Raines Foundation Upper School celebrate numerous winners
Hot shot table tennis players from East London schools took top honours in the Jack Petchey Foundation regional finals of the singles competition hosted by Raines Foundation Upper School in Bethnal Green on February 4
The competition bought together teams from schools in Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, City of London, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets and 100 players from 17 different schools competed.
Boys under-13 category was won by Shavain Sahid, from Raines, after he beat fellow pupil Kian Panyauree in the final.
Sahid has only been playing for 15 months and competitively for just six months, but is enjoying himself.
He said “I love table tennis, it’s fast, technical and you can play all year round. It was a tough competition and my first time in the singles, but I won and I am really looking forward to the final.”
Coach Stephen Gertsen has been involved in the sport for 15 years at international level and with the Welsh team.
“Table tennis is easy to play in schools and there coaches come from the Greenhouse Charity who help bring on the young players,” he said.
“This competition is great because they get to play against lots of new players. It’s very popular.”
Other results include girls under-13 winner Feiyyang Wang from Isle of Dogs school George Greens and runner-up was Jaynath Ahmed from Rains.
Bethnal Green School Morpeth had a winner in the under-16 competition as Jamie Dignum came out on top, with school team mate Anthony Lynch second.
The girls under-16 winner Tin Tin Ho was from City of London Girls School with Sarah James runner-up from Barking & Dagenham School Eastbury.
15-year-old Rijul Roychodhury, from Morpeth, was the winner of the under-19 competition beating another 15-year-old, Eastbury’s Numair Malik, in the final.
Meanwhile 17-year-old Eastbury pupil Shannon Conway won the girls under-19 event beating Raines Sian Cantwell in the final.
Girls under-19 winner Shannon Conway, 17, from Eastbury School. Runner up Sian Cantwell, 17 from Raines School.
The Jack Petchey London Schools’ Table Tennis Championships is a prestigious event aimed at increasing participation and awareness of table tennis in London Schools.
It includes individual and team competitions and all winners progress to the Jack Petchey London School’s Singles finals being held on June 20.
The project also includes the donation of indoor and outdoor table tennis tables which is also helping to bring more girls into the sport.
Over four years 1,000 table tennis tables have been donated to London Schools and 21,000 players have taken part in the competitions.
Sara Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of Table Tennis England, said: “This competition, the table donation scheme and the support of the Jack Petchey Foundation have seen a step change for table tennis in London Schools.
“It’s been a real game changer for our sport and raised the standard of play in the London Region. There has been a growth of interest in the sport in London.”
Jack Petchey, CBE, also attended the event. The 89 year old is passionate about giving young people freedom and opportunity.
“I’ve been a fan of table tennis since my own youth. It’s a fantastic sport and I am delighted to see this partnership grow with more young Londoners taking part,” he said.
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