Peadar Sheridan captured a bronze medal in the boys U13 singles, but it was a bitter sweet medal as he was one point away from the final against Turkeys Gungdogdu. Impressive in his opening 5-man group, he won all four games and he advanced to the round of 16 where he met No.1 seed Schimdt (Bulgaria). In a pulsating encounter, Schimdt went 2-1 up in sets but the Ormeau pocket rocket stormed back with an impressive array of skills to advance to the quarterfinal on a 3-2 score line. He faced UAE’s rising star, Almusayebi, but met the Challenge with force to win 3-0. The semifinal saw Turkeys Gungdogdu blocking his path to the final. Sensational start saw him race into a 2-0 lead and 10-7 up in the third set. All changed however as an incredible comeback saw the Turkish player level it at 2-2. Sheridan again led 9-7 in the deciding set but Gungdogdu was not to be denied winning 11-7. Heartbreak for the Ormeau Star who knew he had lost a golden opportunity. Coach Conn Higgins was devasted for the Irish star but said the experience will be a great lesson in future battles ahead and another huge step on Peadar’s journey.
Impressive also was Stefan Bonchev who went on a 5-game unbeaten streak before losing out in the quarter final to Bulgarian Victor Dimitrov in the U13 event. Boris Bonchev joined the 2 boys in the U15 event. All three qualified from their opening groups to the round of 32, Peadar and Boris exited the event at this stage while Stefan went out in the round of 16. All in all some very valuable lessons learned and crucial experience gained, stated coach Conn Higgins.
What an impressive achievement by the mixed team from Ireland with Peadar Sheridan and Stefan Bonchev! They partnered with Switzerland girls and had some remarkable victories in the European Youth Series Croatia. They defeated Austria, Croatia 2, Slovakia and Croatia 1. Their only loss to Romania 3-6. The table tennis in the semi-final was described as unbelievable.
The boys showed courage by taking three wins, but the girls were narrowly beaten, resulting in an overall loss of 5-3. Despite the loss, they managed to claim a bronze medal. It’s great to see such a strong performance from the team!
Its fantastic to hear that Coach Conn Higgins was incredibly impressed with the skill, medal strength and team spirit of both boys. Its evident that their hard work and dedication is paying off and their performances were truly commendable. Having a coach who recognizes and appreciates their efforts can be a great source of motivation for the player. Kudos to the boys for showcasing their talent and teamwork.
We are delighted to announce that the following players have been selected to represent Ireland in the Primary School International which takes place in Jersey on 5th April to the 7st April. They will be accompanied by TTI coaches Sam Logue and Claire Nelson. They will also be travelling with Empires Brenda Burns and Jay McAlister
Boys Team Karsten Close Peter Cao Adam Hedderly Andrew Low
Girls Team Polly Smith Jane Wilson Samantha Pusinskaite
We are delighted to announce that the following players have been selected to represent Ireland in the Easter Cup which takes place in Flensburg on 28th March to the 1st April. They will be accompanied by TTI coaches Sam Logue, Conn Higgins and Erin Thompson.
Junior Boys A Adam Faulkner Ben Watson Tom Irwin
Junior Boys B Vincent Ni Aedan McGivern Bruce Tan
Cadet Boys Clifford Tan Toby Caldwell Christopher Allsop
In the WTT Youth Contender in Linz, Austria, Peadar Sheridan, a Contender in the boys U13 event, he had an impressive performance. He went on a seven-match unbeaten streak, defeating players from various countries. In the group stage, he defeated Czigler from Romania, Mayer from Hungary, Li Hao Chen from England, and Seung Chen from Australia. In the round of 16, he showcased superb skills and beat Chen from Hong-Kong. In the Quarter final, he had a spellbinding performance and defeated Vamosi from Hungary with a score of 3-1. In the semi-finals, he outplayed Toro from Romania with a score of 3-1. In the final, he faced defender Okada from Japan, who won with a score of 3-0.
In the u15 event, Peadar had a tough match against Moravek from Czechia and unfortunately lost. However, he had a great victory in the round of 64 against Zihan Lin from England. In the round of 33, he battled bravely against Girlinger from Austria but lost with a score of 0-3.
Stefan Bonchev, who moved up from U11 category, faced some difficult matches in qualifying fir the U13 and U15 events. However, he had a convincing win against Italian player Slavec with a score of 3-0. In the mixed doubles U15 event, Stefan partnered with Bhai from Ukraine. They won two rounds but lost in the last 16 to a strong Croatian Pair.
The 2023 Home Countries International took place in Bangor University in Wales from 9th – 12th of November 2023.
Day 1 results:
Irish Senior Mens team (Alex Gillen and Tom Davis) won 2 out of their 3 games. Winning 3-1 against Wales, 3-1 against Guernsey and drawing 2-2 against Scotland.
Junior Boys team (Aedan McGivern and Tom Irwin) lost against Jersey 3-1 and lost against Scotland 3-1.
Cadet Boys team (Clifford Tan and Bruce Tan) won 3-1 against Wales and lost 3-1 against Scotland.
Senior Womens team (Mia O’Rahilly Egan and Claire Heller) won 4-0 against Guernsey, won 3-1 against Jersey and drew 2-2 against Scotland
Cadet Girls team (Lily Parke and Eimear Hutchinson) lost 3-1 against Scotland.
Day 2 results:
Senior Mens team won 4-0 against Isle of Man, won 3-1 against Jersey and lost 4-0 against England.
Junior Boys team won 4-0 against Guernsey, won 4-0 against Isle of Man, lost 4-0 to England and drew 2-2 against Wales.
Cadet Boys team won 4-0 against Guernsey, won 4-0 against Jersey and lost 4-0 to England.
Senior Women’s team won 4-0 against Isle of Man, drew 2-2 against Wales and Lost 4-0 to England.
Cadet Girls team won 4-0 against Guernsey, lost 4-0 against England, lost 4-0 against Wales and 3-1 against Jersey/Wales team.
As a result of day 2 Team Ireland won 3 bronze medals.
Day 3 saw the singles events take place. Alex Gillen won bronze in the senior mens singles, Mia O’Rahilly Egan won silver in the women’s singles event and Bruce Tan won bronze in the cadet boys singles.
In the doubles events, Alex Gillen and Tom Davis won bronze in the men’s doubles. Tom Irwin and Aedan McGivern won bronze in the junior men’s doubles. Bruce Tan and Clifford Tan won bronze in the cadet boys doubles event.
Well done to Team Ireland who won 9 medals in total. Also special mention to the NPCs for the event Gavin Maguire, Ryan Farrell and Jing Yi Graham.
Best of luck to the following players and coaches as they represent Ireland in the Home Countries International which is taking place in Bangor University in Wales from Friday 10th November to Sunday 12th November. They will be playing against the following nations; Wales, Guernsey, England, Jersey, Scotland and Isle of Man.
Cadet Boys Team Bruce Tan Clifford Tan NPC: Gavin Maguire
Cadet Girls Team Lily Parke Eimear Hutchinson NPC: Jing Yi Graham
Junior Boys Team Aedan McGivern Tom Iwrin NPC: Gavin Maguire
Senior Men Team Alex Gillen Tom Davis NPC: Ryan Farrell
Senior Women Team Mia O’Rahilly Egan Claire Heller NPC: Jing Yi Graham
The following umpires will be travelling also to Wales are: Brenda Burns, Terri McKeon, John Finn and Jimmy Sterling.
Team Ireland took part in three WTT Youth Contender events in the space of 2 weeks. WTT Youth Contender Lignano, WTT Youth Contender Szombathely and WTT Contender Senec.
In the first event, WTT Lingano, Peadar Sheridan lead the way in winning his group against Comini (ITA), Essid (TUN) and Martinov (Svk). He was later defeated in the round of 32 by Clin (FRA) 3 – 1.
The next event saw 8 players participate in the boys event. Peadar Sheridan, Adam Faulkner, Ben Watson, Vincent Ni, Boris Bonchev, Clifford Tan, Stefan Bonchev and Aaditya Singh.
Peadar Sheridan won 3 out of 4 games as he reached the last 16 where he was defeated by Chen Kai Cheng. He also won his U15 group with a very impressive win v Paulina (ITA) but went out in round of 64 to Ducoin (FRA).
Meanwhile in Stefan’s U13 group he went all the way to the final game were Stefan beat Koren (SLO) to top the group. He was denied a win in the quarter final losing to Essid (TUN). In his U11 group saw him top the group, he then defeated Dimitorov in the quarter final but he lost to Fegere (AUS) in the semi-final, however he secured a Bronze Medal.
In the women’s event Anjali Singh traveled over with her dad and coach Ranjit Singh. Anajli played some excellent table tennis she lost a close match against a German girl 3-2.
In the third and final event saw Vincent Ni, Boris Bonchev and Stefan Bonchev take part in the WTT Youth Contender Senec. Stefan Bonchev had an unbelievable win v Korean Ma Yeunginukun 3-2 in the U13 round of 16. In the U11 event Stefan powered through his group and played world No.1 Molov (ESP) who had lost a match in his group. The game went all the way to the 5th Set, tied at 7-7 Stefan played too safe and lost 7-11. Vincent Ni took his first win in his maiden WTT event beating Barabera (ESP) 3-2.
Report by Conn Higgins
Special mention to the coaches Alan Hurley and Conn Higgins who traveled with the group. Also to Ranjit Singh who traveled with Anjali Singh.
The Board of Table Tennis Ireland is delighted to announce that they have appointed Tara Fusco as the Performance Manager. Tara has been involved in the performance portfolio nationally since 2019. Tara is a qualified Level 2 coach, and has diplomas in Sports Nutrition and Sports Psychology. The Performance committee is comprised of Conn Higgins, Alan Hurley, Paul McCreery and Marcus McDonnell.
Over 200 young talents gathered in Schiltigheim, France, at the European Euro Mini Championships (U13 & U11). Representing Ireland with pride were Peadar Sheridan, Stefan Bonchev, Aaditya Singh, Toby Caldwell, and Karsten Close, accompanied by Irish team coaches Conn Higgins and Gervis Knox. The event showcased exceptional performances and here is how the event unfolded.
Peadar Sheridan’s Remarkable Journey
Starting with the in the under 13 boys category, Peadar Sheridan showcased his resilience and prowess, making a significant impact by reaching the main draw (last 32). Peadar navigated through three grueling group stages, each featuring four players. Notable victories in the group stages included wins against Priou and Richard of France, Muller (last year’s quarter-finalist), Sahrni of the Spanish National Team, and candelier of France.
Peadar’s path led him to a close encounter with Closset, the World No.10 from Belgium, where he fought valiantly but narrowly missed out in a three-set match. In the 17-32 playoff, Peadar encountered tough competition in Razak from the Czech Republic, the European No.11 and going down 3-1.
However, Peadar’s shining moment came on the final day, where he secured three impressive wins against Malik of Denmark, Andrade of Portugal, and Lois of Spain, clinching a well-deserved 25th position. Peadar’s overall performance was nothing short of impressive, and he is still in the age category next year!
Aaditya Singh and Toby Caldwell’s Determined Efforts
Also in the under 13s category, Aaditya Singh and Toby Caldwell represented Ireland with enthusiasm. Though they didn’t progress beyond the stage one groups, their determination was evident in every match. Aaditya’s commendable effort included a thrilling 3-2 battle against Sandona, a top 16 finisher. Toby’s remarkable performance was highlighted by a closely contested match against Ellerman, a top player from Sweden, which saw him fighting fiercely in three close sets. Aaditya was able to finish with two wins in the consaltion whilst Toby took one victory, well done boys.
Stefan Bonchev’s Inspiring Top 16 Finish!
Stefan Bonchev shone brightly in the under 11 category, where he embarked on an epic journey to reach the last 16 stage. Stefan’s exceptional wins against opponents like Campagna of the Italian National Team showcased his talent and perseverance. While he faced a tough match against Issakason from Sweden in the last 16, Stefan’s resilience was evident in every set and narrloy lost out in the 5th set.
His journey continued in the places 9-16 bracket, where he faced off against Maran of France losing 3-1 to the French National Team player. Stefan kept battling hard and emerged victorious in his last two outstanding matches against Jaffiner (France) and Escudier (France), finishing in a superb 11th place, many congratulations Stefan!
Karsten Close’s Strong Performance
Also in the U11s Karsten Close demonstrated his mettle in the competition, displaying notable performance against formidable French opponents in his first round group. Despite not advancing from the group stage, Karsten’s showed great fight in every match whilst gaining great experience. In the consolation matches, Karsten secured three impressive wins, showcasing his potential for growth and future success!
A Special Thanks to Coaches Conn and Gervis
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our coaches Conn Higgins and Gervis Knox, who tirelessly coached and guided the young athletes throughout the weekend. Their expertise and support played a pivotal role in the success and growth of the Irish contingent. The experience gained by the players under their guidance will undoubtedly contribute to their future achievements.
The European Euro Mini Championships not only brought thrilling matches but also showcased the talent we have coming through in the mini cadets. As these young athletes continue to train and develop, the future of Irish table tennis looks bright.
Congratulations to all the players for their outstanding performances and to the coaches for their unwavering support!
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