The first round of the latest Oswestry Junior Table Tennis Grand Prix saw new winners in Rohan Alaca and Jack Davidson.

In the top group, five players fought for top spot. Guy Welti got off to a good start with a straight sets win over Zac Plenderleath.

Paul Sissons got off to a cracking start against Theo Chapman taking the first set win of 11-9, but Chapman reversed things in the second taking it without Sissons taking a single point. In the third set parity prevailed until Sissons took the final set 12-10.

Rohan Alaca took his first match in straight sets verses Sissons, before Welti and Alaca continued with wins, and the group was settled when Alaca and Welti played each other in a close encounter that saw Welti taking the first set 13-11, before Alaca fought back to take the second 11-9. The deciding set went to Alaca 11-6.

It meant the top spot went to Alaca, with Welti taking the runners-up spot. The closest match of the group was Paul Sissons v Zac Plenderleath, with the latter taking the first set 11-7, only for Sissons to come back and take the match 12-10, 12-10.

In the second group, last year’s winner Joe Griffiths looked the favourite. He opened the afternoon with a straight sets win over Rhys Patrick as did Austin Hibbert over Max Plenderleath. Griffiths continued to play well but took three sets to beat Leo Thomas and similarly Ben Wood.

Jack Thompson was progressing well with wins over Wood, Plenderleath and Patrick. Hibbert then faced Griffiths in what appeared to be the group decider. In a close tussle Hibbert came out on top 11-9, 12-10, before Plenderleath fought out a close match with Wood who edged the match 12-10, 12-10.

Thompson upset the group with a 12-10, 11-3 win over Griffiths, followed up with an 11-4, 11-8 win over Hibbert. Griffiths edged past Plenderleath 12-10, 11-9.

Thompson needed to beat Leo Thomas to take the group win, which he did although Thomas put up good resistance, while Hibbert was looking for second place in the group, in the final match with Wood. Wood took the first set 11-8, but Hibbert fought back with the next two sets 11-5, 12-10 to take the runners-up spot.