Barrow Table Tennis Club British League Players
This weekend, Barrow I will compete against Elgre Nottingham, TTK Greenhouse, OLOP Impact I, Fusion I and Pavilion Brighton in the British League Play-Offs. The round-robin style event is to be played at Cippenham Table Tennis Centre and the award for the top two teams is a place in the British League Premier Division.
Barrow I qualified for last season’s British League Play-Offs and finished in fourth position. The team could have done better had then team number 1 Gavin Rumgay been available to play (Gavin was playing in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships).
This time around, despite the loss of current team number 1 Darius Knight (Spanish League commitments), the team hopes to do better. With the addition of top Croatian Jakov Krivić to the team and Jonathan and Scott Crawford improving vastly over the last year, promotion is a strong possibility.
Over the weekend, the team will be coached by former England team coach Denis Neale.
Team: Jakov Krivić, Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford, Scott Crawford
Scott Crawford
The team – whose home is under threat as Furness Academy looks to expand its South Site – have won back-to-back promotions in the past three seasons, rising from Division Three to Division One in the national standings.
Last season, the club made the Premiership play-offs for the first time in their history, missing out to Sycamore and Derwent.
This season has seen the creation of a second Barrow team in Division Two of the British League, while the first team has been strengthened with the acquisition of England number two and London 2012 Olympics hopeful Darius Knight, as well as Croatian number three Jakov Krivić.
This calibre of player has been brought under the Barrow banner by Scott and Jonathan Crawford, two former Dowdales pupils, who are now part of the national table tennis academy in Bristol.
Their links with some of the best players in the country have allowed the Barrow team to excel, and this weekend will see key fixtures take place.
Both teams go into the final games of their British League campaigns with everything to play for, with four matches taking place over two days, in Draycott and Long Eaton, Derbyshire.
The two sides find themselves in very different positions, with the first team able to relax as, barring mathematical improbabilities, they have all but secured a Premier Division play-off place.
Meanwhile, Barrow TTC II go into the weekend, bottom of Division Two and battling for survival.
The most important and decisive match of the weekend will come when Barrow TTC II face second-from-bottom Nottingham Elgre, who are one point ahead in the standings. It is set to be a nail-biting weekend for Barrow, whose star players have travelled to Furness to coach many of the area’s young rising stars.
The first team will field a squad including both Crawfords and former Parkview pupil Tristran Swan, as well as rising star Bradley Evans and Kendal League player Steve Dixon.
Barrow TTC 1st team (from): Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford, Tristran Swan, Steve Dixon, Scott Crawford
Barrow TTC 2nd team (from): Scott Crawford, Steve Temple, Graham Coupe, Mark Temple, Tom Smith.
If the first team do rise into the Premier Division, then the cost of running the team is set to rise.
While their home is under threat, the teams are also looking for sponsorship to help fund their progress.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the club can email sponsorship@barrowtabletennisclub.co.uk for details regarding packages available for next season.
