Guernsey’s leading table tennis players face off tomorrow tonight to decide the island crowns.
This is how the Island Championship has played out so far:
Men’s Singles
Garry Dodd marched into another Men’s Singles final at the GTTA Island Championships, though he was pushed close in the semi-final against Josh Stacey. The now Sheffield-based player is aiming for his 13th title which he first won in 2008.
After early round victories against Steve Martin, Luke Evans and Nye Matthew, Stacey proved a formidable opponent. The two-time winner went two sets behind but rallied back well to close the deficit to 3-2. Dodd’s trademark strong service game edged him through the sixth game by a score of 11-9 and he was audibly jubilant at reaching yet another final.
On the next table, Lawrence Stacey had a more straightforward match as the Division 1 averages winner defeated Ben Foss 4-0.
Earlier, Lawrence Stacey had been given a scare by eighth seed Dan Collenette, who rallied back from 3-0 to 3-2, before succumbing to his opponent’s powerful attacking strokes 11-5 in the sixth game.
Josh Stacey also had a battle against seven-time winner Phil Ogier, coming through 4-1 after some close games.
Women’s Singles
Top seed Kay Chivers had an unusually straightforward route to the final, after receiving a bye in the first round, then a walkover in the quarter final as Charlotte Casey withdrew. In the semi-final she countered a spirited display from Division 2 player Juliette Yeaman, winning 4-0.
In the second semi-final, Becks O’Keefe showed a return to form as she came through an epic match against second seed Paula Le Ber. After winning the first game 12-10, O’Keefe was on the end of an onslaught of Le Ber attacking stroked and fell 301 behind. She fought back well in the nervy deuce game that followed and was victorious in the reaming two games to win 14-12, 9-11, 8-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-7.
Men’s Doubles
Reigning champions Garry Dodd and Josh Butler will compete for the Men’s Doubles title after a strong run to the final. They got there by beating Division 1 pair Matt Casey and Joe Bourgaize 4-0, followed by a similarly comprehensive scoreline against Mark Fenwick and Kenedy Chepkor.
A tougher match followed in the semi-final against 2024 runners-up Ben Foss and Ryan Bichard, but after a couple of nervy ends, came through 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-1, 11-7.
Seconds seeds Josh Stacey and Lawrence had a tougher time and were taken to six games by in-form Jamie Ferbrache and Steve Ozanne in the quarter final, before beating the veteran pair of Phil Ogier and Jez Powell 4-0.
Women’s Doubles
Charlotte Casey and Paula Le Ber came through a gruelling encounter against Becks O’Keefe and Juliette Yeaman, surviving a potential comeback having been 3-0 up, but being pegged back to 3-2. The Division 1 pair were victorious in four games, despite being pushed the distance unseeded. On the next table, the top seeds were in no mood to take time, as they beat junior players
Mixed Doubles
The Mixed Doubles produced some of the most entertaining matches of the weekend and top seeds Garry Dodd and Marli Barker sealed their place in the final after a hard battle against 3rd seeded siblings Vicki and Josh Stacey. After falling 2-1 behind in games, Dodd and Barker upped the tempo and won 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3.
In another contender for match of the weekend, siblings Matt and Charlotte Casey fought through against Andy Gill and Paula Le Ber. It was a topsy-turvy encounter with Casey and Casey going 2-0 up, then found themselves 3-2 down as Gill and Le Ber found their rhythm. A close 6th game proved vital, however as Casey and Casey came through 14-12 then sealed the win 11-8.
Under 11 Open Singles
Debutant Morgan Finn played a superb match to beat top seed Keil Butt in the semi-final. In a match full of fearless attacking shots from both players, he came through 11-8 in the decider to set up a final against second seed Perran Lomax, who beat Wayne Zhang 4-0.
Under 13 Open Singles
The Under-13 final will see top seed Luke Evans play Isla Bretel. Bretel overcame Sam Cox, who had early picked up a marvellous win against second seed Thea Cummins.
Under 15 Boys Singles
The Under-15 Boys saw a few upsets as unseeded Albie Lihou showed great patience to get past defender Micah Cohen 4-2 in the quarter final. Number 3 seeded Cameron Powell was also on form, and he got the better of top seed Barnaby Groves in first semi-final, going the full seven game distance. Luke Evans defeated Lihou on the next table to reach his fourth final of the day.
Under 15 Girls Singles
Number 1 seed Keira Eldridge came through a titanic match against Olivia Gilbert, who had played well all weekend, eventually coming through 12-10 in a nail-biting decider. Thea Cummins will meet Eldridge in the final after beating Ella Le Ber 4-1.
Under 18 Boys Singles
Top seed Oskar Cleal will play 12-year-old Luke Evans, as both were on hot form to beat Cameron Powell and Barnaby Groves respectively 4-0 in the semi-final stage. Earlier in the event, Powell had had to dig deep to defeat Micah Cohen, while Evans was equally pushed by Xavier Ingrouille.
Under 18 Girls Singles
In a remarkable similar match to the Under-15 semi-final, Eldridge again got past unseeded Gilbert in a seven game epic. This time she fought back from 2-0 to win 11-7 in the decider to her spirited opponent. In this event, she will play Isla Bretel who got past Thea Cummins 4-1.
Under 18 Open Doubles
The same players were involved in the Under-18 Doubles event, which proved one of the highlights of the weekend. Both seeded pairs will meet each other in the final but were pushed the distance to get there. Cleal and Powell found themselves 3-2 down against Xavier Ingrouille and Ollie Sparks but rallied well to overcome the deficit and won the final two ends 11-5, 11-6. On the adjacent table, Evans and Groves dug deep and were tactically astute to beat Albie Lihou and Micah Cohen in six tight games.
Under 21 Open Singles
The Under-21 Singles also sprang some surprises as unseeded Micah Cohen played excellently to knock out fourth seed Connor Powell in the quarter final 4-1. He then followed this up with an equally impressive win over second seed Barnaby Groves, also 4-1 to make his first Championship final. Top seed Oskar Cleal showed excellent resilience when 3-0 down against Caden Brouard, producing the comeback of the tournament, winning 10-12, 4-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8.
Restricted Open Singles
Top seed Paul Hainsworth battled through illness against Mark Fenwick to seal another final in the 21-39 age group, aiming for his tenth island title in this category. His opponent will be Matt Casey, who had a difficult match against Whistlers A team-mate Joe Bourgaize, eventually winning 4-2.
Veterans Open Singles
Regular finalists Phil Ogier and Jez Powell will again face off in the Veterans Singles final, with Ogier aiming for an impressive 12 titles in a row. He breezed past Nye Matthew in the first semi-final, while Powell played a strong game to overcome the challenge of Jamie Ferbrache 4-1.
Veteran Ladies Singles
The final of the Ladies Veterans will be between 12-time winner Kay Chivers and Becks O’Keefe, who played a strong attacking game to beat second seed Juliette Yeaman.
Veterans Open Doubles
Having been defeated last year for the first time since 2014, serial winners Phil Ogier and Jez Powell will be looking to regain their title against last year’s surprise champions Andy Gill and Jamie Ferbrache. Ogier and Powell got past Mark Pipet and Craig Dunning 4-1, while Ferbrache and doubles-specialist Gill had a tight match against Nye Matthew and Steve Ozanne, eventually winning 4-2.
Over 50 Open Singles
There was another surprise in the Over-50 singles as Nye Matthew ensured that the final will not mirror that of the Over-40 event. He earned a superb 4-0 win over second seed Jez Powell in the semi-final to set up a final against Phil Ogier, who beat Mark Pipet, also 4-0.
Over 60 Open Singles
The top seeded players will compete in the final, as Mark Pipet and Craig Dunning successfully came through some tricky matches. Seven-time winner Pipet got past thurd seed Kay Chivers 4-1 to seal his place, while Dunning got the better of fourth seed Trevor Bourgaize in four straight games.
Over 70 Open Singles
The first year in this category brings a first final for Brian Ferbrache as he defeated Frank Coppolo and Maurice James to set up a final against second seed Keith Opie, who overcame GTTA President Derek Webb 4-0.