TableTennisDaily and Ackworth School are the Junior British League Premier Division champions for 2019/20 after topping the tables with 100% win records this season.

They took the Premier Division titles at the end of an exciting final weekend of competition at the Derby Arena.

To find out more about all the action from each divison, read below.

All photos by Chris Rayner.

Boys

It was always going to be a difficult task to knock TableTennisDaily off the top spot as they went into the second weekend with a four-point lead over a cohort of challengers.

The team continued their dominance in the first round of matches, achieving a 6-0 victory over Draycott & L E Boys I, followed by a 5-1 win against Grantham College Boys, before the league split.

They then proved untouchable in the top half by winning all three matches against Grantham Boys College (6-0), BATTS (4-2) and Fusion I (4-2).

Fusion went on to take second place in the top half after beating both Grantham (5-1) and BATTS I (4-2).

It was a closer fought battle in the bottom half of the Premier table, with Draycott & LE Boys I and Ormesby I tied on six points after the first round of matches. But it was Ormesby who eventually took the title of Premier B winners after winning all three matches with a 4-2 win over Draycott, 6-0 win over Swerve and 5-1 win over Dublin.

In Division One, the weekend started with the two Irish team – Mid-Ulster and Ormeau Belfast – vying for the top spot on eight points each. The two teams went into the second weekend with the same match difference and had previously drew 3-3 with each other – so they were separated only on sets difference, with Mid-Ulster holding the edge.

Going into the final match of the day, Mid-Ulster strengthened their lead by winning three of their four matches and tying only against Fusion II. Ormeau had one less win under their belt, with an additional 4-2 defeat to Fusion. The two teams then faced each other in the final match to see who would take this year’s title. Another 3-3 draw secured Mid-Ulster the victory.

In Division 2, Ormesby went into the second weekend in pole position, having won all their matches bar one from the first weekend – their only draw was a 3-3 tie against Joola Plymouth Torbay Academy, who sat just two points below them in the table as a result.

After getting off to a good start with a 4-2 win over Dublin II, the team then failed to win any other matches, seeing them drop to third place. In the end it was Joola who secured the top spot with a 100% win record on the second weekend, while Cardiff City CTC I came second.

In Division 3, no side was unbeaten going in the second weekend – and only two points separated the top four ahead of the final weekend of action. Urban TTC were in the top spot, with Draycott & Long Eaton II in second on match difference.

In the end, it was Draycott who secured the title after winning all five of their matches, while Urban managed to hold onto the second spot.

Division 4 saw the closest fought battle with just one point between first and second place. In the end, weekend one leaders, Sussex Blades II, lost out on the top spot after being beaten 4-2 by Greenhouse II, who went on to take the title after achieving wins across-the-board.

There were no surprises in division 5 – clear pace-setters Birmingham TTA I managed to retain their large lead and finished five points clear of the second placed side, Halton Boys I. Jakub Kurowski finishes the season with a 100% record, with 20 wins for Birmingham.

In the eight-team Division 6, Nottingham Sycamore II made strides to move from third place to first in the early round of matches, before the league split. They then managed to retain this position in the weekend’s final round of matches after getting the only win of the day.

In the bottom half of Division 6, Woodfield finished top – with a three point lead over second placed side Batts II.

Finally, in Division 7, Byng Hall Boys retained their top position at the end of the first round of matches with a one point lead over Rotherham Scorpions. But, once the league split, Byng Hall faced a string of losses, which saw them drop to the last place, while wins across the board for Rotherham Scorpions meant they moved up to the top spot.

In the bottom half of the division, Corby Smash II topped the table with a two point lead over Ellenborough.

Girls

In the girls’ Premier division, Ackworth School maintained their 100% win record to take the title. It meant Jasmin Wong ended the season with a 95% win rate after suffering only one loss out of 20 matches. They finished five three points above the second placed side, Kingfisher.

In the bottom half of the division, Cardiff City CCTC went into the final stage with a one point lead over Joola Plymouth. But two ties and only one win cost them, and they found themselves tied with Joola on 10 points at the end of the weekend. It meant that id was down to match difference to find out who would take the title, with Joola ultimately prevailing.

In Division one of the girls’ competition, London Academy went into the weekend boasting a 100% record and a four-point advantage at the top. A further four wins and one tie secured them the title. It means they finish seven points above the second placed team, Draycott & Long Eaton II, and Patricia Ianau finishes the season with a 100% win rate, having won all 18 of her matches.

In Division 2, both Brighton and Greenhouse went into the final weekend with an unbeaten record, and just one point between the two teams.

But a string of losses and only one win for the latter team saw them drop to third place, leaving Brighton to take the title after four wins and only one tie. It meant Ulster moved into second place.

Finally, in Division 3, Cippenham were chasing St Neots for the title, with just two points between them at the end of weekend one. They managed to close the gap after starting the second weekend with four straight wins, while St Neots had three three wins and one tie. It meant there was all to play for in the final match of the day – which saw these two teams go head-to-head. After ending with a 3-3 tie, it meant that St Neots had managed to cling onto the title with just a one point lead.

Awards:

The following awards were handed out this weekend:

• Boys’ team of the weekend: Rotherham Scorpions
• Girls’ team of the weekend – Cardiff City CCTC I
• Player of the weekend – Ruby Chan, Ackworth School
• Mike Watts Achievement Award – Millie Rogove