Table Tennis England has taken the difficult decision to cancel the Mark Bates Ltd Cadet & Junior National Championships and U10-U13 National Championships on their scheduled dates, but will consider opportunities to reschedule in the summer once lockdown restrictions are fully lifted.

The Cadet & Junior National Championships were due to take place on May 8-9 at the University of Nottingham and the younger age group on June 12-13 at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton. The latter host venue had already advised that it would not be able to stage the event.

Given the restrictions likely to be in place on the competition dates, it was felt any tournament which could take place would offer a compromised experience to fewer players.

Neil Rogers, Table Tennis England Head of Events & Competitions, said: “We are committed to the resumption of activity within Government guidelines as soon as possible, but believe these events are best rescheduled.

“We are very aware that these Championships were already cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, so considering revised dates for the 2021 events during the school holidays, once lockdown has lifted, means we can have increased confidence that these events can take place, in a ‘normal’ format, and without reducing participant numbers or increasing costs.

“We believe, on balance, that this is the best approach for our members.”

Further information will be forthcoming in due course, including all details relating to venue, dates, format, eligibility, membership, rankings and invitations.

At this stage, the Junior National Cup due to take place at Halton TTC on June 19-20, and Grand Prix 7 (Gloucester) on June 26-27, remain subject to the TTE stop/ go policy.