The Baltic Racket Sports Club held its inaugural table tennis competition on 28 August at City Sports Hall near Barbican in London, drawing significant excitement among its members. Fourteen skilled players participated in this highly anticipated event, marking the beginning of what is sure to become a popular reoccurring event.

Click here to view the full gallery of photos from the event.

 

Group Stage: Round Robin

The competition commenced with two groups of seven players playing round-robin. Matches were first to 11 points and in a best-of-three set format. Each player faced off against every other competitor in their respective group, making for an evening filled with intense rallies and spirited sportsmanship. The matches were closely contested, with every point won counting to the player’s total score within the group.

After all group matches were completed, the top two players from each group advanced to the semifinals.

 

Semifinals

The semifinals saw the top performers from the group stages battling for a place in the final. Raj from MOL, who had won his group, took on Alex from AM Nomikos, the runner-up in the other group. SGX locked out the other semifinal with Jason playing Kenny. The matches were hard-fought, with all players showcasing their best skills and determination to reach the final round.

In the end, two players emerged victorious: Raj and Kenny.

 

Final: MOL vs. SGX

The final match between SGX and MOL was a highlight of the competition. Both players brought their A-game, delivering long rallies and close points.

Despite SGX's valiant effort and skill, MOL ultimately emerged as the winner. MOL secured the decisive points and won in a close match that could have gone either way.

 

MOL was crowned the Baltic Racket Sports Club's inaugural table tennis competition champion – now they need to try and keep the title!

We also want to thank Nexus Shipping, Arrow, and the Baltic & Thurlestone, who also fielded players.

The event was a great success and set a high standard for future tournaments.

 

We would also like to remind everyone that Baltic Exchange has officially launched the Racket Sports Club, which is being run by Matthew Cannon from MOL. The club aims to run a few more tennis, padel, and table tennis events throughout the year, so if you are interested, please contact him for more details.

Likewise, if you have any ideas or would like to join the committee to run and grow the club, please get in touch with him directly.