Cippenham's junior girls clinch title while boys complete remarkable rise

Ken Phillips (coach); Hannah Silcock; Rachael Iles; Anna Piercey; Sandra Deaton (Chair, Table Tennis England)

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Cippenham's girls team cemented their Junior British League Division 2 title, while the boys' team rose from bottom of the standings at the half-way stage to finish second, capping off a remarkable weekend for the club.

The girls’ team have led the way in Division 2 all season, dropping just a point over the entire campaign, but ahead of this weekend, the boys had been struggling at the foot of division 5. However, they sensationally won all five of their matches to leapfrog four teams into the runners-up spot.

The girls’ team of Rachael Iles, Anna Piercey and Hannah Silcock maintained their fine form to finish four points clear of their closest rivals Ormesby. They very nearly matched their five wins from the first round of matches with Silcock undefeated across both weekends, winning all her 20 matches, while Iles won 14 and Piercey nine.

They defeated St Neots in their opener 5-1, but the game was closer than the scoreline suggests with three of the six sets requiring a deciding game. Sophia Gardens from Cardiff were then beaten 4-2, with Silcock and Iles both claiming a brace of victories.

Belfast-based Ormeau fared less well, losing 6-0.

On Sunday Silcock and Iles again won both their matches as Cippenham beat Draycott 3rds 4-2 before the season - and Cippenham's 100 per cent record - were ended by a 3-3 draw against Ormesby. Silcock finished the season unbeaten while Iles won one and drew one of her two matches.

Meanwhile it was moving day for Cippenham's boys as they leapt off the bottom of the table with five straight wins. The victories carried them steadily up the table and the warning signs were there from the start as the league leaders, and eventual champions, Greenhouse 3rds were beaten 4-2. Pranav Gudipati and William Saint won four between them. A reinvigorated Cippenham then went on a winning spree dropping only two more sets from their remaining four matches. Wood Green were the first to suffer, losing 6-0, with Jamie Woodford claiming two wins.

Jaiden Caldeira replaced Gudipati for the Saturday evening match against St Marys 2nds with the team winning 5-1. The results kept coming on the Sunday with Bribar Cleeve Park dispatched 6-0, and the team produced a fine all-round team display in their final match to beat Fusion 4ths 5-1. Gudipati won both his matches and Saint also won his only match.