Scotland WTTTW World Cup 2025

WTTTW World Cup 2025 – Macau, China 22nd to 25th January 2025

2 Scottish players along with 6 players from England are representing Great Britain in the 2025 World Traditional Table Tennis World Cup. This is a 4 day competition with players from 17 Countries world wide competing in 3 separate disciplines. The competition climaxes on day 4 with the top 8 players from the rest of the World playing Sandpaper Table Tennis against a Chinese team for a top prize of $25,000. The British Team covers a wide range both in terms of age and experience and includes Dave Tiplady who won the 2024 ICTTF Senior Hardbat World Championships. Playing in China has been a long term dream for experienced sandpaper player Ian Johnston and is a fantastic experience for both Ian and international newcomer Lachlann Henderson. Lachlann is fairly new to the sport and will be playing in age groups events as well as the opens.

Each of the first 3 days sees the players using a different form of traditional table tennis bat. On Day 1. the players use wood only bats (no carbon fibre) with no covering. Day 2 moves on to Hard-bat; this time the bats must have a rubber covering but no sponge. Day 3 is Sandpaper bats; exactly as it sounds – a wooden blade covered by a sheet of sandpaper. Each of the bat types present a different challenge in terms of speed and control. The traditional materials make the sport more about each player’s individual skills, and less about modern high-tech equipment.

The Wood and HardBat events will involve participants from all 17 represented nations. The Sandpaper event, however, will not include any Chinese players, leaving the players from the rest of the world fighting for a place in the top eight and an invitation to compete in the showcase Sandpaper event on Saturday 25th January. This will be the 5th Macau World Cup invitational tournament, featuring the top Sandpaper players in the World playing in two teams – China and Rest of the World – competing for prize money of up to US$25,000.

Ian and Lachlann flew out to Macau, China last weekend. The tournament is being held in the Tap Seac MultiSport pavilion – an impressive venue that hosts World Table Tennis tour events. The venue’s dedicated TT area has been busy with players practicing for their events.

Ian Johnston, 32, is an experienced sandpaper player. He is the 6-times Scottish Sandpaper Champion (as well as twice Scottish Hardbat Champion) and represented Scotland at the WCPP at Alexandra Palance from 2016 to 2020, and in Mexico City at the ICTTF World Cup in 2024. Lachlann Henderson, 16, from Dundee, first picked up a traditional bat at the Scottish Wood TT tournament in Dundee in September. He rapidly adjusted to the different style, and is looking forward to the experience of playing on the international stage.

More information about the event can be found on the tournament’s website WTTTW.online