England squads announced for Tokyo

March 11, 2014
12:00 am
Other Events

The England squads for the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Tokyo Japan (April 28 – May 5 2014) have been announced following the completion of the Senior National Championships. England’s men and women will once again travel in the

The England squads for the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Tokyo Japan (April 28 – May 5 2014) have been announced following the completion of the Senior National Championships.

England’s men and women will once again travel in the hope of securing a long sought-after promotion to the Championships Division to return to the top tier of world table tennis for the first time this century.

Men’s no. 1 and now two-time English National Champion 20-year-old Liam PITCHFORD will lead the challenge following his successful campaign in Sheffield last weekend. He’ll be supported by 31-year-old Andrew BAGGALEY 24-year-old Paul DRINKHALL and 18-year-old Sam Walker in the four-man squad.

The women’s no. 1 and 2 Kelly Sibley and Joanna DRINKHALL for so long unseperable at international level will once again lead the charge for success in the Challenge Division of the women’s team event. Sibley 25 and DRINKHALL 26 will be joined by 22-year-old Hannah HICKS and 15-year-old Tin-Tin HO.

At the last team world championships held in Dortmund (GER) 2012 neither the men nor women could earn a place at the highest level. The men came the closest and only missed out following a 3-2 defeat to India while the women suffered at the hands of Italy and India in the group stages to cut short their campaign.

The World Team Table Tennis Championships will also act as the last major event begin considered before the final squads for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014 are announced. A team promotion in Tokyo could have positive ramifications for a place in the squad for Scotland in the summer.

England Squads at 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships – Tokyo Japan (April 28 – May 5 2014)

Men: Liam PITCHFORD (Chesterfield) Andrew BAGGALEY (Milton Keynes) Paul DRINKHALL (Loftus Cleveland) and Sam WALKER (Worksop).

Women: Kelly SIBLEY (Leamington Spa) Joanna DRINKHALL (Chertsey) Tin-Tin HO (Paddington London) and Hannah HICKS (Andover).

Prospectus Published for 2026 European Individual Championships in Ljubljana

The official Prospectus for the 2026 European Individual Championships has now been published. The Championships will be staged in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 11 to 18 October 2026, with the Slovenian...

Bidding Process Opens for the 2027 JOOLA Europe Youth Series

ETTU has officially opened the bidding process for the 2027 JOOLA Europe Youth Series, inviting Member Associations to submit applications to host one of the events on next year’s calendar....

Qualification Pathway Approved for the Mixed Team Event at the 2027 European Games

The ETTU Executive Board has adopted the qualification pathway for the Mixed Team Event at the 2027 European Games in Istanbul. The European Games will feature 16 mixed teams, with...

Registration Open for the 2026 World Table Tennis for Health Festival in Shanghai

Registration is now officially open for the 2026 World Table Tennis for Health Festival, which will take place from 20 to 25 October in Shanghai, China, marking the event’s historic...