Loveridge top of the class in Great Britain

ALICE LOVERIDGE has won her second-straight British schools table tennis title. In Largs, Scotland, the Guernsey youngster beat the English number one, Emily Bates, in a final which went to a deciding fifth set.

In the boys' event, Liam Robilliard played out of his skin to claim a bronze in a memorable weekend for the Sarnian contingent.

Becks O'Keefe, Guernsey's development officer for the sport, was ecstatic about the results.

'I've never seen Alice and Liam play so well. Their hard work has paid off,' said O'Keefe.

Loveridge, who won the title last year on her home tables, had lost to Bates in the team stages of the event but swept to the final with a string of straight-sets victories, including two against top English players.

The final was a nailbiter and it looked like going the way of the English girl when, at one-set all, Loveridge squandered a 9-5 lead to lose the set.

She was still in trouble at 9-9 in the fourth which she had to win to keep the match alive.

'That's when Alice's mental toughness came through,' said Guernsey Table Tennis Association president Derek Webb, who was an excited onlooker.

The Guernsey girl snatched the set and in the fifth came through it relatively comfortably.

O'Keefe had feared the worst.

'I didn't think she'd win it because she had lost to the English girl earlier.

'But she held strong . . . she stayed positive,' said her coach.

Robilliard's bronze was thoroughly deserved.

He won seven of his 10 matches in the team stages and went into the individual event seeded fourth.

After winning his qualifying group he beat the Irish number three in the first round of the knockout and the English number three in the quarter-finals before crashing out to the Irish number one, Ashley Robinson, in the semis.

Robilliard had spearheaded the boys' team, which also comprised Andrew Stone, Robert Woodhard and Jake Gregory-Haines, to a 9-1 victory over the Isle of Man and a 5-5 draw with Wales.

The girls' squad of Loveridge, Kate Stubbington, Elizabeth Priest and Vicky Stacey lost all their matches against the home countries but picked up points. The Isle of Man did not play in the girls' team event.