Ollie Stevenson
Having won this title for 10 consecutive years, Nottingham are used to winning the Men’s Table Tennis National Championship. They have the experience and pedigree to get the job done, and regardless of who they face they will be firm favourites.
Their opponents in the final, Sheffield Hallam, were not in this competition last year. They weren’t in the premier division either, as they won promotion though a playoff against Warwick before coming into the topflight this season.
They finished third in the league and are now one match away from arguably the biggest upset in BUCS table tennis. Whatever happens in Loughborough on Wednesday, the only team standing between the Green and Gold and an 11th crown is one that didn’t exist at this level twelve months ago.
Nottingham, for their part, have been utterly dominant all season. They came second in the league, behind local rivals Trent, with four wins from 6. However, the league table only tells half of the story.
In the knockout rounds they have been ruthless. Swansea were seen off 17-0 in the quarter final, before Imperial lost 16-1 in the semi. Thirty three rubbers played across two knockout rounds, and thirty-one won. This is a team who knows how to win.
Hallam’s route here was harder. They finished the league with three wins from 6, nine points, and came into the knockouts with something to prove. Beating league leaders Trent 9-7 in the semi-final takes them to a national championship final in their first season at this level.
Their players are a key reason for this success. Ben Piggot and Felix Thomas are defending BUCS Men’s doubles champions, a partnership that has been competing at the top of the university game for two years. Toby Ellis won player of the tournament at the 2025 BUCS Individual Championships. The whole squad trains weekly at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, one of the country’s premier high-performance facilities.
The individual match-up to watch is Jonathan Mooney against Toby Ellis. At the BUCS individual Championships earlier this season, they met in the semifinals. Ellis came back from two sets down to level it at 2-2 before Mooney edged the fifth 11-9.
Mooney went on to win the individual title, beating Cambridge’s Joseph Hee in the final. But Ellis pushed him further than anyone else in the tournament, and in a team format, with the pressure of a final behind him, there is no guarantee the same result holds.
Last year Nottingham won this title, beating Trent 9-3 in the final, having come through UCL 9-1 in the semis. Hallam, beating Trent, had the harder run, and this leaves the final open to a result that no one would have expected at the start of the season. Hallam, promoted, unproven at this level 12 months ago, against a Nottingham side chasing an 11th consecutive national championship.
The streak, the individual pedigree, the knockout dominance – everything points to Nottingham. But Hallam are a side with nothing to lose, players capable of beating anyone on their day and momentum that comes from a season that has already exceeded every reasonable expectation.
This final could well and truly be wide open.
Match Details
Where? New Victory Hall, Loughborough University
When? Wednesday 25th March, 2:00pm
How to watch? Live on BUCS YouTube as part of Big Wednesday coverage
Ollie Stevenson
Featured image courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 1 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 2 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
