Cippenham Team 2* Open Sells Out; Upsets Shake Quarterfinal Lineup

Entries for the 19th annual Cippenham Team 2* Open closed nearly three weeks ahead of schedule, reflecting strong demand for the pairs-only format and a packed field of 24 teams. The competition, run by Cippenham Table Tennis Club on January 22, 2026, used preliminary round-robin groups of eight, then a progressive knockout that ranks all teams while rewarding both partners’ contributions.

All eight group winners advanced to play one another for quarterfinal spots, with the four losers dropping into additional play-offs against the winners emerging from the second-placed teams. That structure produced a notable upset when Equipment Junkies, Kevin Fang and Quentin Kwan, failed to convert potential top-eight status after losing to Chaos & Giggles, the pairing of Steve Joel and Kinga Oryl. Chaos & Giggles then joined the originally fancied seven teams in the quarter-finals, reshaping the draw.

High-profile entries included Toddies 44’s, led by England men’s No. 9 Chris Doran. Toddies 44’s carried a top seed billing on aggregate ranking points, but the progressive knockout format requires both players to deliver. Matthew Horrocks was unable to match Doran’s output in key matches, and Toddies 44’s finished in eighth place. That left the top of the draw to Only came to Sling!, the Bristol duo Lee Phillips and Scott Cooper, who beat Chaos & Giggles to reach the semi-finals before running into RA+NM, Rayan Ansari and Marcel Ndongala.

RA+NM produced a run of form that included ending the title defence hopes of last year’s winners, Kidlington TTC, earlier in the draw. Ansari and Ndongala pushed through to the final, only to be stopped by Perfect Match, Mircea Neagu and Ewelina Sychta. Neagu dismantled Ansari 11-2, 11-7, 11-7 in the first singles, and Sychta closed the match by defeating Ndongala 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, securing a 2-0 victory in the final.

The top placings read: 1. Perfect Match (Mircea Neagu & Ewelina Sychta), 2. RA+NM (Rayan Ansari & Marcel Ndongala), 3. Hanging by a Thread (Kyle Murphy & Anatol Gasiowrovski), 4. Only came to Sling! (Lee Phillips & Scott Cooper). The event was organised as a companion to the Senior British Clubs League weekend and was refereed by Ken Phillips, deputising for Sue Hayes.

For club players and captains the message is clear: entries will fill fast and team depth matters as much as star names. The pairs format rewards balanced contributions, and upsets like Equipment Junkies’ early exit show that strong second players and match order strategy often decide who advances. Expect registration deadlines to be tight for upcoming team events and plan pair practice and match-up tactics accordingly.