Guernsey’s under-12 table tennis squad returned from the Primary Schools International with a wealth of experience, marking a period of transition and development for the island’s rising stars.
Following last year’s historic three-medal haul, the 2026 side faced a significant challenge, with seven of the eight players from the previous squad now too old.
Isla Bretel was the sole returnee, stepping up to lead a group of newcomers making their Guernsey debuts.
In the team competition, Bretel was in excellent form. Her tactical consistency saw her suffer only three defeats throughout the event, to England’s Bethany Yang and Isabella Xiao Xu, and Ireland’s Samantha Pusinskaite . This earned her a 4th-place seeding for the singles tournament. While the girls’ team finished bottom of the table, their individual performances remained competitive throughout and provided valuable experience.
The boys’ team endured a baptism of fire against strong Irish and English sides but found their rhythm on Saturday, putting in encouraging performances against Wales and Scotland, before securing a hard-fought 5-5 draw against Jersey.
The clash with their Channel Island rivals provided one of the weekend’s highlights, as Keil Butt nearly pulled off a major upset against Jersey’s number one and reigning Channel Island Under-11 champion, Rory Quinn. In an agonising finish, Butt pushed his opponent all the way before falling 12-10 in the final game. Elsewhere, teammates Perran Lomax and Noah Finn showed strong attacking shots to claim two singles wins apiece, while their partnership in the doubles secured a vital point for the team.
In Sunday’s singles event, Bretel breezed through her group with three victories before dispatching Scotland’s Alana Thurston 3-0 in the next round. A medal remained out of reach, however, as she came up against a tricky opponent in Ireland’s Victoria Sawecka. The pips-out rubber proved a difficult challenge, and Sawecka avenged her earlier team defeat by overcoming Bretel 3-1.
The boys were unable to progress from their groups, though Perran Lomax showed his recent improvement in reaching the quarter-finals of the plate event, playing superbly in a narrow defeat to Ireland’s Enoch Huang.
GTTA Development Officer Becks O’Keefe was encouraged by the weekend’s efforts.
“We are pleased with the performances of this young team,” O’Keefe said. “Six of the players are at the bottom end of the age group and are eligible to compete again next year. Hopefully this has inspired the players to continue to improve their skills and compete for Guernsey again in the future.”