Congratulations to these local juniors selected for the 2024 TTNZ Central Region squad. This means training camps run by TTNZ in the region (including here). For many of these players it is their first step onto the national stage!
U19/U17 Boys: Yufeng Wang, Tomos Christie, Archit Nanda, Jacob Andrews
U15 Boys: Lucas Yang, Max Davis, Miro Van Dam, Jagger Wilson, Akira Chiba-Gleeson
U13 Girls: Zoe Mildenhall, Ruby Wei-Solt, Samantha Xu, Gracie Te Hiwi, Liana Te Hiwi, Amy Su, Bella Chen
U13 Boys: Andy Li, Sean Chiba-Gleeson, Sam Carmichael, Neil Chen
WHEN: Sunday 16 June 2024 WHERE: Empire Table Tennis Club Hall, Marine Parade, Petone MANAGER: Kevin Haines TIMES: Under 11 & Under 15: 9.00 am Under 13 & Under 17: 1.00 pm FEE: $10 or $15 if entering two age groups (at different start times only) ENTER BY: Saturday 15 June, noon
In the school holidays Zoe Mildenhall was privileged to be selected to attend the Oceania Hopes Training Camp in Auckland.
It was a four day training camp with high level New Zealand coaches and an international coach. She soaked up all the information and her game improved daily.
She won the award from the head coach for best attitude and commitment!
Following the camp she travelled to the Bay of Plenty Open with her Dad and her coach Paul Solt. Her results were very impressive:
Runner up under 13 girls singles.
Winner under 13 girls doubles with Karen Looi from Auckland.
Runner Up under 15 girls singles.
But the best result of the tournament for her was to upset the top seeds and win the under 19 girls doubles with Karen!
Paul Solt managed to find time to pick up a win for himself in the Men’s B Grade singles!
PREMIER INDIVIDUAL GRADE CHAMPS JULY 3 RESULTS: Winner: Manish Ahlawat (Empire) Runner-up: Om Thakur (Empire) DIVISION ONE INDIVIDUAL GRADE CHAMPS JULY 10 RESULTS: Winner: Matthew Hobbs (Onslow) Runner-up: Steve Montgomery (Titan)
2024 Winter Series 1 Premier 1 Winners Titan Terriers (Ben Collins, Yufeng Wang, Lindsay Ward)
2024 Winter Series 1 Division 1 Winners Titan Squad (Alejandro Sepulveda, Steve Montgomery, Peter Bloor)
2024 Winter Series 1 Division 1 Chris Williams Cup
Wednesdays from May 22 (matches start 7:00pm-7.10 pm)
Three player teams (+ reserves)
Night fees $8 ($7/$6 concession)
Entries to secretary@ttwellington.org.nz by Thursday May 16 6pm as teams, reserves, or as individual seeking a team
Depending on the entered team count we will determine grade sizes and hope to include a promotion/relegation mechanism. Players will be permitted to play in grades suitable to their level of play.
The 2024 Wellington Veterans Open took place on 16 March and was enhanced by the best turn out of players for many years. Joining the locals were seven players from other Associations and they added to the occasion with their presence and play.
In the morning, the Over 50 and Over 70 events were held and got things off well before the Over 40 and Over 60 events provided much of interest in the afternoon. Of particular note was the Over 40 Singles which saw chaos in the round robin phase with a number of matches going against the seedings making for a slightly unusual look to the post section phase. There were also some excellent doubles during the day which featured close finishes and made for good watching.
Generally, there were events which saw many competitive matches, demonstrating that we had a number of players of a similar good standard, ensuring an anything but boring day’s table tennis. Congratulations to the winners and also to all the others who participated in a good day. Thanks also to Maggie Dyer who put in her usual high quality day.
The first Summer Competition designed for individuals rather than teams has finished after an interesting five weeks. With the match format each week being based on accumulated points from previous weeks, it provided players with different challenges to move up the table from week to week.
The final week saw Manish Ahlawat extend his almost unassailable lead and finish comfortably ahead of his nearest challenger, Yang Low. There was an interesting tussle for the bronze medal with up to half a dozen possibilities, dependent on the various wins and margins on the night. Even after most had left, two or three were in with a chance. In the end, it was Jacob Hawker who with several very good wins, outshone the competition to finish ahead of Depak Patel and Darrell Brown.
Thanks to all those who participated, particularly those who lasted the distance. I hope you enjoyed the format.
More generally, for events across NZ check out the TTNZ Calendar.
The TTNZ Qualifier event is part of a series of tournaments set up by TTNZ to provide high level competition for current and prospective New Zealand representative candidates. It is designed to assist with selections for New Zealand teams and training squads for players eligible to represent New Zealand.
As a result, there are criteria which apply to players entering this tournament. Please read through the Prospectus below which goes through the criteria and which also has the in depth details of the tournament itself. If you have any queries about the criteria, please contact TTNZ. I am happy to handle queries about the tournament structure.
Entries for these tournaments are via the Tournament Planner website only. The March tournaments are already available for entries. The details around timetables and other conditions can be found on the website.
This annual Veterans event hosted by the Manawatu Veterans Table Tennis Club will be held on Saturday September 30. It is open to anyone over the age of 40 (as of Dec 31, 2023). It will be held at Barber Hall Waldergrave Street, Palmerston North. Enter (by Sep 27) per the form below.
Sad news with the recent passing of Alan Costley, a long time stalwart managing the Waterloo club for too many years to count and a loyal supporter of local table tennis and servant to the Hutt Valley and Wellington associations not just during the years when he was on the committee.
Also passing earlier in June was Warren Evans who started out in table tennis in 1952 and ended up winning five NZ Junior Titles and even reaching the NZ Open Men’s Singles Final in 1970. Be sure to check out our article Warren Evans – A lifetime in table tennis.
Over the weekend the Wellington Team of Manish Ahlawat, Mohsen Kafi, Daniel Rosner, & Depak Patel completed in Auckland at the 2023 North Island Teams event in the B Grade, finishing 6th!
Ruby Wei-Solt got a bronze in the under 13 Girls Singles and Ruby and Samantha Xu also got bronze in the under 13 Girls Doubles! Congratulations also to Paul Solt for third-equal in the O50 Mens Doubles (with Abhay Joshi).
The first Series of Winter Interclub 2023 finished with the Titan Terriers winning the Premier Division unbeaten, with the Empire Eagles the nearest competition. For the Terriers, it was a true team effort, with all three regular players having strong performances. Particular mention should be made of the evergreen veteran Lindsay Ward who was unbeaten, despite some strong efforts to topple him by other players.
Division Two was won by the Empire Emperors, narrowly from Waterloo Wombats. Again, this was a close competition, coming down to the last night. Sai Murali of Karori Kaboom was unbeaten in her appearances, while Emperor’s Ethan Attewell had an excellent season.
Division Two players had a Grade Championships to conclude the competition with sixteen entrants. The Singles event was taken out by Tony Rutledge who outlasted Andrew Maguire late in the evening. Ethan and Doug Westmoreland were the beaten semi-finalists. Jeremy Evans beat Craig Gear in the Consolation event.
Table Tennis Wellington 