The penultimate weekend of the Senior British Clubs Leagues 2025/26 Premier Division is just around the corner and there is everything to play for as the teams meet again on Saturday – Valentine’s Day – at Fusion.
Ormesby top the table and are once again managed by David McBeath and supported by unbeaten Portugal Enio Mendes, who impressed last time out when BATTS hosted the second weekend of the season. Ormesby will look to maintain their two-point lead over nearest rivals Brighton, who sit second on 22 points, as the clubs have two games each in the one-day third weekend.
The top two met last time and in fact Ormesby will not face their other top three sides this time. However, they are set to take on the impressive Fusion side in fourth place, represented by all players who regularly practice with the club. To do that, the North East team will have to get past Drumchapel Glasgow to ensure they keep their noses in front, which is no easy task as Drumchapel Glasgow is represented by a host of talented players, including seven-time English National Champion Paul Drinkhall, who last time returned to the BCL Premier Division for the first time in a decade and was impressive in winning all his singles matches, helping the Scottish side secure their first win of the season.
Drumchapel Glasgow will be hoping for an inspired performance from Drinkhall if they are to be successful against the leaders, with two big battles on the agenda, against both England team-mate McBeath and Mendes. Xinliang Sun could also play a key role if Scotland are to beat Ormesby, having beaten Ben Piggott to claim the 2024 BUCS individual final and beating Louis Price 2-0 earlier this season when the teams met in North Ayrshire.
Things don’t get much easier for Drumchapel Glasgow as in Round 10 they will take on second-placed Brighton, which promises to be another great match as Brighton will have the services of impressive defender Ihor Zavadskyi, Swede David Andersson, Welsh Senior No. 1 Callum Evans and Felix Thomis, who reached the second qualifying round of the WTT Star Contender London.
Brighton are just two points behind the leaders and will be hoping to keep their title hopes alive, where a win this season would give them a historic three-peat after winning the division for the past two seasons. As mentioned above, the South Coast will take on Drumchapel in the afternoon session of Weekend 3, after starting their matchday with a draw against Ormeau.
Ormeau had no luck last time out, losing three straight games 4-3 before meeting the league leaders in their most recent match. Oriol Monzo was impressive last time out, winning six games from eight, but is unlikely to play this time out. This is due to the exciting announcement Ormeau made earlier this week, unveiling their new signing Par Gerell, who is set to make his debut in London.
A Swedish table tennis legend, renowned for his serve and known by many as the best server in the world, Gerell previously held a top world ranking of 27, and with 12 Swedish national titles, a bronze medal at the World Championships, a silver medal at the European Championships and with over 15 years of experience competing at the highest level in France, is definitely a fantastic addition to the Ormeau rankings.
He could also be joined by Owen Cathcart, who is registered for the side and was set to complete last time out having been forced to withdraw due to injury. Cathcart has been quiet on the British scene for some time but is undeniably one of the strongest British young players on the circuit, training in Sweden and competing in the German Bundesliga and taking part in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Ormeau can also call on England international Sophie Earley, and top Irish players Paul McCreery and youngster Paedar Sheridan.
Ormeau will meet eBaTT this Saturday at 2:30 PM in round 10, in a match between both 2025/26 newcomers. Last time out, Ormeau took the points thanks to a 4-3 win, with the doubles match being crucial, with Monzo and McCreery jointly taking the top 3-2. eBaTT were impressive in all their matches in BATTS, fighting hard in every battle they faced and finding themselves on the losing side of many five-set matches. The additions of Poland’s Patryk Dziuba, Ismaila Akindya and Nahom Asgedom had an immediate impact on the club, who will be hoping to launch their relegation survival drive this weekend.
First place for the North London-based club will be hosts from weekend one, North Ayrshire TTC. Now that significant investment has been made in the eBaTT squad and they can still call upon the services of Simon Belik or Patryk Dziuba, the man who ended McBeath’s unbeaten run, which you can relive by watching the video below, while being supported by some of Britain’s top players, they will be hoping to reverse the 5-2 scoreline they suffered when the clubs first met.
North Ayrshire TTC debutant and professional player Lode Hulshof from the Netherlands could only manage one win from the eight last time out, demonstrating the strength across the division; but his side led by homegrown star Martin Johnson, who pushed Paul Drinkhall to five sets last time out (watch highlights below), will be hoping to add to their points tally after two 4-3 defeats on the same day in Weekend 2. This will be a tough ask when you’re up against an eBaTT side fighting for their lives, followed by third-placed BATTS, who will be hoping to keep the pressure on the leaders.
BATTS, the hosts last time out and the side that went into the weekend two unbeaten in first place, recovered well to take two wins from a possible four, after losses on Saturday to Brighton and Ormesby. Could impressive Frenchman Alexis Douin return to boost the Essex side as he continues to maintain his unbeaten record in Britain?
BATTS also has former senior National Mixed Doubles champion turned move star Josh Bennett available for selection. Fresh off his feature in the Hollywood blockbuster Marty Supremehe could add wins over Conor Nugent and Sophie Earley to help his side move into the top 4-3 against Ormeau. You can hear Josh Bennett about his role in the film when we spoke to him at BATTS during the second weekend of the BCL Premier promotion here.
BATTS will take on the hosts on their home turf in Round 9 as they take on South London’s Fusion. BATTS came out on top when the teams met for the first time on the first weekend, thanks to Isaac Kingham exacting revenge on Larry Trumpauskas finishing 3-2 on top, in a repeat of the U21 National Championships final.
Fusion will be hoping to skip BATTS if they can win both matches this weekend, where they will be able to rely on inspiration from the home crowd advantage, which could help their side as all six players who have played so far this season are all practicing regularly with the club. Taking on leaders Ormesby in round 10 will be a tough battle, but the London side, featuring father and son duo Lorestas and Larry Trumpauskas, will be hopeful. The younger Trumpauskas will be looking for revenge on McBeath; where experience conquered youth in the first weekend, despite Trumpauskas having a number of match points.
The penultimate weekend will be one of the highlights of the season, with the strength of the division constantly evolving with a number of both British and overseas stars set to light up the Fusion Table Tennis Club venue, with entry completely free to watch. This weekend is not to be missed. Relive the best moments of the season so far on the YouTube channel Table Tennis England now.
If you can’t make it to London to support your favorite stars, watch the Table Tennis England livestream from 10am on Saturday to see the action unfold. Website of the British club competitions to find the latest results and player averages and take a look at the other parts of the British Clubs Leagues competition.
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