Best win yet for Loveridge in Polish Open

ALICE LOVERIDGE has returned to the island after an intensive 18-day European training camp as part of the British Table Tennis Federation Olympic training group.

The camp was initially based in Bratislava and could be compared with a boot camp - spartan accommodation coupled with a tough training regime required complete dedication to training, there was nothing else to do.

Eastern European table tennis is particularly strong and the girls in particular are notoriously tough opponents. This initiative by the BTTF was designed to toughen up the British girls.

The culmination of this week was to compete in the 2009 Slovak Junior Open - part of the global ITTF Junior Circuit, held in Bratislava.

The Sarnian lost all three of the matches she played, which, while of great disappointment to her, was a stark reminder of the level she needs to attain when she enters this level next season.

24 hours later she was in Poland for more training and the 2009 Polish Youth Open - also part of the ITTF Junior Circuit and held in Wladyslawowo.

She was drawn in group eight of the junior girls' competition and her first game saw her drawn against the European under-18 number 20 Simona Lazarcikova of Slovakia.

Loveridge bounced back from her weekend disappointments and gained arguably her best ever result beating the Slovakian convincingly 11-8, 11-4, 13-11.