Guernsey emerged unbeaten champions as junior table tennis teams from England, Wales, Jersey and Guernsey battled it out at Worthing Table Tennis Club’s inaugural Junior Team 1* tournament.
Held at Bohunt School in Worthing, the tournament brought together 10 teams for a full day of competitive table tennis, with each team playing nine fixtures in a round-robin format.
With 45 team fixtures taking place throughout the day, players were guaranteed plenty of competitive action, making it a valuable opportunity to gain experience and improve their national rankings.
Guernsey’s team of Luke Evans and Barney Groves produced an outstanding performance to claim the title, winning all nine of their team fixtures, not even going to a third-game play-off once en route to gold.
Jersey Lions (Theo De Poreck and Oscar Karwowski) pushed them closest, finishing runners-up with eight victories from nine fixtures, their only defeat coming against the eventual champions.
Kevan Moriea and George Sellers made up Jersey Tigers and completed a clean sweep of the podium for the Channel Islands, securing third place with seven team victories.
Worthing Table Tennis Club fielded five teams in the competition, with its young players producing some excellent results against strong opposition.
Worthing A, represented by James Fryer and Nathanael Craig, led the home challenge, finishing fourth overall with six team victories from their nine fixtures.
The tournament was played in excellent conditions, with Worthing TTC transforming Bohunt School’s sports hall into a competition venue featuring large 12m x 6m individually barriered courts, providing international-standard playing dimensions.
Matches were officiated throughout the day by seven qualified umpires, all of whom had gained their qualifications through courses hosted by Worthing Table Tennis Club.
The club was recently recognised as a Table Tennis England Technical Officials Academy, having hosted three officials’ courses attended by more than 60 people, including 15 Worthing TTC members who have gained qualifications.
The presence of seven home-trained qualified umpires was another demonstration of the club’s commitment to delivering high-quality competitive events and developing officials alongside its growing playing programme.
The event was also supported by Worthing Camera Club, whose photographers captured fantastic action shots throughout the day, providing players with memorable photographs of their tournament experience all of which are on the club’s Facebook page.
Worthing TTC Head Coach Matt Porter said: “We’re really pleased with how the tournament went. To have teams travelling from Jersey, Guernsey, Wales and across England to compete here in Worthing is fantastic.
“Having seven qualified umpires, all of whom came through courses we’ve hosted here at Worthing, is something we’re particularly proud of.
“From a playing perspective, the future is looking really positive for us too. All of our players were under 17, with many still under 15, despite this being an Under-19 event. Every one of them picked up some fantastic wins, which will help their national rankings, but more importantly, they’ve gained valuable experience against players they wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to compete against.”
