The Youth British Clubs League returns with both leading divisions reshaped by selection and eligibility changes, according to Table Tennis England, with new Boys’ Open champions guaranteed and the defending Girls’ team missing its highest-rated player.
Grantham Academy, the Girls’ title winners, will be below full strength because Ella Pashley is part of England’s squad for the European Championships. Table Tennis England reported that Cindy Xiao has been called into the Grantham group as Pashley’s replacement, alongside Eva Eccles, Hannah Saunders and Maja Wojcicka. The European Championships are scheduled to start on Monday.
The absence does not remove Grantham from contention, but it changes the balance before the second weekend. Table Tennis England identified London Academy and Cippenham as teams which may see an opportunity to gain ground on the champions.
London Academy have Sienna Jetha and Hungary’s Sophie Barcsai as their third- and fourth-rated players, while Ching Sum Pang has been dummy-rated fourth. Cippenham, meanwhile, are led by Alyssa Nguyen, rated sixth, with Mia Lakhani rated ninth and Charlotte LokChing Wong also in their squad.
There is further depth in the division. Draycott Girls include Catherine Lv and Millie Noble, rated 10th and 12th respectively, while Greenhouse have three players rated from 14th to 18th. Ormeau complete the field and are led by Grace Looney, who is rated 13th.
That range of squads makes the weekend significant for the early shape of the Girls’ competition. Grantham retain a group Table Tennis England considers capable of competing, but Pashley’s England call-up means their rivals will meet a different line-up from the one that would otherwise have been available.
New Boys’ Open champions are assured
The Boys’ Open has an even more definite change at the top: last season’s champions Fusion are no longer in the division. Table Tennis England said Larry Trumpauskas and Francesco Bonato are not eligible after a change in the squad, meaning the title will pass to a new club this season.
eBaTT appear among the strongest teams on the available ratings. Their squad includes Max Radiven, rated No 1, and Leon Vlasov, rated No 4; both have already played in the Senior British Clubs League Premier Division this season. Kacper Piwowar, Oscar Nikolli and Olivier Chu provide further options, rated fifth, seventh and eighth.
However, eBaTT’s selection could be affected by Radiven’s shoulder injury, sustained at the WTT Youth Contender Cairo. Table Tennis England said that even if he does not play in Derby, the club retain the ability to call on their other highly rated players. The report does not confirm whether Radiven will take part.
Grantham Academy, Boys’ Open champions in 2025, are also strongly placed on paper. Their group is headed by Abraham Sellado, rated second, and includes Jake Davidson and Wales’ Harry Street. Table Tennis England suggested that the strength of eBaTT and Grantham leaves relatively little separating several of the other contenders.
Ormeau bring Cleveland Junior 4* winner Zac Greenhough, Ireland’s GB pathway player Peadar Sheridan and Christopher Allsop. Woodford Wells have Sinan Surensoy, Adam Alibhai and Aarav Parihar in their selection, while Kingfisher’s Prayrit Ahluwalia, Rishaan Sawant and Angad Saggu are all rated in the 20s. Joola Plymouth include twins Leo and Hugo Nguyen, plus Rex Wong.
Expanded girls’ programme adds to Derby schedule
The girls’ programme has grown to six divisions after an extra division was added because of demand. Table Tennis England said that is one more than last season and two more than in 2024-25.
A total of 15 divisions will be in action, with Derby Arena again serving as the main venue. The bottom two Boys’ Open divisions will instead be held at Draycott. More than 350 players are expected to represent their clubs across the weekend.
For the title contenders, the immediate issue is simple: the Boys’ Open begins without its previous winners, while Grantham’s Girls’ team must negotiate a key round without Pashley. The squad lists point to several credible challengers, but the matches will determine whether those apparent openings become a meaningful shift in either championship race.