The best young players in the country will have an extra Cadet & Junior 4* tournament this season where they can earn points towards qualifying for the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships for their age group.

Once again, the 4* tournaments around the country provide a route into the Cadet and Junior Nationals, with leaderboards published after each one to show who is in the running to qualify.

The Cadet cohort will have five 4* events to compete at ahead of their Nationals in March, up from four last season, while the Juniors have six en route to their Nationals in May – also up one on 2024/25. Athletes must compete in at least two if they are to meet the eligibility requirements for the Nationals.

Entries are already open and filling up fast for three, including the brand new London Academy 4*.

The 4* events taking place this season are:

27-28 September: Cleveland 4* (Deadline: Tuesday 26 August) Click to enter

25-26 October: London Academy 4* (Deadline: Wednesday 8 October) Click to enter

22-23 November: STIGA Blackpool 4* (Deadline: Wednesday 15 October) Click to enter

6-7 December: Cambridge 4* (Deadline: Friday 31 October) Click to enter

3-4 January: Chandlers 4* (deadline Saturday 22 November) Click to enter

14-15 February: Plymouth 4*

The Plymouth 4* will not form part of the Cadet qualification process, because of the timings of invitations to the Mark Bates Ltd Cadet & Under-17 Nationals from 7-8 March. Invitations will be based on the January ranking run (published 14 January, 2026).

Invitations to the Mark Bates Ltd Junior & Under-21 National Championships on 16-17 May will be based on the March ranking run (published 11 March, 2026).

Invitations will be issued on the following basis:

1. All invitees to Cadet National Championships and Junior National Championships 2026 must participate in at least two designated 4* events, notwithstanding mitigating circumstances

2. Invitations will be issued to eligible players in priority order (for each category):

• 20 from ranking list, noting point 1 above. These places will default to additional qualifiers if declined
• 2 wildcards. These places will default to additional qualifiers if declined or places are unfilled
• 10 qualifying from 4* events:

3. All boys’ and girls’ Cadet and Junior 4* winners will receive an automatic invitation if they meet the 2×4* entry requirement

4. Thereafter, qualifiers will be determined by the leaderboard; no points (except those for entering) are available for consolation events

• Enter: 1 point
• Main QF: +1 point (2 total)
• Main SF: +1 point (3 total)
• Main R/up: +1 point (4 total)
• Main Winner: +2 points (5 total; automatic qualification)

Please note that eligibility, qualifying invitations and leaderboard for the Cadet National Championships will include the Chandlers 4*, but event results will not be reflected in the national rankings until February.