Five members of Team GB’s Table Tennis Squad will return to Sheffield to battle it out for the title of National Champion.
The three top seeds in the Men’s Singles, Paul Drinkhall, Liam Pitchford and Andrew Baggaley all ply their trade in the top European League in the German Bundesliga with both Drinkhall and Pitchford’s teams playing Champions League table tennis.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Singles, Team GB representatives Joanna Parker and Kelly Sibley will return from France to seek their glory at the 2012/13 English Senior National Championships (Ponds Forge, Sheffield, 1-3rd March 2013).
Last year both Drinkhall and Sibley retained their respective single’s titles from 2011 after confident victories in the final.
Drinkhall, 23 from Loftus, secured his fourth Men’s Singles title with a 4-1 victory over 19-year-old Liam Pitchford, while Sibley, 24 from Leamington Spa, defeated her great rival Parker 4-1 to win her third crown.
This year will have added significance for Drinkhall and Parker, who are partners both on and off the table. The respective English number 1s were engaged over winter and will once again join forces in the Mixed Doubles in search of their fifth title.
The other events at the National Championships include Men’s and Women’s Doubles, Men’s and Women’s Under 21s, Veteran Men’s Singles and Veteran Men’s Doubles.
For more information, or to see the full draw that has just been released, follow this link: http://etta.co.uk/news/201213-senior-nationals-draw/
Editors Notes
English Table Tennis Association
ETTA is the lead nation for the British Table Tennis Federation which consists of the four home nations and is formed for selection of the Great British squad for Olympic Games.
Table tennis has over 300 million participants worldwide, making it one of the world’s highest participation sports.
Some 2.4 million people play table tennis within the UK (British Market Research Bureau).
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