was his third in this event and followed up on the Senior Group title he won in October. His perfect start in domestic open tournaments this season culminated with a gritty 4 set win over fellow leading Island player Ben Foss.
The tournament was well supported and saw the highest entry of the season so far with 33 players all vying for the crown. All 11 seeded players came through as respective group winners, however 7th seed Jamie Ferbrache needed to weather the storm in getting past the tricky Craig Dunning in 5 sets, with Dunning playing his first competitive table tennis in nearly 18 months due to injury.
The players joining the seeds in the knockout stages was largely in line with expectations apart from 2 of the groups. 3rd Division player Juliette Yeaman beat fellow Ravenscroft Panthers 2nd Division player Peter Vivian in 5 sets in Group D, coming back from 2-1 down in the process before taking the deciding end 11-9.
Pierre Jehan caused the other upset as the Division 3 Panthers player did exceptionally well to upset 2nd Division junior Connor Powell in 5 sets, also coming back from 2-1 down to win 11-9 in the 5th. As it transpired these two players drew each other in the first knockout round and it was Yeaman that kept her run going by outlasting Jehan in 5 sets, once more another match won by the player who trailed 2-1. Dunning too kept his strong return going by ending the hopes of rising Division 2 junior player Shelby Timms in 4 sets.
The Last 16 stage threw up a few close matches and surprise results, however the top 4 seeds won fairly easily. Top seed Foss beat Marli Barker in straight sets, 3rd seed Joshua Stacey put an end to Yeaman’s strong run in straight sets, 4th seed Paul Hainsworth ended Dunning’s run in straight sets and eventual winner Lawrence had the toughest test of the quartet as he dropped the second end to 2nd Division player Chas Elliott before winning in 4 sets.
5th seed Liam Robilliard had a tough tussle with former Lions Division 1 team-mate Steve Ozanne, but managed to edge the deciding 5th set 15-13, with Ozanne having pinched the 4th by the exact same tight score to force the decider in the first place.
6th seed Jez Powell was embroiled in an epic 5 set encounter with left hander Andy Gill but comfortably won the decider 11-4, whilst another all Division 1 clash saw 10th seed Joseph Bourgaize outlast 8th seeded southpaw Ryan Gilson 11-9 in the decider.
The final match in the round saw an upset as 11th seed and current Division 2 averages leader Nye Matthew get past Ferbrache in 4 sets. His run was ended in the Quarter Finals due to a ruthless performance from Foss who lost just 12 points during the impressive display.
Lawrence and Josh were equally dominant in their Quarters against Bourgaize and Robilliard respectively as each was won in straight sets. The final match in the Quarters was the only close one and it saw a hard fought 5 set encounter between Hainsworth and Powell. The pair had played just a few nights prior in Doric Insurance sponsored senior league action where Hainsworth had won the 5th and deciding end 11-9 and this encounter concluded in the precise same manner. Powell had however been largely in control during this match and had led 1-0 and 2-1 before Hainsworth battled back to take a comfortable 4th 11-5 before winning the 5th on his second match point.
The first semi-final between Foss and Josh Stacey was a largely one-sided affair as Foss once more was in good form and won in straight sets. The other semi-final between Lawrence and Hainsworth looked to be going the same way when the champion edged a close second end 11-9, however Hainsworth fought well to take a comfortable 3rd end 11-5. Stacey raised his level from here and had too much in the 4th, taking it 11-7.
Foss seemed to be in the ascendancy and cruising towards his 3rd Whistlers Open Singles crown after winning the opening end 11-8 and leading 8-5 in the second, however the pivotal moment came here when Stacey managed to salvage the second 12-10. From here he looked the more composed player and took the final 2 ends 11-8, 11-5 to seal the title.
The next event of the calendar sees the annual visit from the Bat and Ball visiting team from the UK on Wednesday 16 November and Thursday 17 November where several the Island’s leading players are in action against some familiar long-time rivals.
Umpiring
We're pleased to announce that Frank Coppolo has passed the recent ITTF umpiring exam and is now qualified as an International Umpire.
Well done Frank!
With action from the 2022-23 season having kicked off many weeks ago, Monday evening saw the opening domestic tournament of the season contested, in the form of the Senior Group.
The highly decorated Alice Edwards has made a successful return to the sport and her unbeaten run of 6 singles wins in league action saw her pitted as the top seed for the event. Her impressive start to the season had included wins over members of the 2022 Inter-Insular Green Trophy winning Sarnian side in the form of twins Lawrence and Joshua Stacey.
Despite this rich start to the season, Lawrence found some revenge in the final of this event and stormed to a strong 4 set victory, which in turn sealed his third consecutive Senior Group crown.
The opening tournament was well supported in numbers overall, however several leading Island players were missing from action, including record 11-time prior winner Phil Ogier and multiple time Open tournament winner Ben Foss.
Very few surprises were offered up in the initial group stages of competition where the 30 entrants competed for onward progress to the knockout stages. The seeded players all progressed without much trouble. One such surprise result however did come in Group I where Ravenscroft Panthers Division 3 player Mick Ingrouille earned an excellent 5 set win over Division 2 Lions player Connor Powell. Ingrouille also defeated junior Alex Hutchinson to end as group winner but ultimately exited the competition at the Last 16 stage to 6th seed Jez Powell in straight sets.
The seeded players all expectedly navigated through to the Quarter finals where there were some intriguing clashes. Edwards had a tough test against Powell, but came through to win in 4 sets. Lawrence had the toughest match of all however and had to stave off a spirited effort from 5th seed Matthew Casey, eventually coming through over the full 5 set distance. 3rd seeded twin Josh and 4th seed Liam Robilliard had much more comfortable passages to the semi finals with straight sets wins over Joseph Bourgaize and Nye Matthew respectively.
This all set the scene for semi-final encounters between the top 4 seeded players for the event. Edwards was always in control in her encounter with Robilliard, the opening end being crucial due to her edging it 12-10 before she went on to win in straight sets.
On an adjacent table there was a familiar sight of a battle between Lawrence and Josh. All so often matches between these players can go the full 5 sets as they know each other’s games so well. Josh started the stronger and claimed a fairly comfortable opener. Lawrence battled back well and took the next 2 games. It looked like it might be heading to a final set decider once more, but Lawrence had enough on the night to edge a tight 4th 12-10.
Just 5 days prior, Lawrence and Edwards had played in a league match against each other and Edwards had won in 4 sets. In that encounter she had taken the opening 2 sets before winning and this final was the exact opposite. Stacey started strongly by taking the opening 2 sets 11-8, 11-7, before Edwards bounced back to take the third 11-8. Stacey was however not to be denied and comfortably powered through the 4th set 11-5 to regain his title.
British League
The British League teams were in action this weekend, for more details, results etc, see British League page
Opening Weekend Sides
Guernsey 1:
Lawrence Stacey
Ben Foss
Joshua Stacey
Ryan Bichard
Guernsey 2:
Matthew Casey
Ryan Gilson
Daniel Collenette
Jamie Ferbrache
Junior Top 12 Qualification
The following players have been selected to play in the Junior Top 12 Qualification on Tuesday 4th October. The 6 qualifiers will play in Jersey on Sunday 6th November:
Albie Lihou
Alex Paul
Ben Sharp
Caden Brouard
Cameron Powell
Connor Powell
James Crocker
Jayden Tucknott
Oskar Cleal
Shelby Timms
St Pauls Handicap
Derek Cave claimed victory in the curtain-raiser to the table tennis season, the St Pauls Open Handicap Singles, beating in-form Josh Stacey in the final. With the Doric Insurance table tennis leagues underway, the ‘St Pauls’ is traditionally a popular event and attracts players of all abilities from across the GTTA leagues.
This year the handicap system has been tweaked slightly as there was perceived to be a small bias towards the stronger players, with no player outside of the top two divisions having won either of the individual handicap tournaments since 2008.
The new system seemed to be working well as many of the round robin groups of 4 went the full distance and the results were assuringly unpredictable. Cave had looked in good form in Group A, dispatching Ken Falla, Shelby Timms and Ben Foote for the loss of only one end. Up and coming juniors Aiden Ozanne and Olly Sparks also looked formidable in qualifying through their groups, while Stacey battled past Martin Sarre and returnee Pete Bretel.
After some close round of 32 and round of 16 matches, it was Stacey who caught the eye, as after a difficult group against the similarly ranked Sarre and Bretel, he faced Division 4’s Helen Barker and had to yield an 0-18 deficit in the first-to-21 games. He showed good composure and indeed rattled off 28 points unanswered, winning 21-18, 16-21, 22-20. He then dispatched the dangerous Ozanne, followed by the hard-hitting Alex Whitten, both again giving away an 18-point start. Meanwhile Cave was showing his best form in beating Frank Coppolo 21-10, 21-13.
Having worked so hard for 3 consecutive matches where any mistake was costly, Stacey was looking visibly tired and Cave took full advantage in the final. He took the initiative and attacked his higher-ranked opponent where possible, forcing Stacey into errors and became the first lower-league player to lift the trophy in 14 years.
Veterans Home Countries
It was a successful weekend for the Guernsey Veterans teams that travelled to the Isle of Man to complete in the Veterans Home Counties against teams from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man and Jersey.
Maurice James and Keith Opie won the silver medal in the over 75 team event as well as the over 75 men’s doubles, beating Isle of Man and Scotland in the process. Meanwhile Kay Chivers and Dawn Morgan won silver in the over-50 ladies team event and Kay also won silver in the over 60 ladies singles. Maurice James claimed the Over-75 plate event, beating Pat Bracken from Ireland in the final.
The Guernsey Veterans teams:
Over 50 Men - Andy Gill & Ian Le Page
Over 50 Women - Kay Chivers & Dawn Morgan
Over 60 Men - Peter Vivian & Robin Vile
Over 75 Men - Maurice James & Keith Opie
Guernsey Delegate & Referee - Lionel Jones
Results:
The GTTA were saddened to learn that Peter Powell sadly died last week, after a truly courageous battle. Peter gave many many years of loyalty to the game of table tennis, both on and off the table - a true legend who will be missed by all those who knew and loved him, be it friend or foe!! Our thoughts are with Rosemary and the family at this sad and difficult time.
