The new table tennis season got off to a flying start at Worthing Table Tennis Club as the Worthing TTC Senior & Junior 2* tournament brought together players from across the region and beyond for a full day of competitive action.

Players competed across junior and senior age groups, with titles, medals and a host of Plate competitions to compete for. The tournament produced plenty of great table tennis and more than a few stories along the way.

In fact, one of the day’s stories began before the first ball had even been struck.

Top seed Mark Collins arrived at the venue only to discover that he had forgotten his bat! He had little choice but to make an extra journey home and back, though as it turned out, the extra mileage did him no harm at all.

The morning session began with the Over-19 Men’s Open Singles and Over-19 Women’s Singles, alongside the Junior Boys’ Open and Junior Girls’ competitions.

The Men’s Open produced one of the surprises of the morning, with Mike Lim taking the title after overcoming surprise package Eunho Oh in the final. Both players had already produced impressive runs through the draw, having each defeated the top seed in their respective half.

Simon Kear was able to make up for an unfortunate draw in the main competition by going on to win the Men’s Singles Plate. Simon had both top seed Paul Carter and finalist Eunho Oh in his group. He eventually defeated Andy Price in a tight five-set battle.

The Junior Boys’ Open competition produced perhaps the biggest story of the tournament.

This was the third year that the Worthing TTC 2* had followed the club’s summer training camp, and Theo De Poerck had won the title in both of the previous two editions.

Seeded second this year, Theo arrived with his sights firmly set on completing a hat-trick and he did exactly that.

Laser-focused throughout the competition, Theo defeated Ziad El-Hassan in the final to claim his third consecutive title – an impressive achievement across three successive tournaments.

The Plate also provided plenty of encouragement for the next generation, with 12-year-old Oliver Willis taking the title. Worthing’s Vincent Ridley finished runner-up, while Worthing players Nathaneal Craig and Matthew Dyche were the losing semi-finalists.

The Over-19 Women’s Singles was equally competitive, with Chaoba Thounaojam taking the title after an entertaining final against Lois Perryman.

The match swung one way and then the other before Chaoba eventually secured the victory.

Lois wasn’t finished there, however, and went on to claim the Women’s Singles title in the afternoon – although she had to do it the hard way.

Having lost to Chloe Ireland in the group stage, Lois first had to overcome Chaoba in a rematch, this time winning 3-1. She then faced Ireland again in the final and gained revenge, winning the deciding match 3-1 to take the Women’s Open title.

The Women’s Singles Plate produced an all-Isle of Wight final, with Pat Thorley coming out on top against Elaine Mills.

There was also a successful day for Chloe Evans. Chloe won the Junior Girls’ competition, defeating Wales’ Lily Walters with Charlotte Griffiths taking the bronze medal.

She then added another trophy to her collection by winning the Women’s Singles Plate, defeating Jess Monis in the final.

Having made the unexpected early-morning trip home to collect his bat, Mark Collins clearly found the extra mileage useful.

Mark went on to win the Men’s Open Singles title, defeating George Spillet in the final.

The route to the final was far from straightforward, with Mark having a tough semi-final against Andy Price, while George overcame home player Jamie Black in four games to book his place in the final.

The Men’s Open Singles final will be available to watch on the Worthing TTC YouTube channel shortly.

The plate event was won by Raeis Mogul, who defeated Saigar Pattanayak in the final.

Away from the competition itself, the tournament also highlighted Worthing Table Tennis Club’s commitment to developing and supporting officials within the sport.

Three umpires were in attendance across the event, including two officials who had only recently qualified after completing the Level 1 Table Tennis Umpiring Award course hosted by Worthing TTC earlier this year.

The two newly qualified umpires were supported throughout the tournament by Holly Holder, an experienced umpire who regularly officiates at national-level events. Holly provided guidance, advice and mentoring during the day, giving the new officials valuable experience of working in a competitive tournament environment.

Developing officials is an important part of Worthing TTC’s wider approach to the sport. The club wants to provide opportunities for people not only to play and coach, but also to develop qualifications and experience that allow them to contribute to table tennis in different ways.

Seeing the two newly qualified umpires putting their training into practice just a few months after completing their qualification, with the support of an experienced national-level official, was a particularly positive part of the tournament.

Worthing TTC places a strong emphasis on providing players with a high-quality tournament experience.

All players received a digital programme in advance of the event, along with a full results booklet after the tournament.

The club was also delighted to have the support of Worthing Camera Club, whose photographers were on hand throughout the tournament to capture the action.

A huge thank you goes to Worthing Camera Club for their support and the photographs will be appearing across Worthing TTC’s social media channels over the coming days, so make sure you follow the club to see the highlights.

With the new season now under way, attention will soon turn to the club’s next tournament.

Worthing TTC’s next tournament will take place in December, with online entry already open through the Worthing TTC club shop.

After a weekend full of competitive table tennis, new champions, returning champions, developing officials and plenty of stories away from the table, the new season has certainly started with a bang at Worthing TTC.