Here are some photos from last weekend when Barrow TTC were crowned champions of the British League. A full report is to follow.

Barrow TTC is heading into the biggest weekend of the Clubs history.

It is hard to believe, but just a year ago Barrow’s first team spectacularly won promotion to the British League Premier Division. Now, just one year on, the team is on the verge of winning the premier British table tennis team title at the first attempt.

Barrow, determined not to fall at the final hurdle, will have a full team present including Paul Drinkhall, the newly crowned English National Champion. Darius Knight will also be making the long journey from the Polish Open to play for Barrow. As impressive as Knight’s journey is, it will be eclipsed by that of team manager Tristran Swan who is travelling a whopping 6400 miles from China to be at the potentially historic weekend.

Over the weekend, Barrow will be looking to hold on to their slender two point lead as they face fifth placed Westfield I, sixth placed Ormesby I, fourth placed DHS Greenhouse Progress I and third placed Fusion I.

Barrow I from: Paul Drinkhall, Gavin Rumgay, Darius Knight, Sebastian Laux, Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford, Scott Crawford

I’m still in China and things are pretty hectic at the moment. I just want to congratulate Paul Drinkhall on behalf of Barrow Table Tennis Club on regaining the English Men’s National Title, which he last won in 2009. Below, you can see a write-up by Steven Bailey taken from Paul’s website.

Paul justified his top billing at the English National Championships over the weekend of the 5th, 6th and 7th of March 2011.

Seeded No.1 for every event he played in, Paul – despite not finding his best form – had enough gas in the tank to take two gold medals and two silver medals in the event held in its usual location at the Ponds Forge leisure centre in Sheffield.

The Friday started with Paul reaching the final of the Under 21 event against Liam Pitchford of Derbyshire, who had just beaten Paul’s England team mate Darius Knight in his Semi Final. In doing so Paul had to take care of business against the much improved David McBeath in the Quarter Finals and then Chris Doran in the Semi Finals, which he did without too many problem.

The final against Liam was a great match for the spectators and showcased an in form Pitchford fighting for his first taste of an Under 21 Gold. Paul – gunning for his third Gold In three consecutive years in this event, and perhaps with half an eye on his campaign for the Men’s Singles – struggled to really get going and lost the first game at deuce, hitting back to win the second 11 – 7. From there on Pitchford, playing with a real sense of conviction and showcasing some great stroke making played like a man with nothing to lose and took the next two games to take his first Under 21 National title. A disappointing result, but Silver medal number 1 in the bag.

Saturday’s play began with Paul teaming up with his partner and English No.2 Joanna Parker to defend the Mixed Doubles title currently held by the pairing. After disposing of David Meads and Jess Dawson then Sam Walker and Tressa Armitage in the Quarter Finals and Semi Finals respectively, it was down to business with a match against a familiar duo – Darius Knight (England No.4) and Kelly Sibley (England No.1), last year’s losing finalists. After going two games and 9 – 2 down it looked like the show was over for Paul and Joanna, but in the comeback of the competition the pair fought to win the third game 11 – 9 then the next two games relatively comfortably to successfully defend the title. Gold medal number 1 in the bag!

The Men’s doubles very nearly went the same way – Paul and new partner Liam Pitchford ( Looking like a great combo for the future) were untroubled in their Quarter Final match up against Richard Andrews and Justin Ma and then again in the penultimate match against Lorestas Trumpauskas and Craig Bryant, not dropping a single end en route to the Final.

The Final proved to be an incredible match up against the pairing of Danny Reed and Chris Doran. Reed and Doran were hot out of the blocks and raced into a surprising two game lead over Paul and Liam, who regrouped and countered too show there class levelling matters at 2 – 2. In the final set, Reed and Doran – playing with total freedom and nothing to lose – held on to tie the scores at 7-7, winning in many peoples opinion the rally of the tournament after all four players produced some terrific strokes in a loop to loop exchange that saw the pairing’s using every inch of the show court. The No.2 seeds eventually clinched the title 11 – 9 in the fifth game that was an absolute credit to all four players. Silver medal number in the bag.

Saturday also saw the start of the ‘biggie’ – the Men’s Senior event. Seeded number 1, a focused and determined Paul was out for his hat trick in this event after previously winning in 2007 and 2009. Being the hot favourite brings its own kind of pressure, and Paul proved this weekend as he has done on so many other occasions exactly why he has maintained the English No.1 senior ranking position for so long with some incredible attacking play and exactly the right type of attitude.

After disposing of Alim Hirji in the last 32, Paul’s last 16 encounter was with Will Maybanks – both of these players came from respected coach Gergerly Urban’s stable and Will who is training in Hungary full time and competing in Austria showed his vast improvement by taking the first game of the match before Paul found a higher gear to run out a 4 games to 1 winner and book his place in the Quarter Finals.

The last match of the evening, and moved from the usual Sunday morning spot to accommodate Sky TV coverage, matched Paul against the hard hitting and explosive Matt Ware, the England ranked No.7 from Hampshire. Ware used his powerful two wing attacking game to take the first set against Paul, who returned to the table re focused and looking to use his powerful forehand at every opportunity. Displaying absolute concentration, Paul won the next three games comfortably, and despite Ware stealing the 5th game Paul took control of the match and ran out a 4 – 2 winner.

Onto Sundays matches, and the first matchup of the day – Paul’s Semi Final encounter against England No.5 Andrew Baggaley. Paul – despite competing and enjoying success In four events compared to Baggaley’s one – looked sharp as a knife in this match and he absolutely stamped his authority on proceedings from the word go.

The experienced Baggaley – who had survived a real scare in the previous evenings tumultuous match with Darius Knight (4 – 2 in favour of Andrew, a match much closer than the score line suggests) showed his metal to win the first and fifth games at deuce but after that was rarely in with a chance as the Loftus man romped home to a famous victory. The score line tells its own story – the four games Paul won were by comfortable margins, 11 – 6, 11 – 8, 11 – 1 and 11 – 4 with some top class attacking play from both wings. The additional power Paul is able to generate into his strokes was evident in this game and his total professionalism shone through in what was a true display of great table tennis.

In the other half of the draw, England No.3 Danny Reed enjoyed a surprising victory over England No.2 Liam Pitchford, coming back from 3 games to 1 down to take the match 4 – 3 with a good display of two wing attacking play to set up the final match of the day.

The Final started with Paul taking the first game 11 – 7 with a display of awesome attacking strokes from all over the court. Time and time again his service and superior touch play around the net allowed him to make the first strong attacking stroke and Reed was unable to cope with the additional power from his opponent.

To his credit, Reed was able to win the second game with a series of backhand counter loop strokes which he used to good effect rather than his favoured forehand stroke from the backhand court. This lost game seemed to spur Paul on and he was absolutely dominant in taking the next three games and the match 4 – 1 to clinch his third English National Senior Men’s title. Time and time again Paul was able to dominate Reed with his strength and extra time on the ball and even when Reed managed to make the first attack Paul’s holding game meant he could absorb the first attack then counter with devastating precision and power.

A fantastic achievement for Paul, his third National Senior title aged just 21 – Paul is ready to work to improve his game even further, so let’s hope it is the third of many more to come… there is every chance it will be. Watch this space!

Tomorrow (26th January 2011) sees the start of the 66th English Open at Sheffield. With Wang Hao, Zhang Jike, Ma Lin, Xu Xin, Wang Liqin and Chen Qi all present, for the worldwide audience it will be all about the Chinese.

I was unfortunate enough to be there for last years Ma Long/Ma Lin final. To be honest, it was as boring as some local league matches that I have to endure. For me this year, with the rise of the Barrow team, it will be all about our players as well as the rest of sizeable British contingent.

English Open Draw: Men’s U21s

Paul Drinkhall, Darius Knight and Liam Pitchford are seeded.

English Open Draw: Men’s Singles

Paul Drinkhall and Andrew Baggaley are seeded.

Last Sunday (23rd January, 2011), whilst Widnes Vikings were entertaining St. Helens on the field, inside the Halton Stadium, Barrow were completing rounds 9 and 10 of their British League Premier Division campaign.

Despite best efforts, for the first time this season, a complete Barrow squad didn’t travel to a fixture. Gavin Rumgay had returned from the Slovenian Open the day before and needed to be in Sweden that evening to play for his Swedish club BTK Rekord. His presence was missed by the Barrow team as well as the spectators who commented the venue lacked atmosphere without his cries of “cho”.

Barrow I vs. BATTS I

Going into the fixture, BATTS could feel the weight of the whole division upon them as they sat bottom of the table. With this in mind, Barrow were expecting a fight from a team with strength and depth (Wang Zheng, Craig Bryant, Thomas Bennborn, John Nilsson, etc.). However, BATTS’ star players didn’t travel despite an afternoon match against fellow strugglers Westfield. Maybe BATTS have accepted their fate?

Playing for Barrow I: Paul Drinkhall, Darius Knight, Sebastian Laux, Jonathan Crawford.

Playing for BATTS I: John Nilsson (Sweden), Tom Maynard (England Number 17), Martin Kubrt (England Number 53), Jimmy Walsh (England Number 63).

With the English Open Pro-Tour starting on Wednesday, both Darius Knight and Paul Drinkhall looked particularly sharp. Indeed, Drinkhall had just returned from a rare and unique trip to China where he had trained with the Chinese U21′s for a week and the Senior National Squad for a further week. It was Knight and Drinkhall that got Barrow off to a winning start with Knight beating John Nilsson (11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3) and Drinkhall beating Tom Maynard (12-10, 11-4, 11-5).

After a 5 match absence, Barrow born Jonathan Crawford returned to action and winning ways disposing of Martin Kubrt (12-10, 11-9, 13-11). Barrow’s German signing Sebastian Laux followed and made easy work of Jimmy Walsh (11-6, 11-6, 11-5) to earn Barrow a 4-0 lead at the half-way mark.

The second half went the same way as the first as Barrow raced to an 8-0 victory. Drinkhall won an exhibition match against Nilsson (11-8, 11-5, 11-8), Knight beat Kubrt (6-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4), Laux beat Maynard (11-7, 11-5, 11-8) and Crawford beat Walsh (11-9, 7-11, 11-1, 11-7).

Final Score: Barrow I 8 – 0 BATTS I
Barrow I: Paul Drinkhall (2), Darius Knight (2), Sebastian Laux (2), Jonathan Crawford (2)
BATTS I: John Nilsson (0), Tom Maynard (0), Martin Kubrt (0), Jimmy Walsh (0)

Barrow I vs. Sycamore

After a 7-1 thumping at the hands of Drumchapel Glasgow in the morning, Barrow’s next opponents had dropped to the second relegation spot.

For only the second time this season, Barrow fielded an unchanged winning team.

Playing for Barrow I: Paul Drinkhall, Darius Knight, Sebastian Laux, Jonathan Crawford.

Playing for Sycamore: Kevin Dolder (England Number 19), Sean Cullen, Danny Lowe (England Number 34), Sam Perry (England Number 29)

Once again Darius Knight and Paul Drinkhall got Barrow off to a convincing winning start. Knight beat Kevin Dolder (11-8, 12-10, 11-6) and Drinkhall breezed passed Sean Cullen (11-4, 11-7, 11-6).

Despite looking the better player and leading throughout, Jonathan Crawford just couldn’t close out Danny Lowe (8-11, 12-10, 12-10). Sebastian Laux followed and proceeded to make Sam Perry look ordinary (11-5, 6-11, 11-4, 11-6). This gave Barrow a 3-1 lead at the halfway point.

Kevin Dolder embodies the fight and drive teams like to see in their players and he threw everything he had at Barrow’s Paul Drinkhall. However, despite everything Dolder hurled at Drinkhall it all came back with painful ease as Drinkhall entertained and won (11-5, 11-6, 11-2).

Knight had a fright after been 10-8 down to the ever-consistent and deceptive Danny Lowe at one set apiece, but came away with his 100% record intact. Sebastian Laux completed a good day at the table with a comfortable win over Sean Cullen (11-5, 11-7, 12-10).

In the final match, Crawford once again looked the better player and led throughout against Perry. Perry mustn’t have believed his luck and for Crawford it must have felt like Groundhog Day as he let Perry steal the game (11-9, 14-12, 12-10, 14-12).

Final Score: Barrow I 6 – 2 Sycamore
Barrow I: Paul Drinkhall (2), Darius Knight (2), Sebastian Laux (2), Jonathan Crawford (0)
Sycamore: Kevin Dolder (0), Sean Cullen (0), Danny Lowe (1), Sam Perry (1)

On Sunday, at the Halton Regional Table Tennis Centre, Barrow I will be going on an adventure to the quicksand mired world of the ‘Relegation Zone’. The ‘Relegation Zone’ is a place big enough for two, but currently occupied by three tribes; Sycamore, Westfield and BATTS. However, on this journey, there will only be enough time for Barrow to go to battle with two of the inhabitants, Sycamore and BATTS.

Barrow will be looking to make the visit to this hostile world brief and swift. But before calling to Denis Neale, “Beam us up Denis”, there is a couple of side missions Barrow will be wanting to complete. Barrow’s Paul Drinkhall will be relishing the opportunity to make a point against Sycamore’s Sam Perry and the team as a whole will be looking to lay to rest the ghost that haunted them so much last time, BATTS’ Thomas Bennborn.

Barrow I from: Paul Drinkhall, Gavin Rumgay, Darius Knight, Sebastian Laux, Bradley Evans, Jonathan Crawford, Scott Crawford

It is the start of a new year. A time to reflect and a time to look ahead and think about what we want to achieve.

With this in mind, I asked a few Barrow TTC players the following questions (as well as answered them myself). Please leave your answers to the questions in the comments section below.

Questions:

1. What is your table tennis target for 2011?
2. What is your personal goal for 2011?

Tristran Swan

1. To win Division 2 North of the British League with Barrow II and to help Barrow I win the British League Premier Division. Going into the new season, I’d like to take everything I’ve learnt running the Barrow teams this season and make things even better.
2. To adapt to a new life as a father and find the right balance that allows me to do everything I want and keep those important to me happy.

Darius Knight

1. To qualify for the U21 Pro-Tour Finals – it is my last year.
2. To be ranked in the World top 150 ahead of the Olympics next year.

Sebastian Laux

1. To win the British League Premier Division with Barrow and maintain the outstanding team-spirit.
2. To enjoy the last half of my stay in England.

Bradley Evans

1. To practice and compete more and help Barrow win matches in the British League.
2. To successfully complete my degree (BSc. (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science) achieving a 2.1. Also, manage my time effectively so I can still practice and compete in table tennis.

Scott Crawford

1. To reach the top 40 men in England.
2. To get into University and achieve an A in Business Studies (A-Level).

Graham Coupe

1. To reach 2000 ranking points by mid-year to get me up into Band 3 for the Grand Prix events the following season. Then hopefully build on this total during the 2011/2012 season.
2. Try and get more organise and a bit more tidy!

Firstly, I hope everyone had a nice illness free Christmas and New Year (for those abroad, there are a lot of nasty flu varieties circulating around these parts). Personally, I had a very enjoyable Christmas with family and spent a ‘chilled’ New Years with some good friends. My spare time was largely spent relaxing with my girlfriend and thinking about our new baby whom is baking away (i.e. lots of pram shopping). So, all in all, a very nice break.

Now the festive holiday is over, it is back to reality and January is shaping up to be a very busy month for Barrow TTC and its players. So far, it is looking something like this:

• Jan 16th – British League Division 2 North (Halton Table Tennis Centre, Widnes, WA8 7DZ)
• Jan 18th to Jan 22nd – Slovenian Open (Gavin Rumgay & Darius Knight playing)
• Jan 22nd – Training Camp for kids (tbc)
• Jan 23rd – British League Premier Division (Halton Table Tennis Centre, Widnes, WA8 7DZ)
• Jan 26th to Jan 30th – English Open (Paul Drinkhall, Gavin Rumgay & Darius Knight playing)

Prior to flying out to the Commonwealth Games a couple of months ago, Paul Drinkhall and Darius Knight had the pleasure of meeting Michael Bublé. Or maybe that should be Michael Bublé had the pleasure of meeting (and playing against) Paul and Darius as Bublé told a spellbound Sheffield audience, “Today I had one of the coolest days of my life”.