On the 12th & 13th May the rescheduled National Championships head away from the Capital down the M4 to Swansea for the first time. The snow disruptions back in early March cancelled our first attempt to stage the biggest internal competition of the season.
Callum Evans & Charlotte Carey will be trying to protect their names on the trophies as they fend off all comers on the second day of the weekend. Callum will not face Commonwealth Bronze medallist Josh Stacey due to his commitment to play the Slovenian and Slovakian Para Opens that same weekend. Dean Cundy Ryan Owen and Ryan Oyler offer the Tonyrefail player his toughest game one would suggest.
The women’s singles may be closer as all Commonwealth athletes are present after their work on the Gold Coast which brought so much praise and attention. Anna Hursey and Chloe Thomas will be seeded for the latter stages with Beth Roberts who herself heads to the World Championships in Sweden next week seeded at 4.
The U11 U13 Cadet and Junior events are all set for Day 1 action with players such as Ruby Elliott Elis O’Connor Oscar Marriott Lili-Mai Maitland Morgan Day-Davies Lara Whitton Louie Evans Joseph Roberts Benedict Watson Yameen Al-Dahiri and of course media sensation Anna Hursey all involved for the top spots. In the Vets categories Lee Thomas and Regina Grech will be hard to beat in their respective ages as they were 14 months ago in Cardiff.
The competition holds a greater importance than ever with the University of Swansea hosting the venue due to a new 3 year agreement starting from September 2018. It’s the only one of its kind in Wales where Elite athletes can study and practice everyday under the expertise of a full-time member of staff.
Matches will be screened live on our FaceBook page throughout the weekend – www.facebook.com/tabletenniswales and all results can be seen updated live on Twitter www.twitter.com/walesTT
Finally there will be interviews on Instagram from our stars pre and post matches www.instagram.com/ttwales
