Dodd flourishing on national stage

After the Covid pandemic left the UK-based Guernsey star questioning whether he had a future in the sport, he has bounced back emphatically to reach a career-high England ranking – 11th in the senior men – and still leads the British League’s Championship Division with Drumchapel Glasgow TTC 1.

This week his mind has been on the Island Championships, where he has qualified to face Ben Foss in the men’s singles final and has several other titles to contest.

But beneath his high-achieving exterior is a surprisingly relaxed approach to the sport.

‘I just play and enjoy it,’ he said during the annual spectacle at the GTTA Centre.

‘This is probably the main target – Island and Channel Island Championships.

‘I don’t sit around at home and solely focus on that. It’s an event where I come back, play, get a bit of a holiday out of it, and if I’m successful, great, if not then come back next year.

‘Five years ago, this would have been the be all and end all.’

Dodd partly credits this new approach for his results in the British League, where just two months ago he had a red-hot streak of 19 straight wins.

He joined the team through Victor Guang Shi, who lives in Sheffield, and it has been a very positive journey.

‘I’ve gained a bit of confidence from that, because it’s a strong team,’ he said.

‘The more you win, the more confidence you get.’

Although he has lost five matches since – taking his England ranking to 19 – he retains one of the league’s best individual records.

And there is no stopping the juggernaut of Drumchapel, who currently top the division unbeaten with 13 wins and one draw.

‘It’s pretty much a given that we’re going to go up to the Premier Division, which will be good,’ he added.

However, he is conscious of the differing nature of the Premier Division, which he defined as ‘more weekends, but less table tennis on the weekend’.

‘I’ve played Prem Division in 2013 and did all right... I’m happy playing Championship to be honest, but it will be a good standard and it will help continue my development.’

This summer will bring the momentous occasion of Dodd’s first Island Games on Sarnian soil.

Despite having moved to England over four years ago now, he very much still considers them a home Games.

‘I’ve played for 15 years in this venue.

‘I’m looking forward to it, and the other guys are looking forward to it.’

The vast majority of the Guernsey team will also be playing their first home Games.

But, especially given the disruption from Covid, he does not know quite what to expect from the opposition.

‘Because we’ve had a four-year gap, you don’t know who’s going to turn up really.

‘I know the Jersey guys who are going and they’re really strong – obviously Jordan Wykes and Luc Miller are pretty much professionals and they’re going – so that will be a challenge.

‘Other than that I don’t know who’s going to turn up. But at the end of the day, if you don’t know who’s going to come, you should just get on with it.

‘We’ve been very successful as an island, so it’s more of a case to get ourselves in best condition as possible and see where we go.’

Looking beyond this season, he is hoping he can remain a firm fixture in the England rankings for years to come.

‘I want to stay in the top 30 in England as long as possible really – that’s a target – but other than that, just enjoy it.

‘I probably play better now because I enjoy it, rather than looking ahead and setting lots of targets.

‘I just rock up now, pick and choose tournaments I play, pick up a bit of cash if I can, and yeah see where I go.’