A table tennis team from Bradford Grammar School (BGS) has been crowned West Yorkshire champions and been placed in the top eight in the UK.
Emily Mellor, Aliza Khaliq, Mahum Sheraz and Pippa Threlfall, BGS’s girls under 16 team, were among 200 players in the West Yorkshire Schools Individual and English Schools Table Tennis Association (ESTTA) competitions, which were hosted at BGS.
BGS Director of Sport, Oliver Rogers, said: “The table tennis squads have worked really hard during lunch times to develop their ability with the support of our passionate staff. There is a lot interest from the students and this has created a healthy amount of competition within the squads.”
All matches were played over four age groups for boys and girls under 19, 16, 13 and 11 with individual winners qualifying for the ESTTA individual finals in April in Aldersley Edge and two teams in each age group qualifying for the regional finals in Blackburn or Grantham in February. Evie Davies from BGS was the U11 girls’ winner.
The Under 16 team knocked out Ackworth in the first round and played in the regional finals in February. There were some talented youngsters involved including top ten nationally ranked players in most age groups. BGS had seven teams involved, Beckfoot two teams and Oxenhope one team.
Other successful teams included BGS’s under 11 and under 16 who both made the Zone semi-finals with one win out of two in their group. The U11s defeated Greystones School, Sheffield, 5-3 whereas the under 16s defeated Henry Fanshawe, 6-2.
BGS’s under 11 girls enjoyed the competition but finished 3rd to St Peter’s East Bridgford and Melbourne Derbyshire. Evie Davies won three matches out of four, and Evie Shaw, Melody Crabtree and Holly Websdale, all Year 5 players, will compete again next year.
Oliver continues: “I am very proud of all the players that are involved in our sports programme. The future for sport at Bradford Grammar School is very exciting and we will continue to give students opportunities to be active and competitive which is crucial to developing well-rounded young people.”
“I am very proud of all the players that are involved in our sports programme.
The future for sport at Bradford Grammar School is very exciting and we will continue to give students opportunities to be active and competitive which is crucial to developing well-rounded young people.”
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