Youngstersmaking their mark

ANOTHER season, another format. The 36 teams contesting this winter's Doric Insurance Leagues at the Guernsey Table Tennis Centre are now three-a-side combinations instead of two.

The experiment of two-man teams in the top division has been abandoned, not because it was unsuccessful but because of a plethora of young players attaining this standard.

It certainly promises to be an exciting season in Division One and the newcomers include Gary Dodd, Paul Hainsworth, Adam Langlois and two 12-year-olds in Matthew Stubbington and Ollie Langlois.

They are joined at the other end of the spectrum by super-veteran Joe Clancy, a former island player who has recently returned to the island.

The selectors of both Lions and Whistlers clubs have attempted to balance out the sides and the juniors are paired with more experienced players.

There were some excellent matches in the first week, the biggest impact being made by young Dodd, 15, who won his three matches in the 8-2 win for Lions A over Lions C.

This included an excellent 3-0 win over former island champion and current island player Peter Bretel. Another junior, Scott Romeril, also won his three games and with back-up from Jez Powell, Lions A look like the team to beat this season.

Whistlers B have also started well with a 7-3 victory over Lions B.

The most notable result here saw Dawn Morgan defeat Island Games hero Phil Ogier 11-9 in the deciding leg for the win of the week.

Hainsworth, making his Division One bow, found life a lot harder and lost his first three games, but he took a couple of legs and shows promise on which he will need to build.

Whistlers B's good form did not last though.

In their second match they came up against their A team and an inspired Adam Langlois who probably made the most impressive start of all the juniors by winning five out of six matches.

Langlois's only defeat was against Morgan, but Mark Pipet won his three for the A team to ensure victory and they are early leaders with two wins out of two.

Langlois' scalps so far include Gary Willcocks, Tim Le Page and Derek Webb.

The two 12-year-olds have also made an impressive start.

Stubbington has won three out of six, including wins over Webb and Martin Sarre and Ollie Langlois has two wins, including one over Stubbington and one over Graham Lesbirel.

Stubbington's team, Whistlers C, have opened up with one win and one defeat and, interestingly, defender Clancy has won five out of his first six games and looks as if he may cause a few upsets this season.

All told, a healthy 108 league players are registered, in addition to the social and junior leagues which are in place and continue to thrive at the new centre.

The season has already seen the top players competing in the senior Six Nations, British League, women's British League and veterans' Six Nations with some notable results already achieved.

But it is the progress of the juniors that continues to catch the eye and with five of them debuting in Division One this season it is hoped that they develop quickly into senior island players.