Guernsey Table Tennis Association
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
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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.
