Globe players on top of the world

Table tennis team win second English schools title

By Dave Brown

22 May 2011

GLOBE Primary School’s table tennis team are the pride of the borough after going undefeated at the English Schools finals to retain their under-11 title.

The long trip to Hinckley, in Leicestershire, proved a memorable one for the team consisting of Jamie Dignum, Rijul Roychoudhury, Mubarak Islam, John Dignum and Murhad Hussain all produced some exceptional performances.

Globe opened their quest with a match against Garstang Primary School from Lancashire and it proved a nail-biting affair. With the match score standing at 4-3 to Globe it was all down to John Dignum, aged nine, to seal the victory and he held his nerve to win 11-9 in the fifth set in a very exciting match.

Next up Bramley Sunnyside School (South Yorkshire) were given a 7-1 thumping by Globe, who by now were full of confidence. The final was an all-London affair against  Fircroft (Wandsworth).

What looked like a tough assignment on paper turned into a breeze for Globe as they romped to a 7-1 victory to retain the trophy and keep their tag of national champions.

“This was a fantastic achievement for Globe to win the national team title for the second year in a row!” said team coach Grant Solder, a former international player, said.

“Jamie Dignum and Rijul Roychoudhury showed their class as they remained  undefeated from round one all the way through to the final which is an unbelievable achievement.”

Jamie’s impressive season has been rewarded with selection for the England under-11s team in the British championships in Wales later this year.

Also in action at Hinckley were Morpeth School’s under-16s, hoping to repeat the feat of 2009 when they were crowned national champions. This time they had to settle for silver but could be proud of their run.

After convincing wins against Bramhall High School (Stockport) 7-1 and Horsforth School (Leeds) they were up against Trinity from Essex in the final, where they were beaten 6-2. “We are obviously disappointed not to win gold but it is still a fantastic achievement to win a silver medal at a national finals,” Solder said.

Morpeth are now looking forward to the opening of their purpose-built table tennis facility in September – a venue that will be used as a 2012 Olympics training base.