Oliver Willis wins Graham Spicer under-11 title in strong debut field

Oliver Willis of Kent won every match to claim the Graham Spicer under-11 title, but the bigger story at New Malden was the range of players who left with something meaningful from their first real tournament day. With debutants arriving from Sussex, Bedfordshire, Essex, Berkshire, Middlesex, Kent, Suffolk and Surrey, the 1-star event delivered exactly what junior table tennis needs: a structured step into competition for beginners and improvers alike.

The tournament took place on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at the Graham Spicer Institute, 15 Dukes Avenue, New Malden, KT3 4HL, and was organised by Jin Su Choi with Chris Andrews acting as referee. Table Tennis England listed it as a mini-cadet 1-star competition with a provisional cap of 30/32 entries, and the entry form said players were ranked from the latest computer list before being placed into groups of six for round robins. That format mattered. It created a day in which newcomers could test themselves against peers while still chasing placings across six separate bands.

Willis set the standard in Band 1, where the report said the level was consistently high. Bedfordshire’s Navya Pathak finished second on countback ahead of Oscar Todhunter of Surrey, underlining how close the top group was even as Willis stayed perfect. That kind of tight finish is exactly what gives a first event its edge: it is competitive enough to matter, but structured enough to keep players learning rather than overwhelmed.

The rest of the draw spread the success around the counties and showed how broad the talent base can look at this age. Rian Pacheriwala of Middlesex won Band 2, with Liam Fong of Surrey second and Dominik Niedzielak, also of Surrey, third on countback. Jacob Tavener of Surrey took Band 3 with a 100 per cent record, ahead of Oliver Thornley of Middlesex and Sakitha Thalagalage Don of Suffolk.

Band 4 went to Glenn Bernhardt of Surrey on countback, with Christopher Long second and Hin-Yan Ching of Essex third. Steven Zhao won Band 5, while Aaditya Sahmloll and Jacoby Skaife, both of Surrey, followed. In Band 6, Louis Wang went unbeaten and dropped only one set, with Christophe Ivanov and Tsz Yau Tang, both from Surrey, completing the placings. Across the whole event, the spread of winners showed the real value of the banding structure: it gave players at different levels a fair first experience, built confidence, and widened the route into county and club competition.

That junior pathway is clearly becoming a priority at Graham Spicer. The club also staged its first under-13 1-star tournament on Sunday, May 17, 2026, and Surrey Table Tennis Association highlighted both new events. The Graham Spicer Institute describes itself as a charitable trust providing sporting facilities in New Malden, while Graham Spicer Table Tennis Club says juniors aged 8 to 19 are welcome. For English table tennis, that combination of venue, volunteer support and accessible entry points is how the next wave starts.