More than 400 fans are set to watch Brighton take on BATTS in a title deciding fixture in the SBL Premier Division this Saturday.

Nine rounds of matches have been unable to separate the two sides, who both have registered 7 wins. With the scheduled season coming to a close the league arithmetic is simple, whoever wins at the weekend become Premier Division champions.

Chris Doran and Bennett brothers, Josh (pictured above) and Jack, will travel to the south coast for BATTS. Ralph Pattison was unavailable for selection, as was Toby Ellis of Brighton, having picked up suspensions for yellow cards they both received last weekend.

So, the BATTS line-up will face a strong Brighton trio of Tom Jarvis, Alex Naumi and David Andersson. 

With everything on the line the Brighton Dome is set to host one of the most hotly anticipated matches the SBL Premier Division has seen. Play starts at 15:00 and will be streamed live on TTE.TV.

Away from the title decider there are still crucial games scheduled, particularly for those in the lower mini league.

Drumchapel Glasgow and TableTennisDaily will be fighting to stay in the league as they face each other from 18:00.

Drumchapel Glasgow have selected a team of five including Danny Bajwa, Ori, Yaser Razouk, Garry Dodd and Christopher Wheeler. They would need to pick up their second win of the campaign to avoid finishing bottom of the league.

Bajwa put out a rally cry ahead of the tie. He said: “It’s all or nothing. We will need to fight for every single point – until the end. With the home crowd behind us, anything is possible. If you’re in the area, get there. We need you.”

Tom Maynard is still injured so will not feature for TableTennisDaily (TTD). They have picked Callum Evans, Umair Mauthoor and Dan Ives.

Anthony Kent, TTD team manager, admitted they have had a difficult introduction to the top league. “It’s been a really tough first season in the Premier Division but we’ve gained great experience at this level and still managed to enjoy the journey” he said. 

“Now the final match is upon us and we’ll do everything to get the win against Drumchapel and keep our place in the UK’s top league.”

North Ayrshire will host Fusion as both teams look to end their season on a high. 

Fusion will field Shaqullie Webb-Dixon, Larry Trumpauskas and Robert Pelc in the search of their fifth win of the campaign.

Hugo Torngren, Martin Johnson, Viktor Gorman and Chris Main will play for NATTC, coming into the fixture off the back of four victories.

Elsewhere, Ormeau and Ormesby know that the winner of their match could secure third place in the league. 

Ormeau are using the tie as an opportunity to give some of their younger players the experience of playing a top-tier fixture. Jonathan Mooney will play alongside Adam Faulkner and Conor Nugent.

Gervis Knox, team coach, said: “We are happy to retain our place in the top four teams and make the playoffs but unfortunately there was too much ground to make to win the title this season. 

“We felt this was a perfect opportunity to play our younger players and gain much needed experience. We would like to thank our international players Damien Provost, Daniel Berzosa, Miguel Pantoja & Matt Ware for their efforts this season and the strength they added to our team. We look forward to our final match at home.”

Sam Mabey, Graeme Barella and Adam Webster will hope to pick up Ormesby’s seventh win. 

This weekend’s action brings to a close an extraordinary title race. You can still watch every match live or on-demand on TTE.TV.

Photo credit: Michael Loveder

Fixtures

Saturday 11th May

Ormeau v Ormesby – 14:00

North Ayrshire v Fusion – 14:00

Brighton TTC v BATTS  – 15:00

Drumchapel Glasgow v TableTennisDaily – 18:00