Entries are now open for the first phase of the brand new Inter-Regional competition.
The event was introduced after a revamp of the National Championships, which are now for the players at the very top of the rankings.
The Inter-Regional qualifiers replace the qualifying events for the age-group Nationals and are specifically for athletes below the top level.
This fits in with Table Tennis England’s new performance structure, ensuring athletes earn the right to compete at higher tiers.
The first phase sees 10 regional qualifying tournaments, which will be held over the weekend of February 20 and 21.
Click here for more details and to download entry forms
The qualifiers are individual events for Under-11, Under-13 and Cadet age groups, both boys and girls. The top 20 boys and top 15 girls in all three age groups on the January 2016 ranking lists are NOT eligible to enter. Check your eligibility here
The counties in each region are as follows:
East Midlands: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire
Eastern: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex (including the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest), Hertfordshire (excluding London Borough of Barnet), Norfolk and Suffolk
London: Middlesex (including the City of London and the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Tower Hamlets and the City of Westminster) and Surrey (including the London Boroughs of Croydon, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lambeth, Merton, Richmond-upon-Thames, Southwark, Sutton and Wandsworth)
North East: Cleveland, Durham and Northumberland
North West: Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire
South East: Kent (including the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham) and Sussex
South West: Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire
Southern: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire
West Midlands: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire
Yorkshire: South Yorkshire and Yorkshire
At each regional qualifier, the two finalists at each age group, boys and girls, will qualify for the Inter-Regional finals.
As the Inter-Regional finals also feature team events, the teams will be completed by one or two other athletes selected by their regions.
Players can enter as many age groups as they like in the regional qualifiers, but those qualifying for the national finals may only play at one age group.
The Inter-Regional finals take place at Kettering on the weekend of May 21 and 22.
Any questions about the event should be directed in the first place to your regional organisers, as listed on each entry form.
If you have any questions about the Inter-Regional finals, please email Table Tennis England Competitions & Events officer Zach Ferris