LINZ AG Youth Championships 2026

April 16, 2026

The LINZ AG Youth Championships took place in Linz, Austria, from 2nd to 6th April 2026, bringing together a strong international field across multiple age groups. This marked Scotland’s first time competing in the event, providing a valuable opportunity for players to gain experience against strong international opposition.

Team Events

Cadet Girls

The Cadet Girls squad of Kiishi Adekola and Alexandra Hart delivered an impressive performance in Linz, finishing in a strong 5th place overall.

Scotland opened their campaign with a positive 3–2 victory over Sokol Hradec Králové (Czech Republic), before narrowly losing 3–2 to England 1 in a closely contested match.

In the next stage, the girls faced tough opposition, narrowly losing 3–2 to OTTV 1 (Switzerland), but responded well with a strong 3–2 win over Vestegnen BTK (Denmark) to keep their campaign on track.

Moving into the 1–8 classification, Scotland were up against England 1 once again, where they were defeated 3–1. However, the team finished strongly, recording a convincing 3–0 win over Linz AG Froschberg (Austria), before closing out the event with another 3–0 victory against Luxemburg 1 (Luxembourg) to secure an excellent 5th place finish.

Overall, it was a very positive performance from the Cadet Girls, competing strongly throughout and achieving an impressive top-five finish against strong international opposition.

Cadet Boys

The Cadet Boys squad of Rory Thomson and Dean Robertson put in a strong performance across the team event in Linz, progressing confidently through the initial group stage.

Scotland opened with a series of impressive 3–0 victories against OTTV 3 (Switzerland), NÖTTV 3 (Austria), and TV Eschersheim (Germany), showing real control early on. This momentum continued into the second stage, with further wins over NÖTTV 2 (Austria) (3–1) and SV Alemania Riestedt (Germany) (3–0), securing progression into the top bracket.

In the final group match, Scotland faced a strong England 1 side, narrowly losing 3–1, which placed them into the 1–8 classification bracket.

From there, the boys continued to compete well against strong opposition. They were edged out by Bruxelles-Brabant-Wallon (Belgium) (1–3), before bouncing back with a strong 3–2 win over NTK Gorica (Croatia). In their final match, Scotland once again met England 1, pushing them close but ultimately losing 3–2 in a competitive encounter, with Dean Robertson winning an impressive two matches.

Overall, it was a positive campaign for the Cadet Boys, with a number of strong team performances and valuable experience gained against strong international opposition.

U13 Boys

The U13 Boys squad of James Huang and Inniyan Jayaraj produced an excellent performance in Linz, competing in the Andro Youth Challenge Trophy and progressing strongly through the latter stages to secure an impressive 1st place finish.

In the Stage 1 qualification, Scotland faced a challenging group, coming up against Luxemburg 2 (Luxembourg) (1–3), FC Bayern München 2 (Germany) (0–3), and Wales (0–3). These results placed the team into the Andro Youth Challenge Trophy; however, the boys responded extremely well to this, showing great resilience and development as the event progressed.

In Stage 2, they recorded strong victories over NÖTTV (Austria) (3–0) and Fortress Table Tennis Luxembourg (Luxembourg) (3–1) to progress into the knockout rounds.

From there, they produced a dominant run of performances, defeating Berlin / Falkensee (Germany) (3–0) in the quarter-finals, followed by another convincing 3–0 win over OTC Oberwart (Austria) in the semi-finals.

In the final, Scotland delivered a composed performance to overcome ASK CS D KRAS / NTD KAUH SLOVAN (Slovakia) (3–0), securing the title.

This marked the pair’s first competition abroad, making it a particularly valuable experience, and a fantastic achievement to come away with the title.

Singles Events

Scotland’s players also competed across the singles events, which began with a qualification group stage. Players who progressed moved into the main Championship draw, while those who did not qualify competed in the Andro Youth Challenge Trophy (plate event).

In the Cadet Girls Singles, Alexandra Hart delivered the standout performance of the singles events, reaching the semi-finals of the main Championship draw. She recorded impressive wins over players from Germany and Switzerland before eventually losing out to Soraya Rahmani-Walentynska (England), who went on to win the event.

Kiishi Adekola also competed in the Cadet Girls event, progressing to the quarter-finals of the Challenge draw (last 8), picking up strong wins against players from Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

In the U13 Boys Singles, James Huang produced an excellent performance to win the Andro Youth Challenge Trophy, progressing through to the final and securing the title (1st place). He secured the title with a composed 3–0 victory over Fred Watzlaw (Germany).

Inniyan Jayaraj also competed in the U13 Boys event, reaching the Round of 64 in the main Championship draw, and later the Round of 32 in the Consolation, gaining valuable experience across both stages of the competition.

In the Cadet Boys Singles, Rory Thomson delivered a strong performance to reach the final of the Challenge event (2nd place), recording a number of good wins along the way before finishing as runner-up in a competitive final against Dominik Sun (Germany).

Dean Robertson also competed well, progressing through the qualification stage and reaching the Round of 32 in both the main and Consolation draws, gaining valuable experience against strong international opposition.

Overall, the singles events provided an excellent opportunity for all players to test themselves at a high level, with a number of strong performances and valuable learning experiences gained throughout the event.

Coach Natalie Gallan sums up the experience:

“Facing tough opposition across both singles and team events, the players showed real team spirit, togetherness and belief. The players have gained confidence, playing and winning against European opposition. This has been a valuable learning experience that will benefit them moving forward.”

A huge thank you to coaches Natalie Gallan and Danilo Celli for their support throughout the trip, looking after the squad and providing guidance and corner coaching across both the team and singles events.