ISLAND duo Jordan Wykes and Luc Miller will travel to Portugal to compete in the European Table Tennis Union Cup this summer, having helped steer Grantham College into the finals.
It has been quite the month for Wykes in particular. Just a few weeks ago, the 22-year-old received the news that he will represent Team Jersey at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – joining 14-year-old Hannah Silcock as their sport’s hopefuls – and now, the British Premier League player has earned the right to play at the business end of one of the leading tournaments on the continent.
And if that was not enough, Wykes completed the qualifier with a perfect 100% record, going seven wins from seven.
Also included in the Grantham ‘past and present’ side was Millar, who won Island Games men’s doubles gold alongside Wykes at Gibraltar 2019.
The ETTU finals shall be held in June, serving as the perfect Commonwealth Games preparation.
‘It was a really good standard at the qualifier,’ said Wykes, who plays for Archway Peterborough in the BPL.
‘The teams involved play in the British Premier League and are some of the best teams in the country.
‘Having played in that league during the season, I have become quite familiar with the sides involved.
‘It is a massive achievement for us to get out of that regional qualifier when you think of the standard we had to go through.’
En route to his perfect week, the Jerseyman rolled past players ranked 11th, 12th and 15th in England, which highlighted the stellar level of competition Grantham were facing.
This year marks the first time that teams from England were able to compete in the ETTU Cup.
‘It is a huge confidence boost to take forward to the Games in Birmingham,’ Wykes added.
‘Having just been picked as part of that team, it is a nice reminder to myself that my game is in a good place leading up to it.
‘I will continue to train hard and play some quality matches to prepare.’
Trips to Croatia and Germany are also on Wykes’ radar in the coming months, along with the ETTU Cup finals.
