This Is Guernsey

By Aaron Scoones

A YOUNG Guernsey table tennis star has had to go under the surgeon’s knife while at the European Youth Championships in Italy. On Saturday night, Matthew Stubbington (pictured) was rushed from the Terni table tennis centre to hospital in acute pain with appendicitis.

The following evening the 15-year-old was operated on and had his appendix removed. Stubbington is now recovering in hospital and is due to be released either today or tomorrow.

‘He’s in a little bit of pain but he’s OK,’ said the team’s coach, Becks O’Keefe. Stubbington had been competing with Oliver Langlois in the cadet boys’ competition.

On Friday and early Saturday, they had lost all their group matches with Azerbaijan, the Netherlands and Croatia. However, they then went on to push Wales all the way before losing 3-2. With Stubbington no longer able to play, it meant that they had to pull out of the competition when they were due to face Armenia, Cyprus and Scotland in the next round.

Meanwhile, the island’s junior boys’ side comprising Guernsey singles champion Garry Dodd, Adam Langlois and Liam Robilliard have had a better time of things.

Despite losing to Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, they managed to get the better of Kosovo.

In the next round they lost to Finland, Montenegro and Iceland.

The cadet girls’ pairing of Island Games gold medallist Alice Loveridge and Kate Stubbington have come agonisingly close to picking up some big scalps.

They nearly pipped Portugal, Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Wales having taken two matches off each country when they played them.

Yesterday they claimed their first victory when they defeated Latvia 3-2.

O’Keefe is delighted with the effort and the way all her squad are playing.

‘They are doing very, very well,’ she said.

‘They’ve all played to their potential and have won games as a result. The children are playing very good table tennis and we’ve had some good results as [considering] nobody’s mind was on table tennis, but on Matthew.’

The team competitions continue today with a free day tomorrow followed by the individual events from Thursday through to Sunday.

Article posted on 15th July, 2008 - 2.30pm