26/04/2026
๐ Jake is the 2026 U16 Nationals Schools Champion! ๐
The Butterfly Table Tennis Schools National Individual Finals is a pinnacle event in the youth calendar, featuring over four hundred players across four age groups. Representing both their schools and counties, athletes compete for sixteen national titles in one of the largest table tennis weekends of the year.
On the 26th of April 2026 โ Gloucestershire emerged as a powerhouse of young table tennis talent with Jake Davidson and Sarah Wong both securing podium finishes at WV Active Wolverhampton.
Jake Davidson from Chosen Hill School was crowned the Under-16 Boys champion after one of the most resilient displays of the tournament. The top seed faced a daunting two-game deficit and 10-8 down in the third game in the final against third seed Kai Lun Chow of Cambridgeshire. In a display of tactical maturity, the left-handed Davidson mounted a stunning recovery to win 3-2 (3-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8).
Davidsonโs route to the gold medal was dominant until the final showdown. He secured his place in the final with a commanding 3-0 victory over fifth seed Harrison Hill of Lincolnshire in the semi-finals. His victory adds to a growing list of accolades, following a silver medal in the same event last year and his previous status as the U15 National Series winner and U17 National doubles bronze medallist.
Gloucestershire's success continued in the Girlsโ Under-19 event, where Sarah Wong, representing Cheltenham Ladiesโ College, secured a prestigious bronze medal. Wong navigated a challenging field to reach the semi-finals, where she was eventually defeated 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-6) by silver medallist Rachel Li of Cambridgeshire. Wongโs podium finish marks a significant achievement for Cheltenham Ladiesโ College, further highlighting the schoolโs growing reputation in competitive youth sport alongside its academic prestige.
There were other noticeable performances from Maddie Dupree, Fred Zanker, Raghav Naik, Oliver Nock, and Daisy Denton, but none were able to get past the group stage.
In the Team event Gloucestershireโs Marlin School became one of the eight teams to reach the boys u16 National Finals. A big achievement and with good performances and effort from William Richards, Niall Walker, Benjamin Day-Lewis and Jack Brown they finished seventh overall.
