England Nationals (Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships 2026)

[the-don]

I think Dan is about 66, and Tom isn’t on the list (but would maybe be 30-40 ish?)

Someone who knows the scene better than me could comment.

But, from those guys to our very best, is a huge gap.

And then from our very best (Jarvis, Pitchford, Drinkhall), there is STILL, a huge gap to the top of the game.

With how the UK is set up, I’m not sure we’ll ever have a real global contender.

liam pitchford reached 12th in the ittf rakning.
that's pretty close to the top.

 

[Matteones]

I think Dan is about 66, and Tom isn’t on the list (but would maybe be 30-40 ish?)

Someone who knows the scene better than me could comment.

But, from those guys to our very best, is a huge gap.

And then from our very best (Jarvis, Pitchford, Drinkhall), there is STILL, a huge gap to the top of the game.

With how the UK is set up, I’m not sure we’ll ever have a real global contender.

I'd say Pitch was a solid global contender in his best years and sometimes he looked like he could break through and reach top10. Don't know what happened to him, his playing level just went down naturally or did he have injuries?

 

[vvk1]

liam pitchford reached 12th in the ittf rakning.
that's pretty close to the top.

That was in 2019. Sadly, he's well past his prime.

 

[NextLevel]

I'd say Pitch was a solid global contender in his best years and sometimes he looked like he could break through and reach top10. Don't know what happened to him, his playing level just went down naturally or did he have injuries?

Injuries, mental health issues that he has discussed publicly and of course, style considerations as people get more used to the new ball and the backhand play it enables, But he can still play great table tennis, but right now is injured.

 

[the-don]

That was in 2019. Sadly, he's well past his prime.

Liam Pitchford on the recovery trail after surgery by leading hip specialist - Table Tennis England

This X-ray shows the result of the leading-edge surgery which aims to get Liam Pitchford back to his best and competing at the top of the world game.

www.tabletennisengland.co.uk

 

[vvk1]

Sam Walker v Larry Trumpauskas semi-final live now:

Mens final live now. Sam Walker v Tom Jarvis. Link above.

 

[d3nium]

Congrats to Tom Jarvis & Tin-Tin Ho

Why didn't Drinkhall enter the singles?

 

[GAOdp]

Mark Bates Ltd English Senior National Championships-2026 — the annual national table tennis championships of England, held for the 66th time in 2026. The tournament is organized by Table Tennis England (formerly the English Table Tennis Association). The championships were held from March 20 to 22, 2026 at the David Ross Sports Village, located at the University of Nottingham in Nottingham, England.
Medals were contested in men’s and women’s singles and doubles events, as well as in mixed doubles. Para table tennis singles events were also held in combined classes 2–5 and 6–10.
The total prize money amounted to £13,950.

Participants
Singles Categories (Invitations)

Table Tennis England invites players to participate in the Mark Bates Ltd English Senior National Championships 2026 based on the following criteria:

• 7 men and 7 women from the Table Tennis England ranking (as of 25/05);
• 1 wildcard for men and 1 wildcard for women.

If a player declines or withdraws before the qualification draw, the next eligible player is invited. Withdrawals after the draw may open additional qualification places. Final replacements are at the referee’s discretion. Rankings are dynamic, but invitations are based on a fixed snapshot.

Singles Categories (Qualification)

All eligible players may enter qualification. A total of 24 players progress to the main draw.
Entries are accepted on a first-paid basis. Qualification takes place on March 20, followed by the main draw (March 21) and finals (March 22).
Minimum 200 ranking points are required. Top-50 men and top-30 women are guaranteed entry.

Doubles Categories

Up to 16 pairs compete in each category. Priority is given to pairs with the highest combined ranking.

Para Players

Para players are selected by British Para Table Tennis and must be members of Table Tennis England.

Tournament System:
Singles Categories (Qualification) – group stage (minimum 4 players per group). Players progress to the main draw or qualification play-off. Matches are best of 5 (11-point games).

Singles Categories (Main Draw) – knockout format from Last 32.

Last 32: best of 5; from Last 16: best of 7.

Doubles Categories – knockout, best of 5.

Para Categories – 2 groups of 3 players followed by knockout.
Classes 1–5 (seated), 6–10 (standing), defined by IPC.

Useful Links

Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships-2026 - official page of the 2026 English National Championships on the Table Tennis England website
Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships - general page of the English National Championships on the Table Tennis England website
Mark Bates Ltd Senior Nationals: The players - list of participants of the 2026 English National Championships on the Table Tennis England website
2025-2026 Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championship - prospectus - tournament prospectus on the Table Tennis England website
Mark Bates Ltd National Championships 2026 - tournament playlist on the official Table Tennis England YouTube channel with match recordings
Table Tennis England - Albums - tournament photos on the official Table Tennis England Flickr resource