Patrick Vaughan returned to the table on day three of the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Helsingborg, facing Great Britain’s Theo Bishop in the Men’s Singles Class 7 quarterfinals. Coming off a strong group-stage performance, Vaughan entered the knockout rounds with confidence, ready for a challenging encounter against one of the class’s top competitors.
Set one was controlled by Bishop, who took the opener 11–5 despite strong resistance from Vaughan. Vaughan responded superbly in the second set, racing into a 3–0 lead. Confident play from the Irishman, combined with a few errors from Bishop, saw him close it out 11–4 to level the match.
The third set was tightly contested. Bishop edged ahead early, and although Vaughan battled hard to keep the pressure on, the British player held on to take it 11–7.
Bishop carried that momentum into the fourth set, moving 3–0 ahead. A well-timed timeout from Head Coach Sam Logue helped Vaughan reset, and he fought back brilliantly to narrow the gap to 7–5. Clever play then brought him within a single point at 8–7, prompting Bishop to call his own timeout.
A big point for Bishop on the restart could have shaken Vaughan, but he steadied himself again and levelled at 9–9. In the end, Bishop closed out the set 11–9, bringing Vaughan’s European Championships campaign to an end for 2025.
Speaking after the match Vaughan said: “Obviously disappointed, I’d say myself and Theo are at a similar level so it was always going to be a close match going into it but I think it was just a close match on the day. I think his style was more suited to my game than mine was to his.”
Speaking after the tournament Head Coach Sam Logue added: “I think the future is bright for Paddy and to be honest I said to him after the match, it didn’t go his way today but it’s a massive improvement on how he has been playing over the last six to eight months”
This brings Team Ireland’s involvement in the 2024 European Para Table Tennis Championships to a close. The team now turns its focus to the season ahead and the opportunities that await in 2026.
Day 1: Thursday 20th Results
Colin Judge v Kristjan Keskula (EST)
Result: W 11 – 4, 11 – 3, 11 – 8
Result: W 11 – 4, 11 – 3, 11 – 8
Stage: Group
Patrick Vaughan (IRL) v Krizander Magnussen (NOR)
Result: W 11 – 8, 11 – 8, 11 – 8
Result: W 11 – 8, 11 – 8, 11 – 8
Stage: Group
Colin Judge (IRL) v Eder Rodriguez (ESP)
Result: W 6 -11, 11 – 8, 11- 7, 14 -12
Result: W 6 -11, 11 – 8, 11- 7, 14 -12
Stage: Group
Day 2: Friday 21th Results
Patrick Vaughan v Christian Scheiber (AUT)
Result: W 11-4, 12-10, 11-9
Stage: Group
Colin Judge v Maciej Nalepka (POL)
Result: L 8–11, 11–9, 10–12, 11–6, 7–11.
Stage: Last 16
Day 2: Thursday 22nd Results
Patrick Vaughan – Opponent: Theo Bishop (GBR)
Result: L 5–11, 11–4, 7–11, 9–11
Result: L 5–11, 11–4, 7–11, 9–11
Stage: Quarterfinals
