Junior table tennis players prep for Island Champs

With the 2025 Island Championships starting in less than two weeks time, Guernsey’s junior table tennis players had good match preparation in the Collenette Jones Banded Table Tennis Series.

The third installment saw 24 young players battling across three bands.

In the Band 1 event, in-form 15-year-old Oskar Cleal emerged as the overall winner with 14 points. Cleal remained unbeaten, dropping only three sets throughout the day. Barnaby Groves finished narrowly behind in second place with 13 points.

There was also competition for the mid-table positions with Luke Evans, Xavier Ingrouille, and Micah Cohen all finishing on 11 points. Ollie Sparks (9 points), Isla Bretel (8 points), and Olivia Guilbert (7 points) rounded out the final standings.

In Band 2, Keira Eldridge delivered a dominant performance, going undefeated and securing the top spot with a perfect 14 points. 11-year-old Thea Cummins followed as runner-up with 13, only defeated by Eldridge. Daniel Martin impressed with a solid third-place finish, earning 12 points, including an excellent battle against Eldridge, where he narrowly lost 11-9 in the final set.

The Band 3 event saw another series of close games as Jack Dorey secured top spot with 14 points, demonstrating skill and composure throughout the competition. Newcomer Morgan Finn had a strong debut, finishing in second with 13 points.

Band 1