Latest News - Weald Table Tennis

WEALD PLAYERS UNEXCEPTIONAL @ NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Although players from the Angley School, Cranbrook based Weald TT Club reached one final, and several semi and quarter-finals, overall they were disappointed not to do a bit better at the Butterfly Cadet and Junior National Championships at Hertfordshire Sports Village, Hatfield Business Park over the weekend.
16 year old Lewis Gray from Benenden got the nearest to lifting a medal. Playing with Sam Walker (Nottinghamshire), the Cranbrook School student quite comfortably reached the junior (under) boys’ doubles final via another Weald Club member Dan Lawrence (Tonbridge) and his SE regional squad-mate Jack Bennett (Polegate, East Sussex), 13-11, 11-6, 11-7 in the quarter-finals and Judd School, Tonbridge pupil Helsham Weerasinghe and Igor Morais (Middlesex), 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 in the semi-finals.
They looked finished when thrashed in the first two games by top seeds Sean Cullen and Danny Lowe (both Derbyshire) in the final, but then came back to level on games and hold two match points (10-8) in the deciding game. But with all 4 boys looking very tired at the end of a long day, Gray and Walker ultimately fell to the Derbyshire lads, 5-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-6, 10-12.
Lewis’s father Diccon said, “I was absolutely gutted. It was a national title which will go on the record books, and when they had two match points I thought they had got it!”
Seeded no.6 in the junior boys’ singles, Gray performed to expectations, though he was extended by the relatively unknown but dangerous Chinese Xiaoyang Ma (Warwickshire) 11-6, 5-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5 in the first round. Although he reached his allotted quarter-final place he was not at his best, and was put out 11-5, 5-11, 5-11, 9-11 by 4th seed Zak Zilesnick (Middlesex), with whom he has a very close competitive record. Lewis had been unsettled by his bat rubbers having been deemed slightly too thick in the voluntary testing earlier in the day, a problem rectified by taking out a thin layer of old glue.
The Weald player most disappointed was 16 year old St Bede’s, Hailsham pupil, Yolanda King, seeded 5th, who was defending her national junior girls’ singles title. She had not dropped a game before meeting in the last 16 England no.9, Abbie Milwain (Derbyshire), who was only in that part of the draw as she had come runner-up in her group. Unfortunately for Yolanda, Milwain, who plays a bustling aggressive game and has a reputation for ‘giant-killing’, was on-form.
King never got started in the first game, and Milwain had a run of 5 or 6 ‘lucky’ nets and edges to closely take the second. Yolanda fought back with blistering topspin attack to sweep the third game. Both girls were in top gear in the incredibly close and exciting 4th game, but it was the Derbyshire player who sneaked it and the match, 11-6, 11-8, 3-11, 14-12. In the quarter-finals Milwain was to lead the eventual new champion Chloe Whyte (Cleveland) by 2 games to 1, before losing in five games.
Weald coach Ken Muhr said, “Yolanda was very nervous and started poorly, but by the 4th game was playing very well, and had she won this I think she would have taken the 5th. However, Abbie deserved the result and Yolanda’s performance was no disgrace. It would have been difficult to have advanced beyond Chloe Whyte, to whom she has lost several times recently.”
Partnered by Tin Tin Ho (Middlesex), Yolanda did reached the semi-finals of the junior girls’ doubles, where they were knocked out 11-6, 4-11, 5-11, 8-11 by Cleveland pairing Chloe Whyte and Jessica Dawson, who went on to take the title.
Dan Lawrence survived two very close games before beating the speedy Vincent Stacey (Essex) 20-18, 13-11, 11-5 in the last 16 of the cadet (under 15) boys singles. However, he then found Helshan Weerasinghe too strong in the quarter-finals although achieving respectable 6-11, 7-11, 8-11 scores. With Jack Bennett he had a great run to the semi-finals of the cadet boys’ doubles, before falling 7-11, 9-11, 3-11 to Helshan and partner Igor Morais (Middlesex), who went on become national champions by then overcoming Jared Patel and Alex Holland (Essex) 11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7.
Helshan, who was also a quarter-finalist in the junior singles, made a very gallant effort to triumph over his doubles partner Igor in a scintillating fast cadet singles final. The turning point was when he led by 2 games to 1 and 6-3 up in the fourth game. Igor’s coach called time-out and then Igor pummelled Helshan’s backhand to steal the game and then dominate the decider for a 11-8, 10-12, 10-12, 12-10, 11-6 verdict.
The Bennett brothers Jack and Josh from Polegate, East Sussex, both played well to get to the last 16 of the cadet singles.

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FIRST MAJOR SENIOR TITLE FOR YOLANDA KING AT BRISTOL GP

16 year old Yolanda King, a member of the Weald Club based at Angley School, Cranbrook, picked up her first major senior title when she won the women’s under 21 singles at the Bribar Bristol Grand Prix held at the Franchay campus of the University of the West of England (UWE) last weekend.
After a fairly comfortable ride to the quarter-finals, the St Bede’s, Hailsham student simply got better and better. Following overcoming the England no.12 Natalie Slater (Staffordshire) 11-6, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6, she should have had a two game lead over the England no.6, Emma Vickers (Derbyshire) after being a game and 10-8 up. However, from dropping the 3rd game she came back with amazing two-wing looping and counter-hitting play to book her place in the final, 11-7, 11-13, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6.
Then in the final faced by the current Home Countries 6 Nations Women’s Champion, Alice Loveridge (Guernsey) she produced her best ever form, ultimately over-powering her celebrated adversary 11-9, 3-11, 11-5, 11-9 in an encounter replete with wonderful long loop-the-loop rallies.
King had already taken the women’s band two title, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 in a spirited closely fought final against Welsh international Angharad Phillips. After some good results on the way, she lost 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11 in the quarter finals of the women’s band 1 singles to another Welsh international Charlotte Carey, but with just a bit more consistency at key points she could have sneaked a win. Alice Loveridge won the event.
Yolanda also reached the quarter-finals of the open women’ singles, but then made little impression on the England number 3, Hannah Hicks (Hampshire), going down 7-11, 3-11, 5-11.

King’s Weald Club colleague, 16 year old Lewis Gray from Benenden did not play particularly well, though he suffered no disastrous results. In the first round of the men’s singles the Cranbrook School pupil found the spin serves of England no.13 Michael Marsden (Durham) too tricky, going down in straight games. He went out at the same stage of the band 1 singles in 5 games to the former highly ranked Neil Charles (Middlesex), and reached the 3rd round of the under 21s before succumbing 1-3 to the England no.28, Emran Hussain (Essex), who he has beaten recently.
Both King and Gray are preparing for the National Junior and Cadet Championships at Hertfordshire Sports Village, Hatfield Business Park, next weekend, where Yolanda will be defending her junior girls’ singles title.
Lewis’s father Diccon Gray commented, “It’s important to learn from the experience at Bristol and bounce back. Already this week Lewis has come back to training with zeal and determination and will hope to peak this weekend at the junior national championships.”

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WEALD’S YOLANDA KING LEADS FINE SUSSEX PERFORMANCE IN COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS JUNIOR PREMIER DIVISION

16 year old Yolanda King, a member of the Angley School, Cranbrook based Weald TT Club, led Sussex to overwhelming 10-0 wins over Yorkshire, Hampshire and Kent in the first weekend of the County Championships Junior Premier Division, held at the Cippenham Club, Slough over the weekend, to finish top of the table. However, they have still to play Essex, Hertfordshire, Cleveland and Middlesex (last season’s champions) in the second weekend.

St Bede’s, Hailsham pupil Yolanda, England ranked no.7 junior girl, won all her matches in straight games. Playing up for Kent first team, another Weald Club member, 13 year old Dan Lawrence from Tonbridge, was no match for the Sussex players, but took both his singles in an 8-2 victory over Hampshire to keep Kent off the relegation zone. Jasmin Ould from the Byng Hall Club, Tunbridge Wells, also won twice in this match.

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WEALD’S LEWIS GRAY REPEATS BEST EVER WIN & THIS TIME IT COUNTS! TITLES FOR GRAY & DAN LAWRENCE @ PETERBOROUGH

Last March at the National Senior Championships in Sheffield, Lewis Gray, 16, a member of the Angley School, Cranbrook base Weald Club had his best ever win over England top 10 man Damien Nicholls ( Shropshire), only to be disqualified for using a bat with slightly too thick rubbers. However, in the last 16 of the men’s singles at the ‘Bribar’ Peterborough Grand Prix over the weekend, Cranbrook School student Gray repeated the feat and this time the victory stuck!

With his backhand ‘loop’ on song, Gray stormed into a 2-0 lead, but Nicholls fought back strongly to equalise the games and then lead 3-0 in the 5th. Gray then played his best to regain the lead at 9-8, when Nicholls, the England no.9, made a crucial miss, Gray eventually triumphing 11-4, 11-6, 2-11, 6-11, 11-8.

Although the Benenden boy went down 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 9-11 in the quarter finals, he put up a good fight against the England no.16, Richard Andrews (Berkshire). In the first round Gray had put out Judd School, Tonbridge pupil Helshan Weerasinghe 3-1.

Gray also put up a great performance in reaching the final of the under 21 men’s singles, having a great 3-2 success over Emran Hussain (Essex), the England no.45 in the semis, before ultimately succumbing 10-12, 10-12, 7-11 to the no.44, Tom Maynard (Berkshire).

However, Gray did come away with a title, the band two men’s singles, in which he defeated Daniel O-Connell (Wales) 3-2 in the quarter-finals, Helshan Weerasinghe 3-1 in the semis and Ian Musk (Buckinghamshire), 11-7, 11-5, 15-17, 11-7 in the final. He also did well in the band 1 singles. Although he lost to Tom Maynard in 5 games in the groups, he qualified for the knockout, in which he had a straight games win over England no. 85, Jerome Jonah (Surrey). But in the quarter-finals he in turn was beaten in straight games by the England no. 52, Daniel Bastefield (Middlesex), letting go a 10-6 lead in the second game.

With this results, Lewis, who has recently come into the men’s top 100 for the first time at 96, is set to climb considerably higher.

‘Oh Danny Boy’

Another Weald club player, Dan Lawrence, just 13, from Tonbridge, was the sensation of the championships when he won the men’s band 5 singles, against considerably older and more experienced opponents.

He had lost closely in 5 games to top seed Ed Slot (Hampshire), but won his other matches to qualify for the knockout. Advised by Gary Howes of the Byng Hall club, Tunbridge Wells, he then steamed his way to the semi-finals, haven beaten lots of higher ranked players en route, and next disposed of Max Tupper (Jersey) 11-7, 8-11, 9 11, 9-11.

Because the Bushfield Sports Centre hall had to be vacated on the Saturday evening, the final was held over until the Sunday morning, but although Dan was very tired he still had enough firepower to scrape through Richard Carden (Kent), 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10. Carden had saved 3 match points at 7-10 down, and Dan won a spectacular long rally on his 4th/last match point. For his efforts, Dan was given the Bribar player of the tournament award out of 190 competitors

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GOOD LEARNING CURVE FOR LEWIS GRAY IN PORTUGUESE YOUTH OPEN

Playing abroad for England for the first time as a junior (under 18) last long weekend, Benenden’s Lewis Gray did well as a young player in a higher age group at the Portuguese Youth Open in Tavira.

Although in the team matches against Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Russia, the 15 year old Angley School, Cranbrook pupil and Weald TT Club member won only 1 out of 5 singles (beating a Spanish boy), he always got close to his opponents and was never outclassed. For example, against Russia he lost his first match close in the 5th game, and was 9-1 up in the 4th game, but 2 games to 1 down, before his opponent fought back to snatch a win.

In the singles group he had an excellent 3-0 result over an Austrian, and then, in his best performance led the European no.3 junior Benjamin Brossier (France) 5-1 in the first game before losing 8-11, took the second game and was 9-6 and 11-10 up in the 4th, ultimately succumbing to a 1-3 defeat.

Former England international and non-playing captain Andrew Rushton was happy with Lewis’s play. “We were trying out younger players in an older category to see how they would do. It was a good experience and learning curve. Lewis did well to get close and have some good wins. His forehand attack was strong, but he needs to make his return of serve tighter and more consistent, and to learn to relax and go with the flow when he is blocking.”

Likewise, Judd School, Tonbridge pupil Helshan Weerasinghe had limited success playing for England cadets (under 15) but he was not outclassed by the opposition.

Meanwhile, newly crowned England junior girls’ singles champion, Yolanda King, also a member of the Weald Club, had 4 days of intensive training with the England junior girls’ squad at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield, returning home on Tuesday evening.

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27.08.09

FERRIS BROTHERS, CRANBROOK , SHOW PROMISE AT HORSHAM

Although they have been playing less than a year, Cranbrook brothers Zach, 15, and Oliver Ferris, 11, impressed at the Horsham Banded 2 Star Junior Open Championships at Greenway School , Horsham. The brothers, both keen footballers, are members of the Weald TT Club, based at Angley School Sports College .

Zach Ferris finished 2nd in his Band B group. He had straight games wins over Christian Savage (Berkshire) and Nathan Hodd (Hastings, East Sussex), who had won the Band C event, but lost a marathon match 19-17 in the 5th game to Mark Collins (Sussex), the run of luck going against him, and also fell 3-0 to the eventual Band B winner, Brandon Wilson (Middlesex). However, he qualified on games average for the knockout, going down 3-0 in the quarter-finals to Baljeet Singh (Middlesex).

Oliver Ferris also finished 2nd in his (Band C) group, beating Zach Attfield (Berkshire) 3-1 & Oliver Salkeld (Sussex) 3-0, but losing 3-0 to Nathan Hodd. He then lost in the quarter finals knockout 3-1 to Jonathan Realpe ( Surrey ).

The slightly more experienced Aaron Serfaty, 13, who is also a member of the Weald Club and a pupil at Angley School , also came 2nd in his group & lost in the quarter-finals of Band B. He beat Matt Van Yperen ( Sussex ) 3-1, & Rowan Stacey 3-1 ( Berkshire ), but lost 3-0 to Baljeet Singh. In the quarter-finals he succumbed 3-1 to event winner Brandon Wilson.

Stars Training Abroad

Meanwhile, the Weald’s star player, England cadet international Lewis Gray, 15 from Benenden, has been training hard at the Olympic Sports Centre, in Frankfurt , Germany . Sponsored through German Sports Company ‘Joola’, and TT Equipment suppliers Bribar of Canterbury, Kent, Angley schoolboy Gray (who is also sponsored by P&O Ferries) started a typical day with a 5 kilometre (3.1 mile) run, followed by 3 hours table tennis play. Then after lunch another 2 hours play and then service practice or physical training. Finally, to round off the day, he had more physical training or swimming.

Top German internationals were taking part, and the currently injured reigning European men’s singles champion and former World no.1, Timo Boll, looked in on proceedings. Lewis’s father, Diccon Gray, had good reports back on the training:

“Lewis has had excellent physical training and practice partners. However, he was the only English person there and doesn’t speak German, so he was getting a little homesick.”

Lewis has now joined the England junior boy squad for a training camp at Malmo in southern Sweden . And his Weald Club colleague, Yolanda King, 14, is training with the England girls at camps in Croatia . Another Kent player, Ross Wilson from the Howard Club, Gillingham, has been training for 8 hours a day in Taiwan !

South East Region Squad Assessment Day, 6th September

With a view to talent spot for the stars of the future, there is to be a South East Region Squad Assessment day in the Mary Sheaf Hall, Angley School , Cranbrook , 10am to 4pm on Sunday 6th September, for players aged under11 to under15. For further details, contact:

Nick Standen, Joint SE Region Coaching Co-ordinator
Home Tel. 01424 428955
Work Tel. 01424 434355
Email nick@standenassociates.co.uk

For further information, contact Ken Muhr , Tel. 01622 885964

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15.07.09

GRAY DISAPPOINTED AS ENGLAND CADETS COME 16th OUT OF 42 AT EURO YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

15 year old Weald TT Club Lewis Gray from Benenden was disappointed not to have played more in the team event in his first European Youth Championships, as England cadet (under 15) boys finished 16th out of 42 nations in Prague, Czech Republic.

The Angley School, Cranbrook pupil Gray played the doubles with Zak Zilesnick (Middlesex), in every match, contributing 5 wins of 8. However Gray, currently ranked England no.1, played singles in only 4 out of the 8 matches, the England non-playing captain/coach apparently favouring the younger Sam Walker (Nottinghamshire), ranked no.3. However, when Gray did play singles, it was against the toughest opponents or in the most crucial matches.

In their opening group match, England suffered a 3-0 defeat by Italy, Gray playing in the doubles only. They then beat Spain 3-0, Gray contributing to a 3-1 doubles win. However, Gray was then brought in to play against the very powerful French side, who were later to go on to win the overall event. Gray won the only game for England in going down 5-11, 11-7, 6-11, 5-11 to Enzo Angles, and he also lost in the doubles, France taking the match 3-0.

Then in play-off matches, Gray was dropped from the singles against Serbia, and despite participating in a 11-5 in the fifth game doubles success, he could not prevent England losing the match 3-2. Once again he played both singles and doubles against one of the strongest teams, Germany, (who ended 5th in the overall competition), but England crashed 3-0.

In the final group of matches playing for positions 9 to 16, England first lost 3-1 to Slovakia, Gray, in his only appearance, and Zilesnick giving them their only success with a very easy doubles win. With England now fighting for places 13-16, Gray was picked to play singles in the crucial matches with Slovenia and Croatia. In the Slovenian clash, he played very well, beating Patrik Sukic 9-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-7 and taking the doubles in 5 games. However, Gray lost to the Slovenian no.1 and with Zilesnick narrowly losing both singles England fell 3-2.

Unfortunately Gray was suffering from a stomach upset in the final match facing Croatia, for places 15 and 16, with the losing side to be relegated to a lower category next year. Although he once again won the doubles with Zilesnick, he played poorly in the singles and lost both of his sets, including to the European no.5 Luka Fucec. Sam Walker won a singles but England were beaten 3-2.

Lewis Gray’s father, Diccon, said that both Lewis and himself were bitterly disappointed that he did not play in more singles matches in the team event: “I presume the coach picked a team that he thought has the best chance of winning, which of course is the right thing to do. That is his prerogative and I respect his decision. Lewis found it hard to come in cold for the doubles but it was better than not playing at all and he did quite well. When he did play singles it was against very hard opposition.”

Gray will now hope to recoup his spirits and fitness for the individual events at the end of the week.

30.6.09

WEALD’S LEWIS GRAY LIFTS HOME COUNTRIES SENIOR SCHOOLS SINGLES

15 year old Benenden boy Lewis Gray, a pupil of Angley School, Cranbrook and member of the Weald TT Club based there, lifted the under 16 boys’ singles title at the Home Countries Senior Schools International Event held at Largs, Scotland from 26-28th June.

Gray had saved his best form for the knockout singles, beating in succession players from Guernsey, Scotland, Isle of Man, and then Zhang Da Shuai (England/Sussex) 3-1 in the quarter-finals, and James Ward (England/Staffordshire) in the semi-finals. In the final he found top gear in avenging an earlier team event defeat by Sam Hanley (Ireland), triumphing in straight games, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3.

Playing for England ‘A’ Under 16 Boys with Ping Ho (Middlesex) in the team event, he had been a little disappointed to finish third. They predictably beat Isle of Man 5-0, but then had a surprise 3-2 loss to Scotland ‘B’. Gray had one win over Callum Main, but suffered a crucial 6-11 in the fifth game loss to Scotland’s no.1 junior Sean Doherty, and also dropped the doubles with Ping.

Gray was then unbeaten in singles and the doubles in England’s 3-1 success over Ireland ‘B’. But then in the semi-finals England suffered another loss, this time 3-1 to Ireland ‘A’. Although Gray recorded their only win over Ashley Robinson, he fell 1-3 to the Irish no.1 Sam Hanley, who he was later to comfortably beat in the singles final.

Competing against England ‘B’ for places 3 and 4, Gray ensured a bronze medal-gaining 3-1 result by winning both of his singles and the doubles with Ping.

Gray then travelled down from Largs to Sheffield for the pre-European Youth Championships training camp at the English Institute of Sport (EIS), Sheffield from 29th June until 6th July. After a brief return to Angley School, he will fly to Prague, Czech Republic for the Euro Championships from 9th – 19th July.

On his performance in the Senior Schools International, Gray’s father Diccon commented, “Lewis did quite well but he will have to up his game for the European Championships, where the playing standard will be much stronger”.

In the latest England ranking lists, Lewis Gray retains his no.1 position in the cadet (under 15) boys, and no.5 ranking in the junior (under 18) boys. His Weald Club colleague Yolanda King, 14 from Hasting, is still no. 6 junior girl, but drops I place to no.3 cadet girl. Lewis’s sister Daniella Gray remains no.45 cadet girl, and Jasmin Ould from the Byng Hall Club, Tunbridge Wells, stays at no.11.

Weald Club member Dan Lawrence, 11, from Tonbridge moves up from no.35 to no.32 in the under 13 boys’ singles, while in the same list Jack Bennett (Polegate, East Sussex), who trains with the South East squad at Angley School, moves up from no.19 to no.16. Dartford’s Helshan Weerasinghe, a pupil of the Judd School, Tonbridge, drops from no.2 to no.3.

Ritchie Venner from Bexhill, East Sussex, who is a player-coach with the SE Performance Centre at Angley School, Cranbrook, retains his no.3 England veteran (over 40) men’s ranking.

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16.6.09

LEWIS GRAY SELECTED FOR EUROPEAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Following his recent success in winning the English National Cadet (Under 15) Masters competition and performing well for England in the European Cadet 6 Nations competition in Sweden, 15 year Lewis Gray from Benenden has achieved his goal of being selected for the first time to represent England cadets in the European Youth Championships in Prague, Czech Republic from 9th – 19th July 2009.

This is a considerable step-up in competitive standard for the Angley School, Cranbrook pupil, who has also regained the top spot in the national cadet boys’ rankings and moved up to no.5 in the junior (under 18) boys’ list. There will be a pre-championships training camp at the English Institute of Sport (EIS), Sheffield from 29th June until 6th July and the squad will travel to Prague on 8th July.

A delighted Lewis Gray exclaimed, “Obviously I feel great! I have been working for it all year, and finally I have got it! I did everything I could.”

However, there was disappointment for Gray’s Weald Club, Cranbrook colleague, Yolanda King, 14, the England ranked no.2 cadet girl and no.6 junior, who saw 3 girls ranked below her selected in preference for the England girls’ squad for the European Youth Championships. Unfortunately for King, a pupil of St Bede’s School Hailsham, her form declined for crucial championships leading up to the England Selectors’ decision, such as the National Cadet Masters, where she came 4th, and the Slovakian Junior Open where she recorded no wins. By contrast, her rivals Lucy Davidson (Derbyshire) and Chloe Whyte (Cleveland) hit peak form during this period, while Tin Tin Ho (Middlesex), the National under 11, under 12 and under 13 girls’ champion, has a 4 year age advantage on her.

Last Thursday in the final of the Ashford League Team Handicap competition at Ashford Oaks Primary School, the Weald Club team of Daniella Gray, from Benenden, and Joe Watson and Zach Ferris from Cranbrook, defeated Kennington B (Colin Bingham, Michael Galvan and John Helmer) by a cumulative total of just 11 points to lift the title. For each game played up to 25 points, players started on predetermined handicaps.

Weald had the advantage in that their players were all improving youngsters. The most crucial clash in the Weald’s favour was when Zach Ferris (+10), filling in for Cranbrook School pupil George Cox, who was nursing a broken wrist, defeated veteran John Helmer (+7), 25-15, 25-19. However, Michael Galvan (+10) clawed back a lot of points for Kennington B when he defeated the powerful Joe Watson (+7) 25-18, 25-17, and Kennington comfortably won the doubles.

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1.6.09

LEWIS GRAY RECLAIMS ENGLAND CADET TOP SPOT & BREAKS THROUGH INTO JUNIOR TOP 10

Following his triumph in recently winning the England Cadet Masters competition and performing well in the European Cadet Six Nations tournament in Sweden, 15 year old Lewis Gray from Benenden has regained the top position he last held in October, in the latest England cadet (under 15) boys’ ranking list published this week. The Angley School, Cranbrook pupil moves up from no.3, displacing Zak Zilesnick (Middlesex) and Sam Walker (Nottinghamshire).

Gray also breaks into the England Junior (under 18) top 10 for the first time, taking a huge leap from no.17 to no.5. Weald Club colleague Yolanda King, 14, a pupil of St Bede’s School, Hailsham, retains her position as England no.2 cadet and no.6 junior girl. Therefore both Weald Club players are very well placed in the national junior rankings for next season, as they move out of the cadet age group.

Lewis Gray commented: “My coach at the club, Ken Muhr, always said that I had to get into the England junior top 10 whilst I was still a cadet, if I was going to be any good as an international player!”

He has also been selected for two major schools events. He will represent English Schools under 16 boys at the Schools’ Invitation International in Largs, Scotland on 26th-28th June. And he will captain the England - South East team at the The UK School Games on 4th-6th September at Cardiff, Newport & Swansea. Yolanda King will play for England – South East girls in the same event.

Meanwhile, at the University of East Anglia, Norwich over the weekend, another Weald Club, Cranbrook, member, 11 year old Dan Lawrence from Tonbridge, did well to reach the under 12 boys’ singles quarter-finals of the National Under 11/12/13/14 Championships. Although he lost 5-11, 4-11, 11-5, 4-11 to Jack Bennett of Polegate, East Sussex, who also regularly attends South East High Performance Centre training sessions at Angley School, Cranbrook, there were plenty of spectacular topspin loop-the-loop rallies.

Bennett in turn lost 11-8, 5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 6-11 in the semi-finals to Sam Mabey (Northamptonshire) the eventual event winner, but he had good chances. Mabey struggled with his service and bustling, all out, attacking style, but in the third game when it was 9all, Bennett served off and then missed a fairly easy kill to lose what was a crucial game. Jack also reached the last 16 of the under 13 boys’ singles.

Bennett’s brother Josh, likewise a member of the SE Performance Centre, had also impressed in reaching the semi-finals of the under 11 boys’ singles. But, like his brother, he also dropped what might have been a vital 3rd game from 10-8 up, going down 7-11, 12-10, 11-13, 5-11 to the eventual title winner, Matthew Leete (Lincolnshire).

One national title did go to a Kent player. Ross Wilson from the Howard Club, Gillingham, who in the past regularly trained at Angley School, Cranbrook, partnered Igor Morais (Middlesex) to lift the under 14 boys’ doubles. In an exciting and entertaining final, they defeated the Middlesex pairing of Zak Zilesnick and Connor Neenan, 9-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8.

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26.5.09

TABLE TENNIS – GRAY PERFORMS WELL IN EURO CADET 6 NATIONS

Lewis Gray, the 15 year old Angley School, Cranbrook pupil from Benenden, performed well while representing England in the Stiga European Cadets (under 15) 6 Nations Tournament at Koping, Sweden over the weekend.

Although England lost every match in going down to Germany 7-3, and 6-4 to Sweden, France, Denmark and Holland, Gray, a member of the Weald Club based at Angley School, took 6 out his 10 singles in the team event. He won a singles, and the doubles with Zak Zilesnick, against both Germany and Sweden. In the former match his 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10 victory was over Florian Scheiner who went on to reach the final of the singles knockout, whilst against Sweden he was also only narrowly beaten 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 8-11 by Albin Wemmert, who was to become the singles champion.

Gray won both of his singles in the French match, and a singles apiece against Denmark and Holland. He suffered his only comfortable loss of the weekend in the Dutch match when he was beaten in straight games by the speedy Koen Hageraats.

He saved his best form for the singles. After losing his opening match in the groups to Andrea Landrieu (France), Gray then had consecutive triumphs over Dominik Scheja (Germany), Rajko Gommers (Holland), Jimmy Jin (Sweden), Sebastion Haack (Denmark) who he had lost to in the team event, and Dang Qiu (Germany), to top the group and qualify for the quarter-final knockout. He then only just failed to repeat his earlier success over Florian Scheiner (Germany), going down 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 5-11, 7-11 to the eventual losing finalist.

Overall Gray was happy with how he had done. “The difference between England and Europe, is that in Europe the players are much more consistent and every point matters. I played a lot of close 50-50 matches where only one or two points made the difference between winning and losing. Technically the one thing I should improve is mixing my backhand, using more heavy topspin in the rally.”

Meanwhile Gray’s Weald Club colleague, Yolanda King, 14, was less successful at the Slovak Junior Open, part of the International Table Tennis Federation Junior Circuit, in Bratislava, though it was against the best of an older age group (under 18). She got close in almost all of her matches, but she was beaten by Austrian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovenian, Slovakian and Bulgarian opponents in the team and singles events.

King explained: “My backhand was working well but I kept missing my forehand topspins and my technique kept changing, so players played to my forehand all the time. The opposition was good but I could have won a number of matches if I had played as well against the weaker players as I did against the stronger ones, when my forehand worked better. However, playing and training in Slovakia was a good learning experience. I didn’t like the food, but there was plenty of it!”

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18.5.09

LEWIS GRAY FIGHTS BACK FROM EARLY DISAPPOINMENT TO FINISH 9TH IN JUNIOR MASTERS

Lewis Gray, the 15 year old Angley School, Cranbrook pupil from Benenden, fought back from early disappointing losses to finish a credible 9th in the prestigious English National Junior (under 18) Masters competition at the Westfield Table Tennis Centre, Wellingborough over the weekend.

Gray, a member of the Weald TT Club based at Angley School, was brimming with confidence at the start of the weekend, having won the National Cadet (under 15) Masters, which is run on the same gruelling round robin format in a 14 player group, the previous weekend. However, in his first matches on Saturday, he met the top 4 highest England ranked junior boys present, and although he put up strong performances, taking a game off Danny Lowe (Derbyshire), the England no.6, and going close with England no.3 Chris Doran (Northamptonshire), who was to win the event, and England no. 4 Matt Ware (Dorset), his confidence took a battering.

Gray, who is the England no.17 junior, then lacked his usual spirit in losing to 2 lower ranked players he might have expected to have beaten, Reece Tan (Essex), and Daniel Besterfield (Middlesex), though the latter match was over 5 games. Fortunately, after narrowly losing the first game against his old rival Ping Ho (Middlesex), Lewis was able to pull himself together for his only victory of the Saturday with a comprehensive 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 result.

On the Sunday, he was a different player, moving better and hitting stronger, resulting in 3 consecutive wins over tough opponents all ranked higher than him, Sam Walker (Derbyshire), Kim Daybell (Yorkshire), and Emran Hussain (Essex). Although he then lost 3-1 to the also higher ranked Richard Andrews (Berkshire), who was on form and finished 4th overall, Gray then rounded off the day all guns firing with an excellent 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 success over the national cadet champion and England junior no.8, Zak Zilesnick (Middlesex). Although his final tally of 5 wins to 7 losses (one player dropped out through injury) was equal to Reece Tan, Gray was placed in 9th place behind Tan, having lost to him.

Gray represents England in the Stiga Cadet 6 (European) Nations Tournament in Koping, near Stockholm, Sweden, this weekend, while his Weald Club mate Yolanda King finishes off her Slovakian tour representing England cadet girls’ in the Slovak Junior Open in Bratislava.

Meanwhile, another Weald Club member, Dan Lawrence, who won the under 13 boys’ singles and lost in the cadet finals at the recent TTK 1 star tournament in Tooting, London, has made the first step towards possible future national representative honours. Alongside Ross Wilson of the Howard Club, Gillingham, and Helshan Weerasinghe, a pupil of Judd School, Tonbridge, he has been chosen to attend England Cadet Development Squad training at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) on 13th/14th June.

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