Sport / Five Shetlanders fly the flag for Scotland at table tennis championships
FIVE Shetland bairns had the chance to represent Scotland at a primary school table tennis competition in Largs last weekend.
Ava Swift was the only Shetland player selected for the Scottish girls’ A Team after a superb performance at the Scottish primary schools competition in November 2025.
She contributed an outstanding eight singles and five doubles wins for her team and was delighted to secure a very well-deserved bronze medal in the team event.
Dylan Ritch, Peony Li, Hanna Sneider and Eve Johnson all successfully qualified for the Scottish B teams. All five players made significant contributions and both teams punched well above their weight.
In the team event, which took place on Friday and Saturday, the Scottish girls’ B team, including Li, Sneider and Johnson, finished in a very creditable fourth – just ahead of Wales, Jersey and Guernsey.
Ritch and the Scottish boys’ B team achieved a strong fifth place overall.
On Sunday the singles events began with all players placed in an initial group of four, with the top two qualifying for the knockout stages and the remainder competing in the consolation event.
Sneider won one of her group matches to progress to the consolation round of 16, where she dispatched her opponent 3–0.
In the quarter-finals she met Evie Gowen and, after a hard-fought battle, lost 3–1.
Sneider can be very proud of her efforts, achieving a top eight finish in the consolation singles and contributing to a fourth place team finish.
Ritch played very well, winning two out of three matches in his group to qualify for the knockout stage. In the last 16, he met James Heung and lost 3–0.
He can feel very pleased with his performance over the weekend, achieving a top 16 singles placing, a fifth place team finish, and enjoying a memorable match against Inniyan Jayaraj.
Li and Swift also performed strongly to reach the last 16 after winning two out of three group matches.
In the last 16, Swift put up a great fight but lost to Victoria Sawecka 3–0. She can be very proud of winning team bronze and achieving a top 16 singles finish.
Li, after a closely contested match with Lucy Stakim, lost narrowly 3–1.
Johnson reached the knockout stage by topping her group, winning all three matches, including a victory over current Scottish primary schools champion Alana Thurston.
In the round of 16, Johnson won 3–0 to progress to the quarter-finals. There, she faced Bethany Yang and, despite a strong effort, lost 3–0 to the eventual winner.
Coach Joan Smith said the team showed “fantastic commitment, resilience and team spirit throughout the weekend, embracing every challenge and rising to the occasion”.
“This experience will no doubt be a huge stepping stone in their development, and I am excited to see what the future holds for each of them,” she added.
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