Downing’s table tennis teams smash their way to success!
Congratulations to the four Downing table tennis teams for record-breaking performances which saw them dominate the College divisions during Michaelmas term.
Not only did we enter a record four teams into the league, but we also won the Division 1 title, finding ourselves right at the top of all eight table tennis divisions for the first time since 2020. Our second team also convincingly won Division 4.
It’s safe to say that table tennis is thriving at Downing, so we spent some time with Thomas Chen, president of the newly formed Downing Table Tennis Society to find out more.
What are you studying at Downing?
I am into my second year of a PhD in Biostatistics. Before that I studied for a Part III Mathematics at Downing as well.
How long have you been playing table tennis?
I've been playing for around seven years. I took a break for a few years during my late teens and started again a couple of years ago.
How did you get involved with table tennis at Downing?
I joined CUTTC (the University table tennis club) in my first year in Cambridge and met Ray, the then-team leader of the Downing table tennis team. I asked him about the College league and started playing matches which went well (three consecutive 2nd places in Division 1 of the College league and a 2nd place in Cuppers).
After noticing a good amount of interest from students I decided to begin the process of registering us a formal Downing sports society and so this is our first official year!
Thanks to funding from College, we have been able to cover our league fees and buy some equipment which has made a real difference, we are very grateful.
How many Downing students are part of the Table Tennis Society?
There are around 50 students in our group chat and almost 20 of them have played a College league match in one of our four teams.
How often do you play matches and practice?
Each of our teams has four or five scheduled matches per term in Michaelmas and Lent, however, not every player plays every single time.
Thanks to a successful application to the new Active Students fund we have been able to start one-hour practice sessions this term and are planning to run them every single week in Lent and the first four weeks of Easter term. I am hoping that we can continue these next year.
Some of our players are members of the University club as well so they practice, train and play matches more often.
Congratulations on a very successful Michaelmas term, please can tell us a bit more about where all the teams finished?
The first team and second team came first undefeated in Divisions 1 and 4 respectively. The third team came second in Division 6. The fourth team came second in Division 7.
Was there any particular highlight from last term?
The first team's last match of the term that decided the winner of Division 1 was a three-way match between Downing, Christ's (2nd place), and Magdalene (3rd place) simultaneously at the University Sports Centre. We narrowly beat Christ's 5-4 and Magdalene 6-3 with very strong players playing across all three teams and many close rubbers. For reference, out of the nine players (three per team) playing, five have represented Cambridge in the annual Varsity match against Oxford (Ray and me for Downing).
Another highlight was Downing 2 winning every match with a big margin, their 'worst' performance was a 7-2 win.
What are your aims for Lent?
Our aims are for each team to end in the top two of their Division again, i.e. another promotion for Downing 2, 3, and 4. This will be especially hard for Downing 2 as they have already been immediately promoted to Division 2 from Division 4 due to their dominant performance.
Downing 1 is aiming to win College League again as well as Cuppers.
Away from matches, we would love to have as many Downing students as possible joining our weekly sessions as well as possibly hiring a coach to improve these sessions.
What’s the best thing about table tennis?
It is easy to pick up but very hard to master (not entirely sure if that is a good thing) due to the fast reaction speeds needed, the spin sensitivity of the game and the tactical awareness required as you always have to adapt to the game style of the opponent and come up with a plan that counters it.
I think many people don't understand or appreciate how much of a challenge table tennis can be.
Any advice for anyone looking to take up the sport?
Find people to play with who are better or have more experience than you and learn from them. For Downing students, the easiest way to do this would be to join one of our sessions. Also, try to focus on learning the right technique instead of winning points when you're a beginner.
If you’d like more information or would like to take part in the sessions, you can email tc626@cam.ac.uk. You can also follow the Society on Instagram.
Photo (l-r) Downing 1st team. Thomas Chen, Luke Hodgson and Samuel Madill. Fourth team member Ray Yan is missing from photo.
Published 31 January 2025