Wales men's team had a brilliant day at the games today.
They beat Tuvalu 3-0 and Sri Lanka 3-0 to set up a showdown with England who were also undefeated in pool C of the Team Event.
Ryan Jenkins led us off against English number 1 Alan Cooke. In a terrific contest Ryan went down narrowly 7-11 in the 5th to give England a 1-0 lead.
Adam Robertson then faced England number 2 Paul Drinkall. Robertson was also in magnificent form and saw off Drinkall 3-0 in a match in which he was always in charge and overpowered the Englishman with powerful topspin attack on both wings.
Stephen Jenkins faced Andrew Baggaly and lost 3-0 but the match was very close and Stephen could well have won the first 2 sets.
Ryan Jenkins then took on Drinkall knowing that he simply had to win to keep the match alive. . He lost the first 7-11 but then played some breathtaking table tennis under extreme pressure to win the next three on the bounce and take the overall match score to 2-2.
Robertson had to take on Cooke on the decider. The players produced outstanding rallies in front of the large and excited crowd. Robertson took the first 11-7 – but lost the 2nd 12-14. He took the 3rd 11-7 but lost his form in the 4th going down 2-11. He showed immense character to come back in the 5th and clinch the win 11-9
Result: Wales 3 England 2
This is the first time in many years Wales have beaten the full English side in a major world-level international event.
This now means that provided Wales, as they are expected to do, beat Pakistan tomorrow they will be seeded in the quarter final draw with an excellent chance of going further.
The Ladies played exceptionally well also against 3rd seeds India. They lost 3-1 (with Siwan Davies being the sole winner) but if they had had more rub of the green they could have won the match.
They then played Fiji and maintained their strong form by winning decisively 3-0. This is undoubtedly one of the strongest ladies teams to have represented Wales for some time.
They face Malaysia tomorrow needing a win to guarantee a place in the quarters. Malaysia is very strong so it will be tough but if they do well but lose they still have a good chance of going through as a best third place.