Posts in category: International Events

An 8 strong Irish Squad travelled to the East Midlands over the weekend for the first weekend of the 2016/2017 Junior British League.

The Irish Girls (Katie McGlone, Rebecca Finn and Mia O’Rahilly Egan, NPC; Mark O’Flynn) were placed in the Premier Division while the young Irish Boys side (Art McLaughin, Thomas Joyce, Dillon Byrne, NPC; Sam Logue) were competing in Division 2B.

The Irish Girls had a tournament to remember as they remained unbeaten throughout the entire weekend in what is an extremely competitive top flight division – a fantastic achievement! On the opening days play, the girls were made to dig deep in what is always a gruelling schedule for everyone involved. 

After opening their account with a relatively comfortable 6-0 win over Warrington, the girls then faced a stern challenge from Burton & Uxbridge 1. Here, Irish number 1 Katie McGlone came to the fore, winning both of her singles in a real stand-out display which included a 3-1 success over highly rated English International, Charlotte Bardsley. However, having led 3-1 in the overall match after a win for Mia over fellow Irish player and Burton number 3 Zofia Wawrzyniak, the girls were unable to close out the win, losing both of the final two matches deuce in the 5th set! The first of these was inflicted by the in-form Zofia over Rebecca while the last match saw Mia lose out to French player and Burton number 2, Gidney, 22-20 in the decider!

In the final match of the day the girls showed immense character as they recovered from a 0-2 deficit against a confident Draycott team to secure a 4-2 win, this time Mia winning her two singles while Katie and Rebecca won one apiece. 

On day 2, yet another hard fought victory was secured, as this time they overcame Harefield Academy 4-2, with Rebecca starring on this occasion as she won her 2 singles while Katie and Mia added the other points. This sent the girls into the final match of the weekend against ‘Team of the Weekend’ winners Ellenborough, who had a 100% record heading into the match. Ellenborough, who boast a stellar line-up including English International duo Denise Payet and Kate Cheer as well as Hungarian Junior National Team Player, Kitty Korda, represented a massive challenge for the Irish Girls.

However, right from the off the Girls once again showed their battling qualities, as they went toe to toe in what was an exhillarating encounter. Rebecca played a great match to lose narrowly to the impressive Payet in the opening singles, but Katie duly replied for the Irish with a gutsy 5 set, 11-9 win over Cheer. Mia then played fearlessly to stun Korda by winning in straight sets to give the Girls a 2-1 advantage. Despite Payet levelling matters by beating Katie in 4 tight sets, Rebecca was on hand to put the Irish back in front, as a shell-shocked Korda couldn’t quite get to grips with the Belfast girls fast paced approach. In the final match, Mia defied the odds once more as she played her best match of the weekend to upset Cheer in a titanic battle, 14-12 in the deciding 5th set, giving her team a 4-2 win! 

Congratulations to the girls on an outstanding weekend, where they really showed how a team event can be played as they dove-tailed exceptionally well throughout – what a performance!

The young boys team fough hard throughout their 5 matches in what was an invaluable experience for them, competing 5 years above their own age group! They recorded 2 wins over the course of the weekend, and fought valiantly despite the many tough challenges they were faced with.

The highlight for the boys was the exceptional performances by 13 year old Art McLaughlin, who showed fantastic improvements to his game as he went home with a tally of 8/10 matches won over the 2 days.

A special mention must also go to the UCD 1 Team, who topped the division 2A standings after the weekend, winning all of their matches in the process while also going home with the ‘Team of the weekend’ award for boys!

We look forward to the 2nd weekend in January where all will be decided for the 2016/2017 Junior British League season!

Most of you reading this article will be aware that many of Ireland’s finest table tennis players not only compete on the domestic circuit, but also in various leagues across the UK and Europe. Table Tennis has always been a minority sport and in order for our best players to reach greater heights they have had to compete and live abroad – a shame but a reality for now. With this in mind we have decided to compile a monthly report, providing a round-up from all of our players in action for club teams in leagues around Europe. The article will strive not only keep our followers up to date with how our players are performing away from home but also to highlight the extreme dedication, commitment and work ethic they all display on a weekly basis in order to further their table tennis careers. The article will focus solely on Ireland’s high performance players that are playing in league competition outside of Ireland at Senior Level. This month’s edition includes updates from Commonwealth hero Ashley Robinson in France, current national champion Gavin Maguire in Germany and former junior number ones Ryan Farrell and Zak Wilson in Sweden and Germany respectively.

Ashley Robinson –

Ashley Robinson is currently our only full time professional table tennis player with the exception of Alexander Gillen who lives and trains in France while attending school. Ashley is playing in National 1 which is the 3rd Division in France in a team made up of 4 players. Coming off the back of a sprained ankle Ashley’s first weekend in France proved to be challenging. He hadn’t practised for one week due to the injury and in any other scenario he would have been resting it that weekend. Battling on, Ashley’s flight was cancelled! After a late night flight to London, an overnight stay in the airport, an early flight to Montpellier and a bus to Nimes Ashley was finally at the match destination. In his own words he described the whole travel process as ‘a complete disaster’. Ashley fought valiantly through his injury concerns and tired body and mind losing to French player Killian Tormos and beating Bruno Parietti. Luckily for Ashley, it didn’t affect the team result and they came through 8-1 winners. The Clogher native’s second match was a much less stressful experience and with all travel running smoothly Ashley played some of his best Table Tennis. He beat Mounaim Tirselt 3-2 in the first game in what was an ‘epic’ according to Ashley. Following the first epic, Ashley faced none other than Argentina’s evergreen Liu Song, a former top 30 World Ranked player! With an unusual style of attacking forehand and defensive backhand close to the table, Liu proved a tough opponent however, matching him point for point throughout Ashley saw himself at 2-2 only to lose out by the narrow margin of 11-8 in the last set. A real indication of just how good Ashley Robinson can be and how high a level the young Ulsterman can compete at. An exciting season looms large for this man, and I’m excited to write about his progress!

Gavin Maguire –

Our national champion previously lived in Germany but residing in Belfast now, he continues to travel to Germany for matches to aid his own development. Playing for Medizin Magdeburg in the ‘Regionalliga’ in Germany which is technically the 4th division (changes to league format/layout) in Germany. Realistically however, Regionalliga is the third tier of German Table Tennis. Playing as the team’s number 2 in a team of 6 players Gavin is at the highest division and position he has played in his career to date having been promoted from Oberliga last season. The man himself was quoted saying ‘I’m looking forward to a new challenge this year and being able to challenge myself against some top players can only make me a better player myself’. Gavin has opened his account in the Regionalliga with a score of 1:3, 1 win 3 losses. As a team Magdeburg have won one and lost one of their opening games in the Regionalliga. Gavin’s sole win came against Argentinian national team player Sanchi 3-2 having faced two match balls in the last set. His losses came against top Argentinian prospect Cifuentes 3-1, highly rated German youngster Nick Neumann-Manz (A former training partner of Gavin’s) and finally, Krmachek of the Czech Republic. Krmachek is a classic defender chopping from both wings and a former sparring partner of Irish great Colum Slevin. Krmachek is formally a top 70 World ranked player and the best player in the division according to former Chilean national coach Alberto Ammann. The UCD man has reputation of punching above his weight against defensive opponents and lived up to this reputation having led 9-8 in the 5th and final set only to lose out 11-9, a missed scalp indeed! Regionalliga has proved to be a real test of Gavin’s ability but coming up against international opposition week in, week out is the perfect elixir for a steady improvement.

Ryan Farrell –

Ryan Farrell is operating from home this year, starting university life at DCU in Dublin after a year in Sweden playing and training in Eslov (Ashley Robinson’s base). Last year Ryan played in Division 2 in Sweden which is the 4th league after Pingis, Superettan and Division 1. This year Michael Maze’s former coach and now coach at Eslov, Peter Sartz gave Ryan the opportunity to play for Eslov in the highly esteemed Superettan (2nd highest).  His first match on the big stage was against the world famous ‘Angby’. Ryan lost his two matches 3-1 versus Sebastien Loso and Daniel Schaffer, two very strong and experienced players. On reflection on his games Ryan was quoted saying ‘this was one of the best matches that I`ve played. I felt very comfortable throughout the match and this allowed me to play some of my best table tennis. In some of the vital moments, I think I lacked that little bit of aggression which might have enabled me to take the matches to five sets’. In Ryan’s second match they came up against what he describes as ‘a very strong team’ and this proved to be the case. After an illness struck one of Ryan’s team members Helshan Weerasinghe they were up against it and only getting one opportunity to get a point on the board Ryan was unable to and lost out 3-0. Ryan said ‘I was really disappointed with how I played in this match because I made a lot of simple mistakes which allowed my opponent to win a lot of easy points without having to work that hard’ Irrespective of results, a fantastic opportunity all the same for young Ryan to immerse himself in games at the highest level, he is fighting for progression! Well done Ryan!

Zak Wilson –

Zak Wilson plays Hannover 96 in the Oberliga, the 4th tier of German table tennis. Zak is also embarking on a new experience at a new club, a higher division and a stronger region of Germany but again, what another great challenge for one of our most promising young players. In what we hope will prove to be a breakthrough season for young Wilson he has kicked off in a style typical of the man himself, solidly. With a team win and a team draw, Zak holds his head high with a personal balance of 3:1, 3 wins 1 loss. Win against Kosterelioglu of Turkey 3-0, Jan Holzendorf and Tim Fricke of Germany 3-0 and 3-1. His sole loss Zak stated that ‘In Germany you come up against a lot of unusual styles and I find that quite challenging but it’s all about getting the wins’. With experienced number one Richard Hoffmann in the team alongside Zak to guide him on his path in the Oberliga, Zak is surely in the right place to help with his consistent improvement. With plans to embark on a full time career next year, Zak is definitely moving in the right direction!

That’s all of our player’s results for the month of September and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the first edition of our monthly European Round-up, as I know I’ve enjoyed writing it. As more players kick off their league season next month we have an exciting next edition in store for you. It’s great to finally be able to highlight the players striving to improve their Table Tennis in a positive way. As the months go on we hope you become more familiar with our star players and their efforts abroad. Next Month’s edition will also include updates from 3 time National Champion Paul McCreery, Ballincolig’s Alan Walsh in Sweden and former National Champion Emma Ludlow in Britain. 

Please Like, Comment, Share and get our top players noticed! The success/failure of many things comes down to public interaction through the web and social media. We ask you please ensure this article is a hit, it can only help the players and Irish table tennis as a whole!! Best of luck over the next month guys.

Young Sophie Earley of Ormeau TTC was the star performer over the weekend as the Irish mini cadets produced a run of exceptional results at the 2016 Euro Mini Championships in Schiltigheim, France. 

In an event involving countries from right across Europe, this is the first true International tournament for many young players. Representing Ireland was the more ‘senior’ Thomas Joyce who was competing in the Mini Cadet Boys event, while he was joined by two relative rookies on the International stage, Ulsters Sophie Earley and Munsters Silke Heinen. They were led by experienced NPC’s John Murphy and Conn Higgins.

In the exciting format, lots of matches are guaranteed at this strong event, however with players dropping at every phase, it is in many ways about survival thoughout the early stages. Fortunately, the Irish trio were up to the challenge. Sophie battled her way through in convincing fashion in the Mini Mini Cadet Girls (2005) as she won all her matches in the opening 3 phases to book her place in the Last 32 out of the 96 strong field. 

Silke and Thomas were also enjoying success early in the event, as they both battled through close encounters to get through the opening 3 phases. For Silke, this also meant a place in the Last 32, an outstanding achievement considering the level of competition on show. 

For Thomas though, he still needed to negotiate his way through another phase before reaching the knockout rounds and unfortunately, hampered by an injury, the Mayo Academy player couldn’t quite keep his run going. 

This left Sophie and Silke battling it out in the top 32. Unfortunatly they wouldn’t go any further as they both went down here to top opposition. This wasn’t the end though, as they would both play off for 17th position in their respective age groups. Silke would go on to have a number of tight battles here, before eventually ending up in 32nd place at this years Euro Mini Championships. To put her achievement in context, no other Irish player has finished as high in this event since the HP programme included this event in our calendar 3 years ago. 

With Silke finished, Sophie was the last one remaining. In typical gritty fashion, the Ormeau player showed exceptional maturity despite her tender age to seal more wins against tough opposition before eventually finishing up in 19th place! Playing 1 year above her age, this was a remarkable achievement for the Belfast girl – well done Sophie!

On behalf of everyone involved in Table Tennis Ireland, we would like to congratulate our young team on what were excellent results at this prestigious event. Onwards and upwards for the future!

The 59th European Youth Championships has ended for the Irish in Zagreb, Croatia, and keeping with the trend of recent times, there was progress for all to see following a string of impressive performances from the three Irish teams on show. 

Gone are the days where Irish teams are scrapping for a solitary win in the bottom sections of Europes elite competition as this current generation continue to impress and challenge all in front of them. All three teams aquitted themselves excepionally well in Zagreb, with many of the group still eligible to compete in the same categories next time around.

Due to the ruthless format of the EYC, a fast start is crucial as the finishing positions in the initial group stage will determine which section you will end up in as the final places are decided later in the tournament.

Junior Girls – (Katie McGlone, Mia O’Rahilly Egan, Chloe O’Halloran & Rebecca Finn) Finishing Position – 33rd

The Girls had as tough a group as you could find at this years event, as they were drawn with Portugal, Norway and Georgia. 

First up was Portugal, who proved that bit too strong as a whole with the girls losing 3-1. There were positives to take here though, particularly the performance of Rebecca Finn who played an excellent match to win at the number 3 position.

Next was the familiar sight of the Norweigan team, with whom the team practiced with in preparation for the event. Despite going in as big underdogs, the girls played a great match, losing narrowly 3-1. Katie won against Nora Nillson at the number 3 position, while both Rebecca and Mia pushed the Norway number 1 Ilka Doval to the brink, with Rebecca losing 9-11 in the 5th and Mia by a narrow 3-1 score. To put this performance in context, the same Norway team went on to finish 13th in the Junior Girls event!

The girls finished the group on a high, beating Georgia 3-1. Katie played a key role here, winning 2 singles which included a great match against a strong number 1 (who had taken two wins against Portugal), while Mia added the all important point in the middle match. 

29-38 play-offs

The play-offs started for the girls with a great win over a strong Israel team. This was an excellent team win, with Katie and Mia taking one win apiece before Rebecca won at 2-2 in an epic contest to secure a 3-2 victory. 

The girls kept up their good form with a more straight forward win, as they overcame Latvia 3-1. Again, Katie won her 2 singles and Chloe added the 3rd to seal the win. The next day the girls faced the big challenge of Greece, aiming for their 4th straight win and knowing that a victory would keep their hopes of a top 30 finish alive. Unfortunately though, it wasn’t to be as Greece won the tight sets when it mattered most to run out 3-1 winners. There were chances here however, as Mia led 2-1 in the number 3 match while Katie also lost a tight 3-1 to the Greek number 1. 

Despite the disappointment, the girls bounced back with a big win over Switzerland, which really was an outstanding result. Again, the in-form Katie took 2 wins here with Rebecca adding the 3rd point with a breath-taking duece in the 5th success over the Swiss number 1. 

Unfortunately for the girls, this was to be their last win, as they lost their final play-off match to Bosnia 3-1 to end up in 33rd position. Like many of the matches that didn’t go our way, it did not slip away without a close fight. Rebecca was on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline (after winning the 4th set 11-0!) while Mia lost out to the Bosnian number 1 in 4 sets, with all ends being settled in deuce. 

Overall, the girls showed huge quality over the course of the tournament, winning 4 and losing 4 team matches. With 3 of the 4 girls still eligible for at least 2 more years, the future is bright in this category.

Junior Boys – (Zak Wilson, Alexander Gillen, Charlie Fitzgerald & Dylan Grace) Finishing Position – 28th

The boys were drawn to face Denmark, Norway and Malta. With Denmark being one of the outstanding teams in the tournament and Malta being relative minnows at this level, we knew that the opening group match against Norway was massive.

In an excellent match made up of 5 tight contests, the boys battled through to overcome the fancied Norweigans by a 3-2 scoreline, with the wins coming from Zak (2) and Alexander (1). This was an outstanding win for the boys and went a long way to ensuring that we would play off for positions 17-28, something that hasn’t been achieved by any Irish Junior team since 2002.

Later the boys faced off against the outstanding team in the group in Denmark and despite a strong performance by Charlie at number 3 (losing close 1-3) it wasn’t to be as we lost 3-0.

In the final match of the group the boys played Malta knowing a win would guarantee a place in 17-28. They duly delivered, taking the match 3-0 with wins from Zak, Sasha and Charlie.

17-28 play-offs

The playoffs started for the boys with a group of three; Ireland, Sweden and Lithuania.

First up we faced the might of Sweden (another first for any Irish team in recent times!). Both Zak and Sasha had big chances in taking scalps here. Zak lost in 5 tight sets to Vilmer Georggson and Sasha lost a close 3-1 to an in form Per Sandstrom. Dylan Grace faced a massive challenge here as he came up against an on fire Emil Bergstrom who was just too strong.

The boys then played Lithuania knowing a win would see them reach further heights and play off for 21-24 while a loss would see us play for 25-28. Again, this was always going to be a tough one as Lithuania boast three top level players in their ranks. Again, the boys put up a stern resistance but couldn’t quite get over the line. Zak had match points in the 5th to take the first match against last years European Cadet number 4 Merdadas Stankevics while Sasha led 2-1 and 7-4 against number 2, Lesiv, before losing out in the 5th. Charlie then couldn’t quite get to grips with the speed of number 3, Skirmantas as he won 3-0. Overall this felt like one that got away as the boys showed that they were well capable of reversing this result.

In the 25-28, the opponents didn’t get much easier. First we played Israel, who had narrowly lost 3-2 to England the previous day. Again though, the boys had their chances, particularly Sasha, who played a high level before losing in 5 sets. Unfortunately the boys couldn’t quite get the win they craved when they played their final match against Ukraine, going down 3-0. Again, there were chances as Zak lost out in 5 sets but couldn’t manage to get the win.

This meant that the boys would finish in 28th position, a great achievement given that no other Irish team has reached these heights at the EYC in recent years. Ironically, the big win against Norway meant a tougher end to the tournament for the boys. However, this is the level we continue to strive for and these players are a great example of some of the progress made by Irish teams in recent years.

Cadet Boys – (Owen Cathcart & Thomas Joyce) Finishing Position – 33rd 

Despite being dealt the blow of losing Jonatan McDonald through injury, the Cadet Boys team of Owen and Thomas showed an incredible attitude over the course of the event as a result, saw clear improvements as the days went by in Zagreb. 

They opened their campaign with a 3-2 loss to Slovenia and this was followed with defeats to strong opposition in the Netherlands and Ukraine (who reached the last 16). If ever a player was thrown into the deep end at a major championship, Thomas Joyce now knows how it feels! However despite his tender age of just 12 years, he continued to fight and learn from the experience of his team-mate and consequently improved with every match. 

29- 40 play-offs

The play-offs started for the boys with a match against Bulgaria. Owen won his 2 singles and despite an eventual 3-2 defeat, Thomas played a really high level in both the doubles and in the pressure cooker of 2-2, where he narrowly lost 11-8 in the 5th – very impressive for a player born 2004.

The boys then got off to winning ways as next up they defeated Kovoso by a 3-0 scoreline, with Thomas fighting hard again to win in 5 sets. They then kept the momentum going, as two wins from Owen and a doubles win with the rejuvenated Thomas earned them a 3-1 win over Slovakia – a fantastic win against a really strong Table Tennis nation!

This meant the boys would finish with a play-off match for 33rd place. Fittingly, they would face their conquerors of the group stage, Slovenia, and sure enough the boys kept with their new found form and exceptional doubles play to get their revenge and secure a 3-1 win. Again, Owen did the damage with 2 singles wins but a great doubles performance was the decisive factor. Thomas also had big chances in his singles rubber, losing 12-10 in the 5th, having played what was without doubt his best match of the event. 

Overall, the boys can be very proud of how they fared over the course of the tournament. With Owen winning 10/12 singles matches and young Thomas showing such promise over the course of the week, it is an exciting time for the Cadet category, particularly when you consider the other up and coming players at home.

Individuals Events

Owen Cathcart was Irelands sole representative as the tournament reached the individual competitions. In the singles, Owens seeding meant that he would avoid playing a preliminary match and thus start in round 1. Here he faced a tough challenge in the form of a Greek player who had shown impressive form in the team event, winning against Dutch number 1 and European top 20 player Roel Bogie. 

Owen didn’t falter though, as he played his best match of the entire tournament to advance following a 4-0 win. 

In the Last 64 he faced another tough match in the shape of Czech player Tomas Martinko. Unfortunatley Owen was on the wrong end of an agonising defeat here as he went down 16-14 in the deciding 7th set. He rallyed hard throughout, recovering from 3-1 down to level at 3-3. Again, Owen showed his battling qualities to save match points at 7-10 and despite having chances of his own in the deuce, it wasn’t to be in the end. Hard luck but a great experience nonetheless.

In the boys doubles, Owen and his partner Borgar Haug (NOR) lost out to Germanys top pair Stumper and Fadeev in 3 sets.

In the Mixed Doubles, Owen and partner Sinkarova (SVK) overcame a strong Serbian duo 3-1 in the opening round, however their run would end in round 2 as they lost in 5 tight sets to Turkish duo Tok/Kocal. 

Ireland’s top juniors were in action in Prague over the weekend as a squad of 10 (7 players, 3 coaches) made the journey for the 2016 Prague Grand Prix. 

In total, 14 countries were represented at the tournament, with both team and individual events making up the schedule over the 3 days play. 

Proceedings got underway with the team competitions on Friday morning, where all players were in action. Representing the Irish teams were the Junior Girls (Katie McGlone & Chloe O’Halloran), Cadet Girls (Mia O’Rahilly Egan & Lucy Craig) and Junior Boys (Zak Wilson, Alexander Gillen & Owen Cathcart).

Team 

All teams got off to a strong start, navigating their way through the group stages and into the knockout rounds. The Cadet Girls were first to fall however, as despite an excellent match with a strong German outfit, they eventually lost out by a 3-1 scoreline, with Mia taking the 1 singles rubber. Lucy came close to winning against the top German girl, losing out in 5 sets after a real edge of the seat encounter. 

The Junior Girls won their first knockout match, setting them up with a quarter final tie against a tricky Czech team. Having been 2-0 down, the girls fought back to take the match to a deciding doubles. Here it was anyones game and despite a brave effort, they went down narrowly in 5 sets. Huge positives could be taken nonetheless, as the girls category produced a number a tight, well contested matches.

The Junior Boys were sailing through the team event, a Owen, Zak and Sasha brushed all aside, showing their quality against strong opposition. They reached the final without dropping a match and here they faced the top Czech team in the draw. Zak did the damage in the final, as he picked up 2 singles wins, one of which came following an epic comeback from 0-2 against number 1 player, Koldas. Despite Owen losing out 12-10 in the 5th to Koldas, the boys had enough to close out the match 3-1 and claim the title!

Singles

Sunday was when most of the singles action took place, as all knockout matches got underway. Lucy was the only unlucky one to miss out on the main draw, as an extremely tough group meant she could only manage 1 win from 3 (despite narrowly losing 11-9 in the 5th to a former World Hopes Team player from Czech). This didn’t stop the Glenburn rookie though, as she reeled off a number of fine victories to claim a runner-up finish in the Consolation event on the final day of action.

The first shock to come on Sunday was the exit of Owen Cathcart from the Cadet Boys Singles. Seeded 1, Owen faced a tough opening match against 3rd seed Simonsen (DEN) who was seeded 3rd but came through his group as runner-up. Owen never got going here unfortunately, and lost out in straight sets. 

Mia was next to exit, as she lost out to Lucy’s conqueror in 4 tight sets. This was however an excellent match which could have gone either way. 

Katie was then beaten in the last 16 to Czech opposition. Despite rallying hard to stay in touch, she couldn’t quite get to grips with her tough opponent. 

Chloe, meanwhile, played a solid match to advance to the quarter finals. Here she was beaten by top Austrian, Kellerman in 3 close sets. 

Remaining in the draw were our two junior boys, Zak and Sasha, who continued their fine form from the team event. They both advanced through the draw with relative ease as their composure and focus ensured that they remained ready for all opponents. In the semis they both had tough tests, but keeping with the story of the weekend, they answered the questions posed and proceeded to book their places in the final after 3-1 wins. 

So it was to be an all-irish final at the Prague Grand Prix! Before the match, it was very hard to predict a winner as the coaches looked on with interest. Zak was first out of the blocks, taking the first set. Having led at the start of the 2nd, it looked as if the Belfast boy could run away, however Sasha found his top level and quickly turned the match on its head. Sasha used his strong serve/receive and half-long attack to great effect as he took a 2-1 lead. Zak wouldn’t go away though, as he bounced back to take the 4th 11-6. Into the decider, Sasha was the aggressor, and leading 5-2, he was in pole position once more. However, Zaks battling qualities shone through yet again as he reeled off a succession of points to get back in the match. Sasha then drew the score level at 9-9, yet it wasn’t enough, as the Ulsterman showed guts to take the next 2 points and clinch the Prague GP Junior Boys Singles title. 

Overall, it was a very successful tournament for our young squad, with all players showing great qualities throughout three gruelling days of Table Tennis.

The Senior Schools International will take place in the UL Arena, Limerick from 24-26 June. The annual event, which involves participation from 7 nations, returns to Ireland for the first time since it was held in the same venue back in 2010. 

The Irish squad has now been finalised for the event. The teams are as follows:

U18 Boys ‘A’ – Zak Wilson, Alan Walsh & Charlie Fitzgerald; NPC: Mark O’Flynn

U18 Boys ‘B’ – Brian Dunleavy, Ryan McConkey & Conor Gallagher; NPC: Arthur Brett

U18 Girls – Chloe O’Halloran & Mair Kelly; NPC: Tara Fusco

U16 Boys ‘A’ – Dylan Grace & Zak Earley; NPC: Gervis Knox

U16 Boys ‘B’ – Thomas Earley, James Joyce & Joey Nelson; NPC: Marcus McDonnell

U16 Girls ‘A’ – Katie McGlone & Mia O’Rahilly Egan; NPC: John Murphy

U16 Girls ‘B’ – Emma Kee & Thuy Linh Cashman; NPC: Shane O’Connor

U14 Boys ‘A’ – Conor Nugent & Art McLaughlin; NPC: Conn Higgins

U14 Boys ‘B’ – Thomas Joyce & Dillon Byrne; NPC: Gavin Maguire

U14 Girls ‘A’ – Natasya Barry & Silke Heinen; NPC: Amylou Hayes

U14 Girls ‘B’ – Lucy Craig & Sophie Earley; NPC: Keith Knox

Team Manager: Anna Kelly

The 2016 International Youth Cup took place over the weekend in Belgium. The annual tournament, ran by the Hasselt club in the Flemish region, has been popular with Irish teams over the years, but few have been as successful as last weekend proved. This year, UCD TTC and the newly formed ‘Rebel Alliance’ were the two Irish representatives in action over the three days.

UCD were quick out of the blocks, as both their ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams sealed their place in the semi final of their respective divisions by Saturday evening. The A team, made up of Irish Internationals Alexander Gillen, Charlie Fitzgerald and Conor Gallagher, didn’t stop there as they brushed all aside as they continued their relentless pursuit in the Junior Boys Elite section. They eventually came through to claim the title – a fantastic achievement!

Team supremo Alexander Gillen continued his impressive form as he raced towards victory in the Junior Boys singles event. In the Final he accounted for Hoffmann (Lux) in convincing fashion, a excellent performance by the France based Junior.

The ‘B’ Team, made up of Louis Murphy, Joey Nelson & Alan Pattison came close in their semi but had to settle for the 3rd place spot. The success for the Dubliners didn’t end here though, as both Louis Murphy and Alan Pattison took their place on the podium with joint third in the Junior Boys Club singles.

A new initiative combining two clubs resulted in two Junior Club titles for Munster. West Cork, who are regular travellers to Hasselt joined up with Ballincollig TTC for their first trip to the event. The “Rebel Alliance,” had three teams with the Boys made up of James Kelly, Niall O’Driscoll & Dylan Grace. Junior Girls; Chloe O’Halloran, Nora O’Sullivan & Mair Kelly while the U13s comprised of Ciaran O’Donoghue, Erik Olsson & Jake Adler.

The Girls went through their team competition without dropping a match reaching the final against a strong German Team from Braunschweig. The team showed great camaraderie and each contributed to the final victory. The Boys completed the double against Bech-Maacher from Luxemburg who included Elite Boys Finalist Tom Hoffmann when Dylan and James pulled off a fine 5 set doubles victory. 

The U13s very nearly reached their final but lost in a competitive semi and then went on to win the 3rd/4th play off to earn their moment on the podium.

The highlight for the Rebel Alliance in the singles was a championship victory for Ciaran O’Donoghue in the U13 Boys Club singles event seeing off Dutch opposition in a competitive final. The semi final against the top German player saw Ciaran turn round a 2 set deficit with a 19/17 win in the third and then the final two sets in a thrilling if somewhat tense match.

On behalf of Table Tennis Ireland, we would like to congratulate all of those involved in these successes. You should all be extremely proud!