Greenway Girls Under 11 Butterfly National School Table Tennis Champions
On Sunday 3 April, Greenway Primary and Nursery School girls’ under 11 table tennis team went to Wolverhampton to compete at this year’s National finals. Greenway, from Berkhamsted, were one of four teams to reach this stage after a long campaign which extended from area finals, county finals, zonal finals, regional finals and now the national finals.
The team had been training relentlessly every playtime, lunchtime and after school in preparation for the national finals. It has been three years since Greenway were last in the national finals and four years since their first ever national title back in 2018. One of the former Greenway players, Bella Tonev, came back to train and inspire this future generation.
At the national finals, the team got off to a flying 8-0 win against Bankfields from Teeside. Next up, Burbage primary from Hinckley, which proved a tougher match but Greenway still ran out 7-1 winners. This set up a final clash against the reigning and defending champions, Fox Primary from Kensington. Both teams had been flawless until this point, so it was going to be a tight end to proceedings. The score finished 5-3 and Greenway were crowned National Champions! Well done to Ava Baker, Annabel Howe, Lucy Miller, Riley Jannese and Clemence Courtney!
Team coaches Kai Lewis and Mark Loczy said: ‘We are so proud of the team who all played an integral part on this long, arduous journey. Most importantly, we are proud of how well the team conducted themselves. They showed great respect for their opponents and supported their opponents at every stage. We hope the determination and perseverance our team showed will inspire our future generations. Well done team on a thoroughly deserved victory!’
Team: Ava Baker, Annabel Howe, Lucy Miller, Riley Jannese and Clemence Courtney