Ulster Open Table Tennis Championships 2019

Year Ten pupil Ben Watson, who finished as runner-up in the Under 15 Boys category.

The weekend of Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November was a busy one for a number of Grosvenor pupils who competed in the 2019 Ulster Open Table Tennis Championships, where over 140 players battled it out in various categories in a bid for silverware.

Saturday was a long day, packed with some great matches. Lucy Craig, Year 14, and Lucy Johnston, Year 13, fought hard all day against some tough competition in the women’s singles category, whilst Ben Watson, Year 10, competed in the Under 15 category where there were a total of 38 entries. After numerous matches and a deciding fifth-setter against Tom Irwin from Dungannon, Ben finished as runner-up in Band 1. In the afternoon, he and Tom followed-up their singles endeavours by combining to reach the semi-finals of the Under 15 boys doubles category - another excellent achievement. 

An early start on the Sunday, meanwhile, saw Ben and the two Lucies compete in the Under 18 events, with Lucy Craig claiming a superb third place in a hard-fought competition. Playing in the Under 18 category for the first time, there were to be no easy matches for Ben but, despite the high standard of opposition present, he received great match experience and was rewarded with the runner-up position in the plate competition; a placing that equalled by Lucy Johnston in the girls’ category, who also combined effectively with the aforementioned Lucy Craig to finished second in the doubles competition.

Well done to all of the GGS pupils who also participated in the competition, including Junior Close (Year 10), Euan Hanna (Year 9) and Melissa Johnston (Year 8), who finished 7th in Under 13 Girls event.

We look forward to following the ongoing fortunes of the School’s table-tennis players as they continue to compete throughout the current season.