The Isle of Wight will take an 8-person table tennis team to the Island Games in Guernsey, with high hopes of medals.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the Island will take a 4-member Men’s and 4-member Women’s Team – with Glen Morley acting as coach.
The Isle of Wight has had a highly successful time of it in table tennis at the Island Games with only the Swedish island of Gotland achieving more gold medals in the history of the Games.
Dan Burns, a 9-time Gold medallist, and part of a series of teams which dominated the discipline between 1995 and 2003, returns as both a player and also as the team’s Manager. He will be hoping for history to repeat itself from the last time the Games were held in Guernsey in 2003 when the Isle of Wight took home Gold in every event apart from the Women’s Doubles.
Speaking last August, he played down hopes of a team Gold medal, saying:
“We’ll be considered outsiders for a team medal but we’ll give it our absolute best.”
However, he did highlight the chances of George Downing, who has been playing professional table tennis abroad and is considered the Island’s most likely medal hopeful.
Dan said:
“He is by far our strongest player and a fantastic addition to the team. He’s in with a real chance of a gold medal if he plays to the best of his ability.”
There will be table tennis action on every day of the Games at Hougue du Pommier with medals up for grabs on all but the opening day.
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