Newly promoted Apex made a stunning debut in the SBCL Championship division, with a 100% record propelling them to the top of the league after weekend one.

The team also boasts the top four players in the averages, having lost only three individual matches out of 32 across their four fixtures.

They stand two points clear of Archway Peterborough, who were also newcomers to the division and won three of their four matches.

Fusion II and BATTS II are a point further back, with all 10 teams having picked up at least a point on the first weekend at Nottingham TTC.

Central London-based Apex were only founded in January 2025, by George Downing, Josh Nashed and Bryan Kwan, two of whom featured at the weekend alongside additional club coach and current England No 12 Israel Awolaja.

The team added Swedish Pingisliga star, Johan Barius, and Jersey’s Jordan Wykes, who competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, to their squad and with both winning eight from eight, the Apex side look like the team to beat.

Last season’s National B champions served notice of their intent with an 8-0 rout of BATTS II in the first round of fixtures, winning five of the matches, including the first four, 3-0. The only one to go the distance saw Bryan Kwan troubled by Ryan Choong before running through the decider to complete a 3-2 (5-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-13, 11-2) victory.

Sunday’s matches saw two more 8-0 wins, over Allied Pharmacy and Wymondham – so it was only in Saturday afternoon’s encounter with Urban that Apex were really challenged.

In fact, they found themselves 2-1 down when, after Barius overcame Alim Hirji in three, Gabriel Achampong beat Awolaja 3-2 (11-7, 11-4, 10-12, 8-11, 11-6) and Denise Payet saw off Kwan in three. Wyke beat Niall Cameron and Barius completed his double by beating Achampong, but Hirji pulled Urban level by defeating Kwan.

The match was tightly poised, but Awolaja’s win over Cameron and Wykes’ victory against Payet saw Apex home.

Head coach Downing, who won all four of the matches he played in, said: “It feels really good to be in the Championship division this season, especially being arguably one of the strongest seasons I have ever played in personally.

“Top of the league after the first weekend, I really couldn’t ask for more. There are a lot of really strong teams this year, so I hope we can keep the momentum.”

There were plenty of keenly contested matches over the weekend, and it was Archway, the runaway champions of Division A1 last season, who emerged as the closest contenders to Apex.

However, they started life in the Championship with a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Urban, for whom Hirji and Payet picked up two wins each, Hirji earning an eye-catching victory over former world top-100 player Jiaji Wu in match two and confirming the win in match seven, when he defeated Adam Jepson.

National A2 champions Joola Plymouth were defeated 5-3 by Wymondham in their first appearance, though Plymouth led 3-1 after Hugo Nguyen beat Zihan Lin 14-12 in the fifth. Umair Mauthoor yanked the initiative back in Wymondham’s favour with a spectacular couple of games as he won 3-2 (11-7, 8-11, 10-12, 11-0, 11-1) against Dominic Sussex. Wymondham went on to win the remaining matches, Lin sealing it by coming from 2-0 down to defeat Harry Cutler 3-2 (5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-8).

Also in Round 1, National A1 runners-up Allied Pharmacy started well against SpinLab ABZ Finsbury, winning the first two matches through Joe Marlor and Mircea Neagu. Connor Whitehead might have made it 3-0, but his 3-2 (13-11, 9-11m 11-5m 10-12, 11-7) defeat to Yifu Zhang was the start of a run which saw Finsbury take all the remaining matches to win 6-2 overall.

The fourth promoted club, A2 runners-up Fusion II, started their campaign with a 4-4 draw against Ormesby II. Fusion trailed 1-0 but then led 3-1 and 4-2 as all of their four players picked up a win. But it was a man-of-the-match double for Zac Greenhough which kept Ormesby in it, before Tom Rayner and Anthony Phoenix beat Frederic Wilke and Martynas Matuzevicius respectively to clinch a point for the Middlesbrough side.

While Apex were having their battle against Urban on Saturday afternoon, there were some other close matches too, including Allied picking up their first point with a 4-4 draw against BATTS II. It was a match Allied led 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3, but BATTS hit back each time, including in a pulsating final match in which Ethan Walsh edged the unfortunate Whitehead 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 16-14).

Plymouth got their first win on the board, 6-2 against Ormesby having won the opening four matches, including Leo Nguyen’s fine comeback to beat Greenhough 3-2 (4-11, 10-12, 11-8, 12-10, 11-7).

Archway also got their first triumph, 5-3 against Wymondham, who three times fought back to level, including a brilliant 3-2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 17-15, 19-17) win for Ryan Holland against Emir Geaner Culpedin which made it 2-2. However, Holland lost in five to Chow in match seven, and Culpedin sealed the win for Archway by beating Lin in three.

It was a similar tale between Fusion and Finsbury, the latter three times hitting back to level after Fusion had moved ahead. But the Bermondsey side won the final two matches, Josh Bruce beating Zhang 3-2 (4-11, 3-11, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10) and Matuzevicius overcoming Abdullah Ubaidullah to seal it.

While Apex were beating Allied 8-0 on Sunday morning (Wykes beating Marlor in the only match to go the distance), Archway put down a marker of their own by defeating Ormesby 7-1, despite Greenhough putting the northerners 1-0 up.

BATTS belatedly got their first victory, 5-3 against Fusion. Fusion trailed to Bruce’s opening match win over Jack Bennett, but recovered to lead 3-1. Fusion hung in there at 3-2 and 4-3, and Walsh was again the match-winner for BATTS with a 3-0 (8, 8, 7) win over Matucevicius.

It was also 5-3 to Finsbury against Plymouth, but they had to come from 2-0 down and win the last two matches to prevail as Leo Nguyen won two for Plymouth and Sussex beat Ho Yin Tam 3-2 (8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 10-12, 11-8). Ubaidullah won twice for Finsbury, including beating Cutler in the final match to seal overall victory.

Wymondham and Urban drew 4-4, the Norfolk side four times going into the lead and four times being pegged back. Mauthoor was the only player to win twice, including 11-9 in the fifth against Achampong, and it was 3-2 in the final match too, Jake Grayson beating Lin to secure Urban’s a draw.

It was Wymondham’s turn to be whitewashed by Apex in the final round on Sunday afternoon, but the scoreline obscures another good Mauthoor performance, losing out 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 12-14, 11-6, 11-5) to Awolaja in match one and 3-1 (11-13, 11-5, 17-15, 11-6) to Barius in match five.

BATTS enjoyed their most emphatic scoreline, 7-1 against Plymouth, for whom Sussex won the first match against Choong. It was all BATTS from then on, though by 3-2 margins in three of the matches as Walsh, Bennett and Luc Miller all won twice.

Fusion had Rikuto Morota and Bruce at the double as they won 6-2 against Allied. Fusion had secured the points at 5-0, including Morota beating Neagu 3-2 (11-8, 12-14, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3). before a late rally by their opponents.

There were four five-game matches between Archway and Finsbury, as the Peterborough side won 5-3. Of note were Jepson’s two matches – he won 12-10 in the fifth against Ubaidullah, but lost out 17-15 in the decider to Tam.

Completing a fourth round which featured every possible scoreline from 4-4 to 8-0, was the draw between Urban and Ormesby. It was a rollercoaster as the Londoners led 1-0 and 2-1, trailed 3-2, led again at 4-3 and ultimately drew. Greenhough continued his fine weekend with two wins for Ormesby, including 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 12-14, 12-10) against Hirji. Payet won her two for Urban, including against Adam Webster in the fifth.

Apex dominate the averages, with Barius and Wykes winning eight from eight, Downing all four of his and Awolaja seven from eight. The only player from elsewhere to break into the top five was Wu, who won all his other matches after that opening defeat to Hirji. Peyet, Walsh, Morota and Greenhough all won six out of eight.

The next weekend of the Championship is 7-8 November.