Table Tennis Wales website

Visit http://www.ttaw.co.uk/ for all the latest and breaking news



Wednesday 30 November 2011

TT Gifts

www.TableTennisInessentials.co.uk

Check out the above website to find your table tennis gifts this Christmas

Owen out of Finland


NEWS

Ryan Owen has had to withdraw from the Finland Open next week due to a knee injury

Interview with RJ

Huw Silk runs the blog - http://anearlybath.wordpress.com/

He asked some questions to the National Coach Ryan Jenkins:

Table tennis is another relatively non-mainstream sport hoping for a boost as a result of coverage at the London Olympic Games. One of Wales’ top players in recent years, Ryan Jenkins is now involved in a drive to encourage more people to take the game up and to improve coaching standards.

At the Sport Wales Coach of the Year awards earlier this month, he won the Contribution to Coach Development category. Such is his commitment to table tennis, the ceremony heard, he rarely has a weekend at home in Wales; instead he is travelling around the country and the world with those he coaches.

Here is the blurb from the event’s programme:

Ryan works closely with the newly trained and developing tutor workforce to ensure that Wales has its own pool of tutors and assessors to provide coach education opportunities in their local areas.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Huw Silk: Congratulations on your Sport Wales award – can you describe exactly what you do in coaching terms?
Ryan Jenkins: I coach from under 11 right through to the men’s and women’s national teams. I’m in charge of development and performance table tennis plans.

HS: When did you first start playing? Most people have played table tennis at some level in school common rooms etc, but when and why did you decide to take it to a higher level?
RJ: I started when I was seven years old in the local boys club in Ystrad Rhondda. I started to get good and was invited to the Welsh squad when I was 12 years old. It just got out of hand! I love table tennis and that’s why I continued to the next levels.

HS: Do you still play at national level? What are your current and highest rankings?
RJ: Yes I still play as I want to show my players how always to be professional. My highest world ranking is 175, now I’m 278. My highest British ranking is first when I won the title in 1999 and 2005. I’m currently around fourth.

HS: Which top-level international tournaments have you competed at?
RJ: I have played in three Commonwealth Games, seven World Championships and eight European Championships. I have won six Commonwealth medals to date.

HS: What is it like competing at such a high level, almost the pinnacle of your sport?
RJ: Fantastic – such a feeling to know you are doing what you enjoy every day and always trying to be better at it. It’s a great feeling when so many people want to watch you because you are good at something.

HS: What is it like receiving proportionately less coverage than fellow competitors in athletics, swimming etc?
RJ: It’s life. Table tennis needs to be better in showcasing itself first. People have a wide choice on what they wish to watch so table tennis needs to try harder to get more viewers.

HS: What are your hopes for Welsh players at the 2012 Olympics and over the next decade? Are you hopeful regarding the potential legacy?
RJ: I hope we get a player at London. Naomi Owen (22 years old) is our best bet as she is in the squad, as is Charlotte Carey (15 years old). I want two to three players in the GB squad in four years’ time!!!

HS: Why do you think table tennis has not caught on here in the same way it has in the Far East?
RJ: In reverse we could ask the same about rugby. Some countries just like certain sports and that’s hard to change. It will take Wales to produce a world or Olympic champion – as what happens at Wimbledon with tennis – for everyone to know their best players and support them. In turn viewers will want to try their hand at it and then the sport starts getting popular and more sponsors get into the sport. It snowballs from there. Let’s hope our youngsters are inspired

Sunday 27 November 2011

North Gwent Open


Winners at today's event:

Junior Boys - Conor Edwards
Junior Girls - Nicole Hall
Cadet Boys - Ryan Oyler
Cadet Girls - Beth Roberts

Fair Play Award - Ben Evans

Congratulations


To Chloe Thomas on passing her driving test [Beware...] and her level 1 UKCC coaching award

Saturday 26 November 2011

Portugal Junior Open


Megan Phillips and Conor Edwards will travel to Faro to represent Wales at the Portugal Junior Open 16-18 December

Thursday 24 November 2011

North Wales

The NC will travel to North Wales today and visit Denbigh table tennis club. With various meetings in the schedule it will also give Ryan the chance to visit the club session held every Thursday night and have a 1:2:1 session with Kate Roberts

R/Up at Uxbridge


Jac Jenkins reached the final of the U13 event at Burton Uxbridge last weekend. Jac also had a good run in the cadets and junior events.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Video Section

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeAh81EVXlA&feature=related

Exhibition Match in Iceland 2005

Ryan Jenkins vs Gummi Stephenson (Iceland)

Monday 14 November 2011

2018

For those young players looking for something to work towards, the Gold Coast, Australia, have been awarded the 2018 Commonwealth Games‏

Thursday 10 November 2011


Spain beat a defiant Great Britain team 7-1 at the Newtonabbey Sports Complex on Tuesday evening. Jo Parker won the point for Team GB but Kelly Sibley, Naomi Owen and Lui Na fought hard in their encounters also

The evening finished with an exhibition match between Oriel Monzo and Ryan Jenkins, which was a re-match of the final at the Munster Open last January

Wednesday 9 November 2011

GB camp in Belfast

Naomi Owen is in Belfast this week training with the GB and Spanish squads in a week long training camp and test match get together

The week has been financed by Sport NI and the Irish TTA

Thursday 3 November 2011

Charlotte on ETTU website

http://www.ettu.org/news_view.php?id=4410

November World Rankings


Women
Naomi Owen 413
Charlotte Carey 567
Megan Phillips 823
Angharad Phillips 875
Chloe Thomas 946
Nicole Hall 1109

Men
Ryan Jenkins 278
Stephen Jenkins 760
Daniel O'Connell 1362
Lewis Williams 1438

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Selections:


GB 2012 Camp - Ireland
7-11 November
Naomi Owen
Coach - Ryan Jenkins

Home Nations 11-13 November
Ryan Jenkins, Dan O'Connell, Ryan Owen, Angharad Phillips, Chloe Thomas, Charlotte Carey
Coaches - Liz May & Aled Howells

Swiss Open - Lusanne
18-20 November

Stephen Jenkins, Ryan Jenkins, Naomi Owen, Charlotte Carey

Senior Test Match vs England South West
2 December - Plymouth

Aled Howells, Lewis Williams, Dan O'Connell, Conor Edwards
Angharad Phillips, Megan Phillips, Nicole Hall, Charlotte Carey

Finland Open 8-11 December
Ryan Jenkins, Ryan Owen, Dan O'Connell
Naomi Owen & Charlotte Carey

East Midlands Cadet/Junior 4*
7-8 January 2012

Lewis Williams, Ryan Oyler, Conor Edwards, Beth Roberts, Nicole Hall, Sharlene Williams

Welsh Squad Weekend Camp


2-4 December

Letters will be sent to players who are invited to the Welsh Squad/YDS camp on the 2-4 December

There will be 1 session Friday evening, 2 Saturday and 2 Sunday for all players.

Top English coach Jason Sugrue, plus Welsh coaches Simon Oyler and Steve Jenkins will be on that camp