The LTA has named a team of five players, including 2019 medallists Esah Hayat, Lewis Fletcher and Phoebe Suthers, to represent Great Britain at the 3rd World Deaf Tennis Championships, which takes place in Hersonisos, Crete from 23- 29 September. The full team is:

· Esah Hayat, (East Finchley, London)
· Lewis Fletcher (Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire)
· Phoebe Suthers (Elland, Yorkshire)
· Charlie Denton (Stonehouse, Gloucestershire)
· Ethan Carter (Meonstoke, Hampshire)

Great Britain National Coach: Catherine Fletcher
Great Britain Team Manager: Sophie Hall

Great Britian is one of more than 20 countries contesting this year’s World Championships, with Hayat, Denton, Carter and Suthers contesting the men’s and women’s singles events from Saturday.

Phoebe Suthers, Lewis Fletcher and Esah Hayat

Fletcher will partner Hayat in the men’s doubles and partner Suthers in the mixed doubles after teaming up with the same respective partners to win men’s doubles and mixed doubles silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Antalya, Turkey, where the three players won a total of five medals between them.

Great Britain hosted the 1st World Deaf Tennis Championships in Nottingham in 2015, where Hayat and Suthers won gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the junior boys’ singles and girls’ singles before earning silver and bronze medals in the same events four years ago in Turkey, where they also paired up to win the gold medal in the junior mixed doubles.

As well as lining up in the men’s singles and men’s doubles, Carter and Denton will contest the World Deaf Youth Tennis Championships from Monday (25th September). Denton returned from the 3rd Deaf Youth Tennis Cup in Germany last year with a gold medal in the doubles and bronze medal in the singles and recently won his fourth LTA Deaf National Finals junior singles title.

The LTA’s Disability Competitions Manager Sophie Hall, Great Britain Team Manager for the 2023 World Deaf Tennis Championships, said: “Great Britain’s deaf tennis players have a long history of medal success at Deaflympic, World and European level and while the pandemic has limited the opportunities to contest major championships since 2019, this year started with Phoebe and Esah putting in some great performances at the Australian Open. Phoebe was runner-up in the women’s singles and doubles at the first deaf tennis tournament to take place alongside a Grand Slam. The strength and depth in deaf tennis continues to rise globally and we’re very excited to be back in world championship competition and hopefully challenging for medals at senior and youth level.”

With thanks to the LTA

Included in the selection is the latest Women’s World Champion Jamie Gumbrell, who competed along with 55 other players from around the world, at the GC Women’s World Championship held here in England, at the Sussex Country Croquet Club during August 2023.

Chris Clarke, Chair of Openshaw Shield Selection Committee for the Croquet Association in England has responded to the announcement “It’s good to see Australia with a potentially very strong team, with a mixture of playing styles within their squad. We’ll be selecting our team after the GC World Championships in 2024, and will be announcing our squad after the England-Egypt match in October 2023. We do not have a captain for the Openshaw as yet.”

The current holders of the Championship, last played in 2020, are New Zealand, who will be defending their title in the eight team tournament in Launceston, Tasmania, in February 2025.  The countries being represented in the 2025 team Championship are New Zealand, Egypt, England, USA, Australia, South Africa, Ireland and Spain.

Australia’s final team will be selected from the following squad of nine:

Greg Fletcher – Victoria
Malcolm Fletcher – Victoria
Robert Fletcher – Victoria
Jamie Gumbrell – { ACT } New South Wales
Pete Landrebe – New South Wales
Brett McHardy – Western Australia
Chris McWhirter – Western Australia
Gary Phipps – Western Australia
Ed Wilson – South Australia

England’s 2020 Team Captain, John-Paul Moberly congratulates the players selected for the Australian Squad, and adds “I look forward to England’s best players competing against those of Australia and around the world in 2025”.

With thanks to Croquet England

To signify the opening of the Golf Croquet Women’s World Championship 2023, Dame Mary Berry cut a cake made by a local Sussex County Croquet Club player Peter Goldsmith. In her encouraging speeches she wished all the players good luck and admitted that although she thought her croquet was not up to the same standards, both herself and her husband “Love it”.

After being introduced to Croquet at her home club Phyllis Court Croquet Club, Mary’s was delighted to announce that her club coach, Helena Janson, is playing in this Championship. Both Mary and Helena were presented a bouquet of flowers by Sussex County’s youngest member, Imogen Perry.

Sussex Country Croquet Club welcome spectators for the entire event, more details can be found on the event website, www.gcwomensworld2023.org.

The Opening Ceremony of the WCF Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship can be found on YouTube/@Croquetengland.

With thanks to Buglife

All spectators will be welcomed at the Sussex Country Croquet Club on Sunday 6th August, where the Opening Ceremony will be held. The event will be livestreamed on the Youtube/@CroquetEngland Channel, as will the entire championship.

56 Competitors from 16 countries will compete over the 8 day event, which will include four qualifiers to be announced on Saturday.

The current holder of the Women’s GC World Championship is Egypt’s Soha Mostafa. England representatives include the current Association Croquet World Champion Debbie Lines, and European GC champion Rachel Gee.

Sussex Country Croquet Club welcome spectators for the entire event, more details can be found on the event website, www.gcwomensworld2023.org.

With thanks to Buglife

Reigning World and Olympic Champion Joe Choong will be bidding to defend his crown when the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifying event takes place at the University of Bath from 19-28 August.

He will be joined in the men’s squad by Myles Pillage and Charlie Brown, who won team gold with Choong for Team GB at the recent European Games, as well as Ross Charlton who placed fifth at last month’s European Junior Championships.

In the women’s squad are OIivia Green and Jess Varley, who helped GB win team gold at last year’s World Championships in Alexandria, Egypt. Kerenza Bryson, a World Cup winner earlier this season, and Emma Whitaker – named as the world’s Best Junior Female Pentathlete of 2022 by pentathlon governing body UIPM – complete a strong individual line-up.

Pentathlon GB will also contest the relay events, with both the men’s and women’s titles being decided during an action-packed Family Day on Tuesday 22nd August. Guy Anderson and Sam Curry will line up in the men’s event, while Alex Bousfield and Gina Speakman – a former laser-run competitor who will be making her senior pentathlon debut – will represent the hosts in the women’s. A GB partnership will also contest the mixed relay, which conclude the championships on Monday 28th August.

This will be a third international event on home soil for Choong after Bath successfully hosted the European Championships in 2015 and 2019.

“I achieved the Olympic qualifying standard for Rio in 2015 and won men’s team gold in 2019, so I have very fond memories of competing here in front of a home crowd,” said Choong, who has won silver medals at the World Cup Final and European Games so far this season.

“It is always an honour to represent your country but to be going into a home World Championships as the defending champion is a particularly special moment. We are taking on the very best in the world and the standard of competition is going to be intense, especially with the Paris Olympics just a year away, but the support from the home fans will give us an extra boost.”

Jon Pett, Pentathlon GB Performance Director, added: “To host a World Championships is always special, and even more so as we approach the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the aim of retaining both gold medals from Tokyo.

“We have selected a strong squad who have all shown strong development and achieved their own successes in 2023, and a team that will be looking to push for both podium places and Olympic qualification to add to the two quota slots achieved at the European Games.

“With entries across the full event programme we hope to give everyone something to celebrate and I’m excited to see what our team can deliver in front of their families and hopefully a large partisan crowd!”

This year’s Modern Pentathlon World Championships are the first to be staged in Britain since 2009 and will be contested in the new 90-minute format. Spectators will be able to watch the fencing, horse-riding and laser run live from their seats in an outdoor arena at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, while the swimming section – taking place in the University’s Olympic-sized pool – will be broadcast via a large video screen in the stadium.

Interactive ‘have a go’ sessions will run alongside the competitive events to give spectators the chance to discover the five pentathlon disciplines for themselves.

The pentathlon competition will be preceded from 19-21 August by the UIPM Laser Run World Championships, taking place in Britain for the first time. They combine running and shooting in fast-paced races and will include a Para Laser Run category.

Daily tickets are priced from just £5, with entry to Pentathlon Finals Day on Sunday 27th August – when both the men’s and women’s champions will be crowned – priced from £15 for adults and £5 concessions. All tickets in the accessible stand are £5 throughout the event. Visit www.wch23.org to buy tickets.

Selected athletes (including hometown)

Men’s team

Charlie Brown | Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
Ross Charlton | Morpeth, Northumberland.
Joe Choong | Orpington, Kent.
Myles Pillage | Plymouth, Devon.
Guy Anderson (relay) | Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire.
Sam Curry (relay) | Salfords, Surrey.

Women’s team

Kerenza Bryson | Plymouth, Devon.
Olivia Green | Oldham, Lancashire.
Jess Varley | Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire.
Emma Whitaker | Lancaster, Lancashire.
Alex Bousfield (relay) | Tring, Hertfordshire.
Gina Speakman (relay) | Halifax, West Yorkshire.

World Championships schedule (Modern Pentathlon unless stated)

Saturday 19th August 2023 – Laser Run World Championships – individual.
Sunday 20th August 2023 – Laser Run World Championships – individual.
Monday 21st August 2023 – Laser Run World Championships – relays and para laser run.
Tuesday 22nd August 2023 – men’s and women’s relays (family day).
Wednesday 23rd August 2023 – women’s qualification round.
Thursday 24th August 2023 – men’s qualification round.
Friday 25th August 2023 – women’s semi-finals.
Saturday 26th August 2023 – men’s semi-finals.
Sunday 27th August 2023 – women’s final, men’s final.
Monday 28th August 2023 – mixed relay.

With thanks to Team Bath

From providing a warm welcome to international athletes as they arrive in the host city to helping competition days run smoothly and ensuring spectators have a fun and safe time, the army of volunteers have an essential role to play in ensuring the championships – taking place from 19th to 28th August – are an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

Among those looking forward to playing their part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifying event is 20-year-old Freddie Goodway, a keen runner and budding triathlete who was the 100th volunteer to sign up for the championships.

His involvement with the athletics club at Swansea University, where he is studying Accounting and Finance, led Freddie to volunteer at the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) Cross Country Championships earlier this year – an experience he enjoyed so much that he was inspired to apply to volunteer at the World Championships back in his hometown of Bath.

“As a volunteer you get the opportunity to help deliver a major sporting event so there’s an extra level of involvement which is fun and exciting,” he said. “Not only that, the social side can be great as you’re bound to meet lots of new people who share common interests. The experience is also really good for developing the skills that can help with career prospects.”

While it will be a first international sporting event for Freddie, the Pentathlon and Laser Run World Championships will mark an impressive 20 years of volunteering for Annie Thomas dating back to the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

The retired PE teacher from Hertfordshire was also a Gamesmaker at London 2012 and volunteered at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, having been involved with the Gold Coast 2018 Games in Australia.

“Volunteering lets me visit new places while having a reason or purpose for being there, not just as a tourist,” said Annie. “It’s lovely to feel properly useful and I’ve made many new friends through the events where I’ve worked.

“I’ve seen the enormous difference the volunteers make to an event and nine times out of ten the event wouldn’t be able to go ahead without them. It’s wonderful to work with people who really appreciate you and your contribution.”

Working alongside event organisers in the search for volunteers is volunteering partner The Waiting Game, a Bristol-based temporary staffing agency that provides support for large-scale events and is committed to ensuring wellbeing and quality of experience.

Rebecca Leach, 2023 Laser Run and Modern Pentathlon World Championship Event Director, said: “A huge thank you to everyone who has applied to be a volunteer, either directly or through The Waiting Game. They come from a wide and varied background, from those with lots of experience volunteering at sports events to local residents with no links to pentathlon but a passion to help deliver a world-class event in their home city.

“We still need more people to get involved, so if you can spare some time this August please visit pentathlongb.org/2023wch-volunteering for more information and to express an interest. There is a role suitable for everyone!”

Tickets for the World Championships – being staged at the University of Bath, home to Pentathlon GB – are on sale now priced from just £5. Entry to Pentathlon Finals Day on Sunday 27th August, when both the men’s and women’s champions will be crowned, is priced from £15 for adults and £5 concessions. All tickets in the accessible stand are £5 throughout the event. Visit www.wch2023.org to buy tickets.

 There was more gold for Britain in the women’s final as Olivia Green, Jess Varley and Charlie Follett all recorded terrific top-10 finishes to secure the team title.

 Reigning Olympic Champion Choong, who also won gold at the 2019 World Cup Final, dominated the men’s final, building on his lead from the fencing ranking round by producing a perfect ride and the third-fastest time in the swimming pool to start the laser-run with a 20-second lead.

Home athlete Mohamed Elgendy managed to close to within four seconds going into the final shoot but Choong had left more than enough in the tank to sprint over the finish line and add World Championships gold to his Olympic title.

“I have the set now, so I’m pretty pleased,” said a beaming Choong, who won silver when Britain last contested the World Championships in 2019.

“Ever since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to say I was the best in the world at something. I won the Olympics, and that’s the biggest thing you can do, but World Champion means you are literally number one in the world.

“I took a lot of time out after the Olympics, which I needed mentally, and this was the first competition where I have felt anywhere close to the level I had at Tokyo. I’ve been super-focussed and it’s been a nice competition.”

Pentathlon GB Performance Director Jon Pett told UIPM TV: “For Joe to win his first world title is brilliant. We’re building to Paris 2024 and defending his Olympic title, and now he’s the World Champion – what a place to be.”

Pentathlon GB will host the next edition of the UIPM Pentathlon and Laser-Run World Championships, taking place at the University of Bath in August 2023 and doubling as a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Story of the day – women’s final 

Olivia Green was the highest-ranked Brit going into Saturday’s final, starting the day in sixth following her 19 wins from 35 bouts in Thursday’s fencing ranking round. Charlie Follett, with 18 wins, was 14^th but just five pentathlon points behind while Jess Varley was 16^th after recording 15 victories.

As in the men’s final, more than half of the competitors recorded a perfect round in the riding including a faultless Follett, while Green and Varley picked up just one obstacle penalty each to score 293 points apiece.

Follett’s climb up the rankings continued in the swimming pool as her time of 2:15.39, the fifth-fastest of the final, moved her to sixth in the overall standings. Green – the only Brit to add additional points in the fencing bonus round, recording one win – touched the wall in 2:17.15 and Varley was just behind her in 2:18.04, meaning they started the laser-run eighth and 15^th respectively.

Italy’s Elena Micheli and Hungary’s Michelle Gulyas quickly pulled clear of the field, going on to win gold and silver respectively, but Green found herself in the hunt for bronze after a brilliant start to the laser-run. After a third rapid-fire visit to the shooting range, she emerged three seconds clear of World Cup Final champion Elodie Clouvel in third place.

The final shoot proved tense for both and allowed other athletes to join the podium-chasing pack, including Turkey’s Ilke Ozyuksel who went on to take bronze. Green left the range in sixth but produced a sprint to cross the line in fifth – her best-ever finish in a senior international women’s individual final.

World Cup Final silver-medallist Varley once again produced an excellent laser-run, clocking the second-fastest time of 11:18.50, but had to settle for seventh on this occasion. Follett crossed the line in 10^th and the Brits’ combined scores ensured they took the team title with 4,161 points, well clear of second-placed South Korea.

Story of the day – men’s final 

With his excellent return of 24 victories and just 11 defeats during Wednesday’s fencing ranking round carrying over, it meant Joe Choong went into the final in a three-way tie for first place with Pele Uibel of Germany and South Korea’s Jinhwa Jung.

Both Choong and Uibel were among 10 pentathletes to record maximum points in Saturday’s opening discipline, producing perfect rides to add 300 to their tallies and strengthen their position at the front of the field.

Choong edged his nose in front by picking up two more victories in the fencing bonus round before stretching his advantage with an excellent swim, his 200m freestyle time of 2:01.12 only being bettered by two other athletes in the 18-man field.

That meant he started the laser-run with a healthy 20-second advantage over Uibel and third-placed Mohamed Elgendy of host country Egypt, brother of Olympic silver-medallist Ahmed.

Elgendy quickly moved up to second and gradually ate away at the Brit’s lead, closing to within four seconds going into the final shoot, but Choong had conserved his energy well and was able to sprint over the finish line to take gold in magnificent style. Elgendy was a couple of seconds back and Hungary’s Balazs Szep completed the podium after an outstanding laser-run, moving up from 11^th to third.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd

The duo last saw international action in August 2019 at the Olympic test event held at the Tokyo 2020 sailing venue of Enoshima.

Mills and McIntyre (pictured above) claimed silver, just a fortnight after securing their first world crown together on the same waters.

The string of successes were meant to set them up perfectly for a tilt at Olympic gold the following summer – but since then the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented any 470 racing from taking place.

While Mills and McIntyre have been able to train in the UK at the British Sailing Team’s world class base in Weymouth and Portland, as well as a handful of training blocks in Lanzarote, they have lacked contact time with their most fierce competition.

The World Championships, starting on Monday in Vilamoura, Portugal, will provide a crucial chance to benchmark performance in the critical run-in to the Games after what has been the most challenging of years.

“With only five months to go until the Olympic Games, this regatta is a huge opportunity for us,” said Mills, from Cardiff.

“It will be the first event in over 18 months where we will have pressure to perform and those experiences in the build-up to the Games are crucial.

“The event is a little different to other pre-Olympic World Champs because we don’t know as much about our competitors as we normally would. Many we haven’t seen or raced against for over a year! As much as it is about us and our performance, it’s also about evaluating everyone else and where there have been any gains that we haven’t necessarily predicted, or new teams emerging who could now be a new rival at the Games.

“Regardless of how perfect or imperfect our preparation will be for this event, we are in a place where we can definitely test our ability to perform under pressure and we will be doing everything we can to do that and try and retain our world title. Win or lose, will really lead our focus and direction between now and the Games.”

In the men’s fleet, Tokyo 2020 picks Luke Patience and Chris Grube (pictured above) go up against their rivals in a heavily contested fleet that will also include fellow Brits Martin Wrigley and Alex Hughes.

Meanwhile a host of British crews will be looking to make their mark in the mixed fleet, the new format for the 470 class for Paris 2024.

Competition will be high to claim the first mixed world title. Among those angling for glory will be the pairs of Amy Seabright/James Taylor, Vita Heathcote/Ryan Orr, Georgina Povall/Arran Holman, and Freya Black/Marcus Tressler.

Emma Wilson photo Joao Costa Ferreira

Just a day later at the same venue, windsurfers Tom Squires and Emma Wilson (pictured right) will mark their returns to racing at the RS:X European Championships.

The RS:X class fared better than the 470s in 2020, managing to get a World Championships in before the pandemic struck. A European Championships was then held late in November before tighter restrictions were reintroduced across the continent.

Both athletes are aware the five-day regatta could be their only chance to compete against their rivals ahead of Tokyo 2020.

“There is adversity everywhere, plans are changing all the time with regards to competition and training and staying safe in a changeable and challenging environment,” said Squires, from Oxford.

“From one day to the next you can see your World Championship dates change, venue changes or be all-together cancelled, so to secure this key event just a few months before the Olympics Games is critical for my performance.

“Although this is a European Championships, it is an ‘open event’ allowing everyone from across the world to participate. This including the selected sailors from as far as Japan and New Zealand. It will be a good representation of my current standing and show my strengths and weaknesses against the best.”

Wilson, from Christchurch, Dorset, added: “I’m so excited to being able to race again – we never know when we will get another regatta before Tokyo so for me it’s all about appreciating how lucky we are as athletes and making the most of the opportunity. I’ve spent all winter out here in Vilamoura training with a nice group of girls which has been really fun and productive. The level should be really high with only a few people not racing. It will be hard work but good fun.”

Follow the two events via the British Sailing Team’s social media channels.

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Courtesy of the RYA

The Sport & Exercise Science student, supported by a King Sports Scholarship, was the final Brit to compete in the women’s team final and stuck her landing brilliantly to score 35.600 – the highest individual score of all those competing.

That secured second spot for the GB team, which also included Kim Beattie and Ruth Shevelan, whose total of 104.500 was just 0.200 behind the United States. The medal emulated their podium placings of 2015 and 2017.

Reigning European Champion Way, from Dorchester, also achieved her pre-tournament goal of qualifying for the women’s individual final in fine style with the fourth-highest total score of 69.500.

Unfortunately she suffered a fall on her second landing in the final which required medical attention but she still scored a total of 61.600 to finish seventh in the world overall – an excellent effort after undergoing knee surgery in June.

Applications are now being taken from current and prospective University of Bath student-athletes for the 2020-21 Sports Scholarship programme. Visit www.teambath.com/scholarships to find out more.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

Photo: LTA

Lewis Fletcher, Esah Hayat, Valerie Copenhagen and Phoebe Suthers will play for medals in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles events, with Fletcher and Hayat already through to play for the gold medal in men’s doubles and Fletcher and Suthers through to the mixed doubles final.

Hayat and Fletcher beat India’s Prasanth Dasharta Hamsabhavi and Prithvi Sekhar 7-5, 6-4 in Thursday’s men’s doubles semi-finals at Antalya Tennis Club. Fourth seeds Fletcher and Hayat will now play German second seeds Urs Breitenberger and Sebastian Schäffer in Friday’s final as the British duo bid to go one better than when winning the silver medal for Great Britain in last year’s Dresse Cup World Deaf Tennis Team Championships at the same venue.

Later on Thursday afternoon second seeds Fletcher and Suthers beat third seeds Schäffer and Verena Fleckenstein 6-3, 6-2 to book their place in Friday’s mixed doubles final, were they will meet a second German partnership, top seeds Breitenberger and Heike Albrecht.

Fletcher said: “It’s a nice feeling being in the finals and after last year’s Dresse Cup result it shows GB are one of the main contenders. I’m delighted to be sharing these two finals with Esah and Phoebe, but also for making a wise decision on playing doubles only here. It has paid off, but I am keen to go one step further and take the titles in both events. We would be the first GB players to do so. We have very much adopted the British doubles system and trusted this, even when things are not going our way. We will see what the finals bring!”
Seventeen-year-old Hayat, who will also contest Friday’s boys’ singles semi-finals, said: “I’m really pleased to have made the men’s doubles final. We came through some very tough matches and I’m hoping to go one better than last year in the Dresse Cup and get my first men’s senior gold medal. I’m also very excited to go out there again tomorrow in the junior singles and doubles events.”

Sixteen-year-old Suthers, who will contest the girls’ singles semi-finals and the junior mixed doubles semi-finals alongside Hayat on Friday, as well as the senior mixed doubles final, said: “I’m very, very pleased with the mixed doubles result and I couldn’t be more delighted to be in the final and to have a guaranteed medal. Lewis and I have brilliant teamwork which makes anything possible. Val and I did extremely well to get to the women’s doubles semi-finals and it’s all to play for for the bronze medal.”

Four years ago Hayat became the first ever World Champion in boys’ singles, when the inaugural World Deaf Tennis Championships for individuals was staged on British soil, in Nottingham. Hayat plays Russian Vladislav Abramov on Friday for a place in this year’s final.

Suthers won the bronze medal in the girls’ singles in 2015 and the reigning women’s singles national champion plays Japan’s Riko Suzuki in Friday’s semi-finals in a bid to reach the gold medal match.

Fourth seeds Copenhagen and Suthers will play French top seeds Marine Beney and Lucie Boulestreau for the women’s doubles bronze medal after both partnerships were beaten by Japanese team in their respective semi-finals.

For updates and results throughout the Championships, head to the LTA’s Deaf Tennis Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BritishDeafTennis/ or keep up to date via the Championship’s official website: https://www.wdtc2019.com/shedulue.

Courtesy of the LTA via MELT