In region A women in Europe Trophy Fusion TTC reached the number one spot. They completed the Group stage of the event with four wins and one defeat. Fusion beat Joola Plymouth TTC Draycott & Long Eaton TTC St. Neots Table Tennis Club Murrayfield TTC and lost to Ormesby Table Tennis Club. For the winners were playing: Danielle Kelly Elena Todirca Sanna De Hoop and Tiana Dennison. The path was very narrow at the start of the day having to win both matches against very tough opponents but they overcame the challenge and came out as triumphant victors. “The team spirit this weekend gave them the extra push to reach for the number 1 spot” said Jamal DENNISON who coached the team to success over the weekend.
Grantham Academy Became Region A Europe Trophy Champions
After second weekend of action in Europe Trophy men and women there are still two more regions yet to play – Region G men and Region BDGH women. Both regions will be played May 28th/29th. This weekend in England Grantham Academy Became Region A Europe Trophy Champions. They beat Draycott & Long Eaton in play off. Draycott & Long Eaton were the winners of Group b whilst Grantham Academy won Group A. In region B TalTech Sports Club the hosts clinched the top position above Pöytätennis 75 PT Espoo and TTC Hercogs. Region A Group A/Group B men GROUP A 1 2 3 4 Score Points Ranking Fusion TTC (ENG) x 1-3 0-3 3-1 1:2 4 3. Batts (ENG) 3-1 x 2-3 3-2 2:1 5 2. Grantham Academy (ENG) 3-0 3-2 x 3-2 3:0 6 1. Murrayfield TTC (SCO) 1-3 2-3 2-3 x 0:3 3 4. GROUP B 1 2 3 4 Score Points Ranking Ormesby Table Tennis Club (ENG) x 3-2 0-3 3-2 2-1 5 2. Joola Plymouth (ENG) 2-3 x 2-3 1-3 0-3 3 4. Draycott & Long Eaton TTC (ENG) 3-0 3-2 x 3-0 3-0 6 1. Somerset Sabres (ENG) 2-3 3-1 0-3 x 1-2 4 3. Winner A WINNER B Score Grantham Academy (ENG) vs Draycott & Long Eaton TTC (ENG) 3-1 Region B men Region B 1 2 3 4 Score Points Ranking Pöytätennis 75 (FIN) x 2-3 3-0 3-1 2-1 (5-4) 5 2. PT Espoo (FIN) 3-2 x 3-0 0-3 2-1 ( 3-5) 5 3. TTC Hercogs (LAT) 0-3 0-3 x 0-3 0-3 3 4. TalTech Sports Club (EST) (host) 1-3 3-0 3-0 x 2-1 ( 4-3) 5 1. Region C Group men 1 2 3 Score Points Ranking Arteal Tenis De Mesa (ESP) x 3-0 3-0 2-0 4 1. Clube Desportivo 1º de Maio (POR) 0-3 x 3-0 1-1 3 2. Club Tennis Taula Valls Del Nord (AND) (host) 0-3 0-3 x 0-2 2 3. Region D Group men 1 2 3 Score Points Ranking Metz TT (FRA) x 3-2 3-0 2-0 4 1. TT Vedrinamur (BEL) (host) 2-3 x 3-0 1-1 3 2. TTV Red Stars Venray (NED) 0-3 0-3 x 0-2 2 3. Region E F Group men 1 2 3 4 5 Score Points Ranking SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov (CZE) (host) x 3 – 2 3 – 0 3 – 0 3-0 (WO) 4-0 8 1. TJ Geolog Roznava (SVK) 2 – 3 x 3 – 0 3 – 1 3 – 0 3-1 7 2. SK Přerov 1908 (CZE) 0 – 3 0 – 3 x 0 – 3 3 – 2 1-3 5 4. UTTC Raiffeisen Kennelbach (AUT) 0 – 3 1 – 3 3 – 0 x 3 – 0 2-2 6 3. STK Aladza (BIH) 0-3 (WO) 0 – 3 2 – 3 0 – 3 x 0-4 4 5. Region A women 1 2 3 4 5 6 Score Points Ranking Joola Plymouth TTC (ENG) x 0-3 0-3 3-0 3-2 3-2 3-2 (3-2) 8 3. Fusion TTC (ENG) 3-0 x 3-2 3-1 1-3 3-1 4-1 ( 3-2) 9 1. Draycott & Long Eaton TTC (ENG) 3-0 2-3 x 3-0 3-1 3-1 4-1 (2-3) 9 2. St. Neots Table Tennis Club (ENG) 0-3 1-3 0-3 x 1-3 1-3 0-4 4 6. Ormesby Table Tennis Club (ENG) 2-3 3-1 1-3 3-1 x 3-1 3-2 (2-3) 8 4. Murrayfield TTC (SCO) 2-3 1-3 1-3 3-1 1-3 x 1-4 6 5. Region EF Group A women 1 2 3 4 Score Points Ranking TT Moravský Krumlov (CZE) (host) x 3-1 3-0 3-0 3-1 7 1. SCO Ossiachersee Bodensdorf (AUT) 1-3 x 3-0 3-0 2-1 5 2. SG Motor Wilsdruff (GER) 0-3 0-3 x 3-1 1-2 4 3. A.S.D. Tennistavolo Norbello “Guilcer” (ITA) 0-3 0-3 1-3 x 0-3 3 4. Region EF Group B women 1 2 3 4 5 Score Points Ranking Stolnotenisove Centrum SKST Bratislava (SVK) (host) x 3-0 3-1 3-1 2-3 3-1 (5-3) 7 1. SU Sparkasse Kufstein (AUT) 0-3 x 3-1 3-0 3-0 3-1 (3-3) 7 2. ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari “B” (ITA) 1-3 1-3 x 3-1 2-3 1-3 5 4. AD Muravera TT “A” (ITA) 1-3 0-3 1-3 x 0-3 0-4 4 5. AD Muravera TT “B” (ITA) 3-2 0-3 3-2 3-0 x 3-1 (3-5) 7 3.
ETTU Executive Board meeting 20th and 21st April
On Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st April a meeting of the ETTU Executive Board was held at Malmö SWE under the leadership of Acting President Pedro Moura. The Acting President welcomed the ITTF President Petra Sörling and Swedish Table Tennis Association President Dennis Lindahl to the meeting and looked forward to the 2023 European Team Championships final stage at the Malmö Arena. On Wednesday 20th morning the Acting President and ETTU staff had toured and inspected the Malmö Arena in Malmö Hyllie the connected Malmö Arena hotel and adjacent training venue. Hyllie is an expanding district and just 12 minutes by train from Copenhagen Kastrup airport. Completed in 2008 the Arena will also host next year’s men’s World Handball Championships and provides all required facilities to an exceptional standard. Mr Moura announced the appointment of Heike Ahlert GER as the Acting Deputy President. The Acting President and the Vice President for Finances Sandra Deaton reported on the positive progress towards the signing of the ITTF ETTU Master Continental Agreement addendum for 2022 detailing the governance and development objectives.The Executive Board received updates on the balanced budget for this year and the projected 2022 financial result. The Executive Board accepted reports from the Competitions Development and Marketing Managers on the January to March 2022 activities together with their plans for the remainder of 2022. The Board received a verbal report from the Special Projects Operations Manager Galia Dvorak. The Executive Board agreed the appointment of Richard Scruton as Technical Delegate for the 2023 European Games in Kraków Małopolska POL. It was confirmed that the Table Tennis competition will consist of 3 events men’s singles women’s singles and mixed doubles. It was agreed that existing ETTU committees shall remain in office until 2024. The Executive Board considered and agreed a number of amendments to the constitution and regulations to be added to the agenda of the August 2022 Congress meeting.It was agreed to publish an ETTU European Ranking and to implement for the invitations to the 2022 European Under 21 Championships. The Executive Board agreed to the inauguration of an ETTU Parkinson’s European Championships and accepted a proposal from the Swedish Association to host the event during the 2023 European Team Championships final stage at Malmö. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks. Finally the Executive Board also agreed to increase to five the maximum number of teams per National Association allowed to play in Table Tennis Champions League Men and European Champions League Woman. The Acting President thanked the ITTF President for her attendance at the meeting and for her contributions and advices during all discussions. He looked forward to welcoming Mrs Sörling to future meetings. Mr Moura thanked the Swedish Association for their kind help and assistance with arrangements for the Executive Board meeting at Malmö and closed the meeting.
Hennebont Ping Center opens its door in September
In September French club Hennebont will open the “Hennebont Ping Center” a multifunctional complex of 3 500 m2 fully dedicated to table tennis. Rich on 20 years of experience the 4-time French and 2019 European Champion will benefit from an unique infrastructure in Europe to host an Academy training camps and international events. Beside the sport complex an accommodation center with 32 multiple rooms will be delivered in April 2023 offering to “GVHTT” the full mastering of the hosting process. The 5-time Olympian Adi CRISAN has been recruited as Head of Performance to design the pathway from the Academy to the professional team who will be based onsite next year. ETTU development Manager Neven CEGNAR visited last week the venue and was impressed by the professionalism of the club and the commitment of the team managing it composed by Bruno ABRAHAM (President) Boris ABRAHAM (Manager) and Nicolas PETIT (International Development). They discussed all together the opportunity starting from next season to host ETTU development activities and have young athletes from the Eurotalents Program joining the Academy. “I’m really impressed with everything I’ve seen here in Hennebont. The whole project is the result of almost 20 years of vision and hard work of Bruno and Boris ABRAHAM and their entire team. I would like to emphasize the valuable work of my colleague Nicolas PETIT who is giving this project a special international promotion. I sincerely hope that many of our young players from the Eurotalents project in this center will get a new opportunity for their table tennis upgrade ” said Neven CEGNAR. Two webinars will be organized on this last subject to present to the athletes/families on Thursday 12th May at 6.30 pm and Saturday 14th May at 4 pm both at CET time.
Winners of European Club Cup of Champions 1972 Ormesby hosts Europe Trophy groups
Half a century ago in 1972 the Ormesby Club founded by Alan RANSOME won the trophy in European Club Cup of Champions (which is now the Champions League). This weekend the club is the host of the Region A Group B of the Europe Trophy. In the same Group are: Somerset Sabres Draycott & Long Eaton and Joola Plymouth. Fifty years ago Playing FALKENBERG (Sweden) Ormesby had won the away leg 6-3; in the second leg at home they went ahead 4-0. Trevor TAYLOR beat Stellan BENGTSSON at the time the World and European champion (21-14 21-19) in the first match of the fixture. It was the crucial blow. Ormesby won the second leg 5-1 and thus won 11-4 overall. Nicky Jarvis beat Tommy ANDERSSON 21-16 21-9; lost to Stellan BENGTSSON 9-21 11-21 Denis Neale beat Lars NILSSON 21-17 21-9; beat Tommy ANDERSSON 21-12 21-15 Trevor Taylor beat BENGTSSON 21-14 21-19; beat Lars NILSSON 21-16 21-17 At the photo are : (left to right): Nicky JARVIS Trevor TAYLOR Nancy EVANS Alan RANSOME Denis NEALE and the date was Thursday 11th May 1972. This weekend will also play Group A in same Region A. Fusion TTC is the host for Murrayfield TTC Batts and Grantham Academy. In Region B the action will be in Estonia. TalTech Sports Club is the host for PT Espoo Pöytätennis 75 and TTC Hercogs. In Women’s Trophy in Region A also hosted by Ormesby Table Tennis Club will play Joola Plymouth TTC Fusion TTC St. Neots Table Tennis Club Draycott & Long Eaton TTC and Murrayfield TTC.
First winners in Europe Trophy Regions crowned last weekend
Last weekend the first matches in Europe Trophy were played. Both men and women were on duty. In Men’s Europe Trophy in Region D in Belgium Metz secured both wins against TT Vedrinamur 3:2 and Netherlands’ TTV Red Stars Venray 3:0 to secure the wining position. Hosts are second after victory over TTV Red Stars Venray 3:0. In Region C played in Andora Arteal Tenis De Mesa finished on top position in front of Portugal’s Clube Desportivo 1º de Maio and hosts Club Tennis Taula Valls Del Nord. In Group E and F in Czech Republic hosts SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov recorded all wins. They are above Slovakia’s TJ Geolog Roznava SK Přerov 1908 from Czech Republic Austria’s UTTC Raiffeisen Kennelbach and STK Aladza. In Women’s Region E-F Group A in Czech Republic TT Moravský Krumlov clinched top position. They overcame all three clubs: Austria’s SCO Ossiachersee Bodensdorf Germany’s SG Motor Wilsdruff and Italy’s A.S.D. Tennistavolo Norbello “Guilcer”. Austria’s SCO Ossiachersee Bodensdorf is second with one defeat followed by Germany’s SG Motor Wilsdruff with one victory and Italy’s A.S.D. Tennistavolo Norbello “Guilcer” without wins. In Women’s Region E-F Group B in Slovakia the hosts are the winners again. Stolnotenisove Centrum SKST Bratislava beat Austria’s SU Sparkasse Kufstein. Austria’s club finished second. Bratislava’s club suffered only one defeat against Italy’s AD Muravera TT “B”. Italian finished third with another win over ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari “B”. Fourth is ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari “B” and AD Muravera TT “A” is fifth.
Bernadette SZOCS and Rares SIPOS crowned champions in Romania
Romania’s capitol Bucharest was the host of the Romstal National Championships. Newly crowned champions are Bernadette SZOCS and Rares SIPOS. Women’s Singles Bernadette Szocs (CSA Steaua București) Adina Diaconu (CSM Slatina) Elizabeta Samara (CSA Steaua București) Andreea Dragoman (CSA Steaua București) Men’s Singles Rareș Șipoș (SCM Gloria Buzău) Hunor Szocs (CSA Steaua București) Ovidiu Ionescu (SCM Gloria Buzău) Cristian Pletea (CS TT Top Star Constanța) Women’s Doubles 1. Elizabeta Samara/Bernadette Szocs (CSA Steaua București) 2. Irina Ciobanu/Adina Diaconu (CSM Slatina) 3. Daniela Dodean Monteiro (CSM Arad)/Tania Plăian (CSM Bistrița) 3. Andreea Dragoman/Roxana Istrate (CSA Steaua București) Men’s Doubles 1. Ovidiu Ionescu (SCM Gloria Buzău/Alin Spelbuș (CS Victoria Câmpulung) 2. Alexandru Cazacu (CS Mioveni)/Paul Mladin (CS TT Top Star Constanța) 3. Cristian Grigore (CS TT Top Star Constanța)/Andrei Tomică (CSA Steaua București) 3. Hunor Szocs/Cristian Chirița (CSA Steaua București) Mixed Doubles 1. Darius Movileanu/Bernadette Szocs (CSA Steaua București) 2. Andrei Istrate/Elizabeta Samara (CSA Steaua București) 3. Iulian Chirița (CS Voința Câmpulung)/Bianca Mei-Roșu (LPS NR Constanța) 3. Hunor Szocs/Andreea Dragoman (CSA Steaua București)
Dimitrij OVTCHAROV joined Neu-Ulm for the Champions League
The TTC Neu-Ulm e.V. reacted quickly to the current sports-political situation caused by the war in Ukraine and the changes caused by the professionalization of the TT tournament scene and offered a whole range of world-class players a place in its Champions League team for the 22/23 season. In addition to the Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV a native of Ukraine winner of the bronze medal in the singles and the silver medal with the team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Truls MOREGARD of Sweden reigning vice World champion the Japanese Tomokazu HARIMOTO No. 5 in the World rankings and Taiwan’s LIN Yun-Ju ranked No. 6 in the World joins the team. Club manager Florian EBNER is happy: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we didn’t want to miss. To get such talents to Neu-Ulm thanks to Dima OVTCHAROV’S charisma -who could have imagined that 3 years ago when our club was founded?” Dimitrij OVTCHAROV talked of his move and the new perspective: “I felt very comfortable in Orenburg but the situation left me no choice. Thanks to Florian EBNER’S enthusiasm for sports and his understanding of my desire to continue playing up front in the Champions League we have now started an exciting and inspiring project with HARIMOTO LIN and MOREGARD which fascinates me and totally motivates me. I am very happy to be coming back to Germany.” The TTC Neu-Ulm was only founded in 2019 and was accepted into the table tennis Bundesliga by wildcard in the same year. The first participation in the European Champions League also took place via wildcard in the 21/22 season. The Ebner Media Group from Ulm is behind the TTC Neu-Ulm.
Europe Trophy kicks start this Friday
Premiere edition of the Europe Trophy kicks start tomorrow Friday April 15th. Regions E and F are first on the program in Czech Republic. The hosts SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov will face Slovakia’s TJ Geolog Roznava Bosnia and Herzegovina’s STK Aladza another Czech team SK Přerov 1908 and Austria’s UTTC Raiffeisen Kennelbach. The tournament will last two days. In Andorra Club Tennis Taula Valls Del Nord on Saturday will host Spain’s Arteal Tenis De Mesa and Portugal’s Clube Desportivo 1º de Maio in Region C. Region D will be played in Belgium. In the group are TT Vedrinamur French Metz TT Netherlands TTV Red Stars Venray. In Women’s Europe Trophy on Friday starts region E and F Groups A and B in Czech Republic and Slovakia. The host in Group A is TT Moravský Krumlov and they will play against Austria’s Ossiachersee Bodensdorf Germany’s SG Motor Wilsdruff and Italy’s A.S.D. Tennistavolo Norbello “Guilcer”. In Group B in Slovakia Stolnotenisove Centrum SKST Bratislava will meet Austria’s SU Sparkasse Kufstein Italy’s ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari “B” and AD Muravera TT “A” and “B” team. In Slovakia you can follow live stream here .
Table tennis brought imam and priest together
World Table Tennis Day 6 April has been really a special one in Turkey. There has been many interesting ways to celebrate it in Turkey but one particularly caught the attention. There’s a famous city called “Mardin” in the southeast region of Turkey. The city is also the hometown of Aziz SANCAR scientist 2015 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. This city has welcomed a special game this year; an imam (the religious officer of muslims) and a priest (clergy of christians) played table tennis with their religious clothes on World Table Tennis Day. The city has an important harmony of different cultures and religions.
