Lewis Gray
Lightning fast Lewis is from Benenden and has a string of major table tennis titles to his name, including national victories in singles and doubles championships.
Lewis has been a member of the England youth development squad since 2005. He ranked England's No 1 in his age group in 06/07 and in 2007 won team and individual events for the England development squad at the four nations training tournament in Cardiff. This seasoned campaigner of the national and international circuit is just 15 years old.
Profile
Date and place of birth: 1st January 1994, Pembury, Kent
Current ranking: England - 1 (U15), 5 (U18)
School: Angley School, Cranbrook, Kent
Career highlights to date:
» Member of British Table Tennis Federation – ETTA Observation squad (Nov 2007)
» Member of the England youth development squad (2005 to present)
» Selected for England youth development squad training camp in Spain (won tournament) (July 2007)
» England ranked U13 number 1 boy (August 2006 – February 2007).
» Kent Schools U13 boys singles champion (Feb 2007)
» National U12 boys singles and U12 boys doubles champion (June 2006).
» Tunbridge Wells Junior Sports Achiever Award U12 (November 2005 and 2006).
» National U10 boys singles champion (June 2004).
Busy summer for Lewis
My first event in July was the British Schools championship. I represented England in a two-man team event and we finished third overall out of all of the 'A' and 'B' teams in Britain, competing against teams that are older than us. I faced the Irish number one in the singles event at the championships and beat him 3-0, winning the British under 16s boys singles title.
After the championships I went to Sheffield to complete a week's preparation and training before the European Youth Championships. It was a really good experience. After a day back home I was then off to Prague to compete in the championships as part of the British team. We finished 16th out of the 43 countries competing there. I won my round of 128, but was knocked-out in the last 64 by the European number four seed. In the consolation event I beat off all the competition, including lots of boys ranked above me in Europe. It was a great experience and I will be able to learn from it to improve my game further.
Lewis prepares for Prague
May and June were important months for me in terms of selection for the European Championships in Prague. My first important tournament was the Cadet Masters, where the top 12 players in the country and two wildcards, compete to find out who is the cadet master. In a round-robin system I played seven players on Saturday and six on Sunday, losing only one match. I beat the England number one to take the title.
In my next tournament I represented England in Sweden in the Cadet Six Nations. I won 6/10 in the team event and made the quarter-finals of the individual event. After the Six Nations I became England number One and a week later got a letter confirming my selection for the European Championships in Prague. This will be my biggest and best tournament ever and I can't wait!
Lewis claims singles title
I lifted the under 16 boys' singles title at the Home Countries Senior Schools International Event held at Largs in Scotland.
In the knockout rounds I beat players from Guernsey, Scotland, the Isle of Man and then Sussex before hitting top gear in the final against Sam Hanley of Ireland. I won the match in straight games, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3.
I finished third in the team event with Ping Ho for the England 'A' under 16 boys event, losing 2-3 to Scotland 'B' in the semi-final, but was unbeaten in the singles and doubles against Ireland 'B'.
From Largs I travelled to Sheffield for the pre-European Youth Championships training camp.
Senior experience stands Lewis in good stead
March started with the most important senior tournament in the whole season, the English Senior National Championships in Sheffield. It was very hard for me playing against men and I didn't expect to win anything. I won my group in the men's singles and progressed into the last 64 before I lost to the England number 25. It was a good effort and good experience for me. In the mixed doubles my partner and I won a very close first round and then came up against the number one seeds. We won the first game and were nine-all in the second before eventually losing 1-3.
The next event for me was the Cadet 6 Nations in Cardiff where I represented England as part of a two man team competing against Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was a clean-sweep for England in the team event and I won the singles, beating my England team mate in the semi-final and remaining unbeaten all weekend.
At the National Individuals Schools Championships at Doncaster I played in the U16 event as Kent Schools Champion. I was seeded number two and won my initial group, playing five matches in five hours. After the group stage I had to play three matches before the final, where I faced the England number one Zac Zilesnick. This time I got my revenge and beat him in a close match to become National Schools U16 Boys Singles Champion. As a result of this victory I got further good news with a selection letter inviting me to represent England schools at the home internationals in Largs, Scotland in June.
Top title at Loughborough for Lewis
I became the National Cadet Boys’ Doubles champion at the English Junior (under 18) and Cadet (under 15) National Championships held at Loughborough University.
My doubles partner, Ping Ho, and I beat the top seeds in the final 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9 to win the title.
In the cadet boys’ singles competition I made it to the final, where I was beaten by the top seed after a tough game. I fought back from 2-0 down to square the match before being beaten in the final game 9-11.
Championship victory at Liverpool:
I won the cadet (under 15) boys's singles tournament at the City of Liverpool Junior 4-star Open Championships against some of the UK’s best players.
I only dropped one game in the whole competition and beat the England number two in the semi final. I won the final against the player ranked number ten in England in straight sets, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8. However, I lost the semi-final of the band 1 cadet singles (in which all the top players competed) 7-11, 9-11, 7-11.
I reached the last 16 of the junior (under 18) boys’ singles competition, but lost out in the quarterfinal to the boy ranked number 20 in England. In the quarterfinal of the band 1 junior singles competition I lost narrowly to the England number 34, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 12-14.
My next events are the England Junior Development Squad training at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, Shropshire and South East Region Cadet training at Cranbrook.
Success at National's for Lewis:
June was my best month so far in what has been a really good year for me. First, I competed at the National Under 14 Championships, which I have been training hard for all year.
I only dropped one set to the number one seed in the semi final and made it to the final against a player ranked 6th in England. I had played him a lot before but had lost to him in the past, so I was a bit nervous going into the match. From the start of the match I was ahead and I finished in style to win the Under 14 boys singles national championship.
I also represented England at the 6 (European) Nations Cadet Under 15 Competition at Lilleshall. I competed against top players from France, Sweden, Germany, Holland and Denmark. The English team finished fourth overall and I was pleased with my own performance, as I beat the European number 12 and almost pulled off a shock by making it through the group stage. Although group qualification wasn't to be, it was a great experience and I'm looking forward to future England call-ups.