28th March - 2nd April 2025

Men's Singles

Garry Dodd

Results

Women's Singles

Kay Chivers

Results

Men's Doubles

Garry Dodd & Joshua Butler

Results

Women's Doubles

Kay Chivers & Marli Barker

Results

Mixed Doubles

Garry Dodd & Marli Barker

Results

Restricted Singles

Paul Hainsworth

Results

Veteran Singles

Phil Ogier

Results

Women's Veteran Singles

Kay Chivers

Results

Veterans Doubles

Phil Ogier & Jez Powell

Results

Over 50 Singles

Phil Ogier

Results

Over 60 Singles

Mark Pipet

Results

Over 70 Singles

Keith Opie

Results

Under 21 Open Singles

Oskar Cleal

Results

Under 18 Men's Singles

Luke Evans

Results

Under 18 Women's Singles

Keira Eldridge

Results

Under 18 Doubles

Oskar Cleal & Cameron Powell

Results

Under 15 Boys Singles

Luke Evans

Results

Under 15 Girls Singles

Keira Eldridge

Results

Under 13 Singles

Luke Evans

Results

Under 11 Singles

Morgan Finn

Results

Finals Night Report

Garry Dodd’s dominance of the local game continued during Finals Night of the La Fratanelle Home Insurance sponsored Island Championships on Wednesday evening, as he picked up a hat-trick of titles across the blue riband events. This made it three consecutive years of him having clinched the Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles Island crowns and the Men’s Singles success brought him 1 closer to the all-time record holder, Bert Brenton. This title was Dodd’s impressive 13th , leaving him just 3 shy of the enormous tally held by Brenton, who dominated during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Dodd’s opponent in the final was second seed Lawrence Stacey, who has impressed domestically throughout the season, resulting in the highest Division 1 averages in the Doric Insurance sponsored Senior Leagues as well as a number of tournament victories. Dodd is however a class above and his blistering start saw a 2-0 advantage opened for the loss of just 6 points. Stacey started to settle in the third and was holding firm until 6-6 before Dodd moved through the gears to take it 11-7. With the resistance waning, Dodd ultimately cruised through the final set to cap a solid performance.

The same could not be said in the Men’s Doubles encounter however, as alongside Joshua Butler, the then 4-time champions were embroiled in an excellent clash with Lawrence and twin Joshua. With honours shared across the opening 2 sets, games 3 and 4 were key to the outcome. The Stacey twins led the third 10-7, but were crucially unable to close it out, with the defending champions roaring back to take it 13-11. The 4 th set was equally tight but this time it saw Dodd and Butler with a few set points at 10-8. These were spurned, as were further set points at 12-11 and 13-12 and a strong forehand topspin cross court off the third ball from Lawrence restored parity. In the end Dodd and Butler raised their levels for the remainder of the match and this enabled them to close it out 4-2, however this was certainly one of the highest quality doubles matches seen at the GTTA centre over the past few years.

Last up for Dodd was a Mixed Doubles final alongside Ravenscroft Panthers player Marli Barker. Their opposition was brother and sister combo Matthew and Charlotte Casey, with Matthew having been a last-minute replacement for Sunday’s Mixed Doubles action due to illness for Paul Hainsworth. Dodd proved to be a key difference maker and despite the Casey siblings fighting through the 4 th set to keep their hopes alive, Dodd and Barker closed it out 11-7 to conclude the 5-set win.

On the Women’s side, the hugely decorated Kay Chivers was the big winner, with 3 titles of her own. Her 18 th Women’s Singles title puts her just 2 behind her long-time rival Dawn Morgan and in this clash, she was too consistent for GTTA Development Officer Becks O’Keefe and won in straight sets. She had earlier defeated O’Keefe by an identical score in the Ladies Veterans Singles final.

Her last title of the night came alongside Barker in the Women’s Doubles. Chivers has now incredibly won this title a staggering 29 times and this was the second title alongside Barker, after they last  won in 2022. Their opposition in the final was Casey and Paula Le Ber and, in the end, a comfortable 4-0 win was obtained. Le Ber and Casey did have their moments and their failure to win the third set, despite leading 9-4 was extremely costly, eventually going down 11-9.

There were 2 other players who enjoyed a trio of titles on the night, and this was Lions table tennis club members Phil Ogier and Luke Evans. Ogier has enjoyed an unblemished record in both the Over 40’s Open Singles and Over 50’s Open Singles since entering each of these categories. The 7-time former Men’s Singles Champion made it a 12 th consecutive Over 40’s Open Singles title number following a convincing straight sets win over Jez Powell in the final round of the evening. He had earlier won his second consecutive Over 50’s Open Singles crown, battling past Nye Matthew, also in straight sets. This was however a much tougher test as Matthew had led the opener 9-3 before Ogier fought back to pinch it 13-11. Mathew kept up his strong play and led the 2 nd set 9-8, but once more Ogier held firm and took it 11-9. From here Ogier was able to wrap up the final 2 sets comfortably.

Ogier’s final title was in the Veteran’s Open Doubles alongside Powell. Their impressive 100% winning record in this event, which had seen them win the title 10 times consecutively had been broken last year, after a sensational performance from Jamie Ferbrache and Andy Gill saw them as 5 set winners. This year saw a repeat clash, however on this occasion Ogier and Powell were back to near their best, winning in 5 sets and earning their 11th title together in this event.

For 12-year-old Evans, this has been an extremely successful championships as it saw him competing in 4 finals, having earned some excellent wins in reaching them. He came remarkably close to an unblemished evening, but alongside Barnaby Groves fell to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Oskar Cleal and Cameron Powell in the Under 18 Open Doubles. In singles however he was perfect, and this included one of the contenders for match of the night. This came in round 4 of the night and saw him up against Powell in the Under 15 Boys. He looked in control of the affair when opening a 3-0 lead, however Powell had other ideas and went from strength to strength after saving a match point at 11-10 in the 4 th set with a wicked backhand topspin winner down the line. After clinching that set 13-11, he came through a tight 5 th 14-12 and an 11-6 triumph in the 6 th left him with the momentum heading into the decider. There were some good rallies, however Evans regained his composure and from 5-5 played a near perfect set, getting over the line 11-6.

The most impressive victory on the night for Evans however came in the Under 18 Boys, where he controlled proceedings against his elder and more experienced opponent and top seed Cleal in 5 sets. Cleal has been playing some super table tennis in his debut season in the top-flight of the Doric Insurance sponsored senior leagues, however he was only able to salvage the third set in this encounter, 12-10. The final title for Evans came in the Under 13 Open Singles, where he comfortably saw off the challenge of Isla Bretel in straight sets.

Keira Eldridge was the other big winner in the remaining Junior events as she defeated Thea Cummins in straight sets to win the Under 15 Girls Crown and Bretel in straight sets in the Under 18 Girls. Cleal on the other hand made up for his loss to Evans by dispatching Micah Cohen in straight sets to clinch the Under 21 Open Singles crown.

The final Junior event was a great spectacle between two the youngest players within the Association, in the Under 11 Open Singles. Unseeded Morgan Finn had reached the final thanks to a surprise 7 set win over top seed Keil Butt and here he continued in the same strong vein. His opponent in the final was 2nd seed Perran Lomax and once more an upset victory was achieved. This encounter was hard fought with a number of close sets, Finn winning the 5th set 12-10 to close out an impressive 4-1 triumph.

The other candidate for match of the night came in the Restricted Open Singles, which is the event which is available for entry for players aged between 21 and 40, excluding any individual to have played in the Green Trophy Inter-Insular event in the past 2 seasons and also the Men’s and Women’s Singles Island Champions over the past 2 seasons. This ruled out the likes of Garry Dodd, Alice Edwards, Ben Foss, Lawrence Stacey, Joshua Stacey, and Ryan Bichard from competing. The holder of the title was Paul Hainsworth, who has been dominant since the introduction of the tournament in 2014. Hainsworth was vying for his 10 th title in 12 years, with fellow Division 1 player Matthew Casey the challenge awaiting. Not once had an Island final in this category gone the full 7-set distance, with Hainsworth’s 6-set win over Bichard last year being the longest match. This year saw that happen, with both Hainsworth and Casey embroiled in a humdinger of an affair. Casey showed little signs of nerves as he confidently and competently raced into a 2-0 lead. A commanding lead of 6-3 in the next set had Casey on the brink of putting himself almost home and dry, however Hainsworth battled well, taking the set at the second time of asking, 11-9. Casey saved 2 set points from 8-10 down in the 5 th to put himself once more in touching distance of a third set, when leading 11-10. Hainsworth saved it with a tentative rally from both players at this point and he again went on to edge the set 13-11 and restore parity. Hainsworth had the game by the scruff of the neck now and he eased through the 5 th 11-3 to lead for the first time. He was looking set to conclude proceedings in the 6 th , however when leading 9-8, Casey secured a fortunate irretrievable net and this was followed up by a forehand topspin third ball right on the back edge of the table at 9-10, to save a match point. He kept control from here and clinched it 13-11. Hainsworth made the perfect start to the decider and held a solid 5-2 lead at the change of ends. 2 further strong points which included powerful forehand topspins saw the lead extended to 7-2 and he continued with this strong run of points to give himself 8 match points. Casey fought hard and saved a couple, however with the aid of a fortunate shot that brushed the net, Hainsworth closed it out 11-4 and with it secured his 10 th crown.

The final 2 events of the night in the the Over 60’s and Over 70’s Open Singles saw prior champions crowned. 14-time former Men’s Singles champion Mark Pipet had won the Over 60’s title 7 times in the last 8 years and his quality was once more at the fore against the tricky Craig Dunning, whom he overcame comfortably in straight sets. The Over 70’s Open Singles saw a debut finalist in Brian Ferbrache, with the popular Lions man doing battle against the 2019 and 2023 winner, Keith Opie. Opie played the match with a high level of control and this saw very few errors made. He ended out being a comfortable 4-0 winner, albeit Ferbrache played his part and came close in a number of sets, including the second, where the score was 12-10.

Overall, it was an entertaining evening of table tennis which was well spectated and well viewed on the live streams via the GTTA’s YouTube account. The Guernsey champions will now face a few weeks wait before they compete in the Channel Island Championship finals against their Caesarean counterparts at Fort Regent in Jersey on the evening of Friday 25 April. This is followed by the Inter-Insular team matches, which are being held throughout the day on Saturday 26 April, also at Fort Regent.

Island Championships Report

Men’s Singles

Garry Dodd marched into another Men’s Singles final at the GTTA Island Championships, though he was pushed close in the semi-final against Josh Stacey. The now Sheffield-based player is aiming for his 13th such title, first achieved in 2008. After early round wins against Steve Martin, Luke Evans and Nye Matthew, Stacey proved a formidable opponent. The 2-time winner went 2 sets behind but rallied back well to close the deficit to 3-2. Dodd’s trademark strong service game edged him through the 6th game by a score of 11-9 and he was audibly jubilant at reaching yet another final. On the next table, Lawrence Stacey had a more straightforward match as the Division 1 averages winner defeated Ben Foss 4-0.

Earlier, Lawrence Stacey had been given a scare by 8th seed Dan Collenette, who rallied back from 3-0 to 3-2, before succumbing to his opponent’s powerful attacking strokes 11-5 in the 6th game. Josh Stacey also had a battle against 7-time winner Phil Ogier, coming through 4-1 after some close games.

Women’s Singles

Top seed Kay Chivers had an unusually straightforward route to the final, after receiving a bye in the first round, then a walkover in the quarter final as Charlotte Casey withdrew. In the semi-final she countered a spirited display from Division 2 player Juliette Yeaman, winning 4-0. In the second semi-final, Becks O’Keefe showed a return to form as she came through an epic match against second seed Paula Le Ber. After winning the first game 12-10, O’Keefe was on the end of an onslaught of Le Ber attacking stroked and fell 301 behind. She fought back well in the nervy deuce game that followed and was victorious in the reaming two games to win 14-12, 9-11, 8-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-7.

Men’s Doubles

Reigning champions Garry Dodd and Josh Butler will compete for the Men’s Doubles title after a strong run to the final. They got there by beating Division 1 pair Matt Casey and Joe Bourgaize 4-0, followed by a similarly comprehensive scoreline against Mark Fenwick and Kenedy Chepkor. A tougher match followed in the semi-final against 2024 runners-up Ben Foss and Ryan Bichard, but after a couple of nervy ends, came through 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-1, 11-7. Seconds seeds Josh Stacey and Lawrence had a tougher time and were taken to 6 games by in-form Jamie Ferbrache and Steve Ozanne in the quarter final, before beating the veteran pair of Phil Ogier and Jez Powell 4-0.

Women’s Doubles

Charlotte Casey and Paula Le Ber came through a gruelling encounter against Becks O’Keefe and Juliette Yeaman, surviving a potential comeback having been 3-0 up, but being pegged back to 3-2. The Division 1 pair were victorious in 4 games, despite being pushed the distance unseeded. On the next table, the top seeds were in no mood to take time, as they beat junior players

Mixed Doubles

The Mixed Doubles produced some of the most entertaining matches of the weekend and top seeds Garry Dodd and Marli Barker sealed their place in the final after a hard battle against 3rd seeded siblings Vicki and Josh Stacey. After falling 2-1 behind in games, Dodd and Barker upped the tempo and won 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3. In another contender for match of the weekend, siblings Matt and Charlotte Casey fought through against Andy Gill and Paula Le Ber. It was a topsy-turvy encounter with Casey and Casey going 2-0 up, then found themselves 3-2 down as Gill and Le Ber found their rhythm. A close 6th game proved vital, however as Casey and Casey came through 14-12 then sealed the win 11-8.

Under 11 Open Singles

Debutant Morgan Finn played a superb match to beat top seed Keil Butt in the semi-final. In a match full of fearless attacking shots from both players, he came through 11-8 in the decider to set up a final against 2nd seed Perran Lomax, who beat Wayne Zhang 4-0.

Under 13 Open Singles

The Under-13 final will see top seed Luke Evans play Isla Bretel. Bretel overcame Sam Cox, who had early picked up a marvellous win against 2nd seed Thea Cummins.

Under 15 Boys Singles

The Under-15 Boys saw a few upsets as unseeded Albie Lihou showed great patience to get past defender Micah Cohen 4-2 in the quarter final. Number 3 seeded Cameron Powell was also on form, and he got the better of top seed Barnaby Groves in first semi-final, going the full 7 game distance. Luke Evans defeated Lihou on the next table to reach his 4th final of the day.

Under 15 Girls Singles

Number 1 seed Keira Eldridge came through a titanic match against Olivia Gilbert, who had played well all weekend, eventually coming through 12-10 in a nail-biting decider. Thea Cummins will meet Eldridge in the final after beating Ella Le Ber 4-1.

Under 18 Boys Singles

Top seed Oskar Cleal will play 12-year-old Luke Evans, as both were on hot form to beat Cameron Powell and Barnaby Groves respectively 4-0 in the semi-final stage. Earlier in the event, Powell had had to dig deep to defeat Micah Cohen, while Evans was equally pushed by Xavier Ingrouille.

Under 18 Girls Singles

In a remarkable similar match to the Under-15 semi-final, Eldridge again got past unseeded Gilbert in a 7-game epic. This time she fought back from 2-0 to win 11-7 in the decider to her spirited opponent.  In this event, she will play Isla Bretel who got past Thea Cummins 4-1.

Under 18 Open Doubles

The same players were involved in the Under-18 Doubles event, which proved one of the highlights of the weekend. Both seeded pairs will meet each other in the final but were pushed the distance to get there. Cleal and Powell found themselves 3-2 down against Xavier Ingrouille and Ollie Sparks but rallied well to overcome the deficit and won the final two ends 11-5, 11-6. On the adjacent table, Evans and Groves dug deep and were tactically astute to beat Albie Lihou and Micah Cohen in 6 tight games.

Under 21 Open Singles

The Under-21 Singles also sprang some surprises as unseeded Micah Cohen played excellently to knock out 4th seed Connor Powell in the quarter final 4-1. He then followed this up with an equally impressive win over 2nd seed Barnaby Groves, also 4-1 to make his first Championship final. Top seed Oskar Cleal showed excellent resilience when 3-0 down against Caden Brouard, producing the comeback of the tournament, winning 10-12, 4-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8.

Restricted Open Singles

Top seed Paul Hainsworth battled through illness against Mark Fenwick to seal another final in the 21-39 age group, aiming for his 10th island title in this category. His opponent will be Matt Casey, who had a difficult match against Whistlers A team-mate Joe Bourgaize, eventually winning 4-2.

Veterans Open Singles

Regular finalists Phil Ogier and Jez Powell will again face off in the Veterans Singles final, with Ogier aiming for an impressive 12 titles in a row. He breezed past Nye Matthew in the first semi-final, while Powell played a strong game to overcome the challenge of Jamie Ferbrache 4-1.

Veteran Ladies Singles

The final of the Ladies Veterans will be between 12-time winner Kay Chivers and Becks O’Keefe, who played a strong attacking game to beat 2nd seed Juliette Yeaman.

Veterans Open Doubles

Having been defeated last year for the first time since 2014, serial winners Phil Ogier and Jez Powell will be looking to regain their title against last year’s surprise champions Andy Gill and Jamie Ferbrache. Ogier and Powell got past Mark Pipet and Craig Dunning 4-1, while Ferbrache and doubles-specialist Gill had a tight match against Nye Matthew and Steve Ozanne, eventually winning 4-2.

Over 50 Open Singles

There was another surprise in the Over-50 singles as Nye Matthew ensured that the final will not mirror that of the Over-40 event. He earned a superb 4-0 win over 2nd seed Jez Powell in the semi-final to set up a final against Phil Ogier, who beat Mark Pipet, also 4-0.

Over 60 Open Singles

The top seeded players will compete in the final, as Mark Pipet and Craig Dunning successfully came through some tricky matches. Seven-time winner Pipet got past 3rd seed Kay Chivers 4-1 to seal his place, while Dunning got the better of 4th seed Trevor Bourgaize in four straight games.

Over 70 Open Singles

The first year in this category brings a first final for Brian Ferbrache as he defeated Frank Coppolo and Maurice James to set up a final against 2nd seed Keith Opie, who overcame GTTA President Derek Webb 4-0.