Island table tennis players impress at Sussex tournament

Three Isle of Wight table tennis players impressed at the Sussex 4-Star Tournament.

Joe Chapman, Alex Rorke, and Ryan Cates delivered notable performances at the two-day competition, battling against tough mainland competitors.

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Chapman reached the semi-finals of both Band 5 and Band 6, marking his best mainland performance to date, with nine wins in a single day.

Rorke and Cates both topped their Band 4 groups, with Rorke also excelling in Band 3.

Cates reached the knockout stages and narrowly missed a career-best victory against Middlesex's Janak Shah, ranked 14th in the U19s.

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L-R: Ryan Cates, Joe Chapman and Alex Rorke (Image: Paul Cates)

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Chapman continued his strong form on Sunday, defeating Jamal Dennison, a player ranked more than 500 places above him.

Rorke and Cates progressed through the group stages again, with Cates facing Shah and narrowly losing in another five-set match.

The tournament provided a valuable opportunity for the Island trio to test their skills against high-quality mainland opponents.

Next on their schedule, the Isle of Wight will send a four-strong team, including Cates, Chapman, Steve Mills, and Paul Rainford, to Southampton for the first Senior British Club League weekend.

The team is set to compete in four matches across Saturday and Sunday.

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