No rest for Welsh players even towards the end of the year

Gary Baker on 21/12/2011

If anyone says that the end of the year is about quieting down in readiness for a break, don't mention that to Welsh table tennis players.

For they are flying around Europe competing - and winning - in top tournaments.

National coach Ryan Jenkins reached the British Championships final in November, and, along with teenage ace Charlotte Carey, flew back from Ireland with another couple of titles under their belts.

The pair competed in the Munster Open in Killarney and secured a couple of gold medals each.

Carey, 15, won the women's singles by taking the scalp of English number four Karina LeFevre in a tense final by 3-2.

She then teamed-up with Irishman Gavin Maguire to capture the mixed doubles gold medal.

Meanwhile, Jenkins, who is also national table tennis coach, added to his British Championships final appearance, where he damaged his ankle, with a couple of medals at the Munster event.

He beat Scottish number one Gavin Rumgay 3-1 in the singles final and then added the doubles crown when he also paired up with Maguire.

The Welsh pair, plus squad members Naomi Owen, Daniel O'Connell and Angharade Phillips, flew to the Finland Open in Helsinki this month, while Jenkins will have a fleeting visit home for Christmas Day before he is on the road again.

He is due to play in Plymouth at a tournament on December 28 with some of the best British players before going on a training course with the national squad before the New Year.

Meanwhile, Wales could find itself with a big tournament in a couple of years time if plans get rolling soon.

The Commonwealth Championships could be coming to the Principality for 2013 if the will is there, said Jenkins.

He said: "The World Championships are being staged in Paris then and, if it is the same as the last ones in the Far East, it may be that they will play the Commonwealth Championships in a country not far from there to make it easy on the players."

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