Table Tennis

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Table tennis is a fun, fast paced game played by people across the Commonwealth and will return for Birmingham 2022 with an inclusive para competition.

At the elite level, Team England challenged for nine medals across both table tennis and para table tennis at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

In Australia, Team England won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals. This included taking home both gold and silver in the men's TT6-10 singles as teammates Ross Wilson and Kim Daybell battled it out for the number one spot with Ross coming out on top.

The rapid-fire gameplay of table tennis requires strict focus and coordination from both the players and the audience, trying to keep track on the featherweight ping pong ball, because if you blink, the fight could be over between the athletes.

Team England's training buddies Kim Daybell and Ross Wilson fight for gold. Three match points and Ross Wilson wins the gold medal in the men's singles para-class against very good friend and fighting the odds.

Men's TT6 - Gold medal match

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You might need to know...

Singles matches are decided over the best of seven games

Each game is won by the player who scores 11 points, a player must win a game by two clear points

Points are scored by bouncing the ball twice on the opponent’s side of the net or by the ball hitting the floor after having hit the table - shots which hit the floor having not first bounced on the table are “out” and the point is conceded

The singles tournament has a group draw of unseeded players with the winners of each group facing the top 16 seeds in the first of the knock-out rounds

Both the men’s and women’s doubles were straight knockout competitions on the Gold Coast

The team tournament consisted of a mixture of singles and doubles matches similar to the Davis Cup and Fed Cup in tennis

Table Tennis has been in the Commonwealth Games as an optional sport since 2002, with singles and doubles events for both men and women. Wheelchair play has been also an optional event for elite athletes with a disability since the inclusion of para sports in 2002.

Just falling short on the all-time medal table, at number two behind Singapore, with a total of 21 medals including 7 golds. This fast-paced, fun sport will return to Birmingham in 2022 as athletes play on home ground, and hopefully will carry their successes from the Gold Coast over, moving faster and hitting harder, claiming more well-deserved medals.

Team England previous table tennis medals

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7

Gold

6

Silver

8

Bronze

21

Total

At Birmingham 2022, these athletes will fight for a coveted spot on the podium, on home ground at the NEC, a large hub for sports at the Commonwealth Games with an atmosphere second to none.

Team Leader

Matt Stanforth

Matt’s role as Programme Manager at Table Tennis England involves the overall management of all the performance programmes within the pathway, with players as young as 9 years old, through to senior athletes competing at World class level.

Matt has worked for Table Tennis England since 2008, firstly as the North-East of England Regional Coach and from 2013 as National Coach with the youth and senior squads.

Before becoming a full-time coach, Matt was a voluntary coach at his local club, Ormesby Table Tennis Club in Middlesbrough where he had played since he was 15.