Alice on Olympic road

ALICE LOVERIDGE is being targeted for a spot in the Great Britain table tennis team at the London 2012 Olympics. The 12-year-old starlet has been invited onto the British Table Tennis Federation's 'Talent ID' programme specifically for the Olympic Games in six years' time.

Steen Hansen from the BTTF was in the island yesterday to talk to the player's family and the Guernsey Table Tennis Association, outlining the BTTF's short- and long-term plans for the national under-12 and under-14 singles champion.

'We have followed Alice for the last year and we think she has something special which we would like to develop,' said Hansen, a Dane working for both the BTTF and the English Table Tennis Association.

His visit was aimed, primarily, in finding a solution to the player's handicap of living on an island away from the national coaches.

For the time being the Year 8 Grammar schoolgirl will attend monthly training camps but in two years' time she will be expected to move to the UK and continue her education at the still-to-be-built National Training Centre.

Loveridge is one of 20 young UK players on the Talent ID scheme being funded by UK Sport and is the youngest on a list dominated by boys.

'In Britain we are desperate for girls with the right commitment and attitude,' said Hansen, who is excited by the Guernsey girl's huge potential.

'We see something special in Alice. It's seldom to see a girl with that commitment and hunger.'

Hansen was first alerted to Loveridge two years ago.

'I heard it first from Mike Johns master classes in Guernsey and then Alan Cooke told me there was a young girl there who could play a bit.

'I invited Alice to our European preparation camp in July and she was pretty impressive.'

Loveridge, already hugely dedicated, will be expected to play at least 15 hours per week from now.

But from 2008 the National Training Centre will be operational and she will complete her schooling there while playing daily under expert eyes.

She can expect to travel far and wide, too.

Before the end of this year she will play in tournaments in Portugal, Slovakia and Romania.

From December there will be monthly training camps to attend in the UK which will be mixed up with summer camps in Hungary and China.

The news of Loveridge's recognition by the BTTF was greeted with delight by GTTA president Derek Webb.

'It's absolutely fantastic. it keeps getting better for us.

'It's fantastic for Guernsey, Alice and her family,' he said.