Enter the Senior Nationals Qualifying Tournament and open the way to meeting one of England’s leading players!
That was exactly what happened to Ben Piggott last year when, after winning the qualifying tournament, he found himself on the show court against English number 1 Liam Pitchford.
The 20-year-old from Stockton-on-Tees is back in the field this time and he strongly encourages everyone to qualify for the ‘real’ Nationals.
This year the qualifiers will be on the opening day of the Nationals – Friday 20 March at David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham. It is an open tournament, meaning all eligible players can participate in either men’s singles or women’s singles.
They will compete against each other to be one of 24 players of each gender who will advance to the main draw on Saturday, where the top eight invited players will await in the Round of 32.
All participants must have more than 200 Senior ranking points, or be dummies with more than 200 points, as of the entry deadline of Wednesday, February 18 at 11:59 PM.
Entries are on a first-come, first-served basis, with the exception of the top 50 Senior Men and top 32 Senior Women, who have protected spaces – but must still arrive before the deadline.
Any eligible player can also compete in the doubles categories, with a maximum of 16 pairs in each category, with priority given to pairs with the highest combined ranking points.
Ben said: “Obviously the reason you’re in the qualifiers is to get to the Nationals, but it’s also going to be a good day with lots of different competitions, different styles.
“Last year was my first year in Sheffield (at university and practicing at the Elite Training Centre) and I trained well and felt like I played well. I won my group and was rewarded with the match against Pitch, which was a surprise at the time but a good experience.
“Playing him was strange in a way. When I was younger I used to watch him and Paul and Sam from afar, but last year, because I’d been in Sheffield, I saw him more and more, so it wasn’t as nerve-wracking as it seems.
“It was weirder at the beginning of the game shaking his hand than actually playing against him, but it was a cool experience.
“You have to go out there and enjoy it, even though it was a tough game and I lost 4-0. I was able to go back to Sheffield and find out where I was being exploited by him so I could work on that and get better.”
Ben says what the Nationals mean to him has changed as he’s gotten older and moved up the rankings – he’s currently at number 12.
“When I was younger it was exciting but I wasn’t really meant to achieve much, but as I’ve gotten older it’s become a place where I want to play well and progress,” he said.
“It’s the whole event. I really enjoy the doubles because we don’t play a lot of doubles in England, so it’s cool to do that.
“And I like the way it’s set up with the show courts, it’s always very professional.”
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