Gainsborough table tennis club hosts national competition

More than 50 competitors battled it out at the Gainsborough academy in competitions ranging from U11s to U18s.

Blitz player Tom McIntosh was in action early in the cadet boys singles.

He progressed the early group matches with victories over Archie Raynor and Zachari Foster to win his group.

He then overcame Alexander Attew 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 in a tight match and followed it up defeating Che Gouldolne in the last eight.

In the semi-final Tom played well but went down fighting 3-1 in sets to the Cadet boys winner Kieran Wardell 11-2, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 from Cleveland.

The cadet girls competition was won by Hannah Ward of Nottinghamshire, an ex Blitz Junior British league player. Hannah defeated Amillia Baker, the under 13s winner, in 3 straight sets.

In the afternoons play Blitz players Amy Gittings, Chloe De La Fontaine, James Percival and Tom McIntosh were all competing in the Junior under 18s competitions.

In the Junior boys James unfortunately never made it through the group stages, despite playing well and taking sets off all his opponents in his competition debut.

Tom McIntosh again won all of his group matches to top the group and then continued his good form with a 11-3, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5 win over Lorik Deliu.

In the last eight he overcame Ethan Scully in straight sets and then followed it up with an 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 win over Max Stevens to set up a rematch with Swerve ttc player Kieran Wardell.

Wardell, however, proved too good in the day and topped off a great days play defeating McIntosh 3-0 to add the junior title to the cadets title he won earlier in the day.

In the junior girls event Amy Gittings was in great firm winning all her three group matches 3-0 to top her group defeating Amellia Baker, Isobel Mcgerty and Stefania Popa.

Chloe De La Fontaine also performed well in the group stages but a close fifth set defeat to Ella Barnard meant she dropped into the Junior girls plate event.

In the plate Chloe beat Isobel Mcgerty to reach the plate final where she lost out in a tense final 3 sets to 2.

Gittings after progressing through the junior girls group with ease was again too strong for her opponent Ella Barnard, in the semi final winning impressively 11-3, 11-8, 11-3 to reach the final against Hannah Ward who had reached the final defeating Amellia Baker in the other semi final 3-1.

The final was a close match but Ward added the Junior girls title to the cadets title by edging past Gittings 3-0 in three close sets.