At the first BPTT Grand Prix Singles Tournament since November 2019, because of Covid restrictions, the event proved to be a successful one for Simon Heaps as he won a Bronze medal in the Open and a Gold in the Class 4/5 event.

A record entry for a Grand Prix event in Sheffield on 18th September saw many disabled athletes from 10 classes ( 5/wheelchair and 5/standing ) compete at the BPTT Training Centre at the English Institute of Sport.

In the morning Open matches Simon won his group beating GB No 4 Mike Prendergast 3-0 and also the Class 3 winner on the day Andrew Green also 3-0.

He was to suffer one of his two defeats on the day as he lost a very close encounter to Class 4 athlete Lee York, losing 11-8 in the fifth in the semi final winning a Bronze Medal for his efforts. Lee was to lose to GB No 2 Dan Bullen in the Final after already losing to him in his Group.

In the Class 4/5 event there were only 4 competitors as there was a late withdrawal and it was an all play all scenario. Both Simon Heaps, Lee York and Dan Bullen all beat Mike Prendergast. Then in one of the biggest shocks of the day 66 yr old Simon Heaps beat Dan Bullen, World Ranked 45, 3-0 with his first ever victory against his opponent. A subsequent loss by Heaps to Lee York 3-1 meant that the Gold would be decided after the last match of the day between Bullen and York.

Dan Bullen was the victor by 3 games to 1 meaning that a countback was required and it was Simon Heaps who took the Gold and Lee York the Silver medal.

The Spanish Para Open in Alicante that was due to take place from 22nd to 25th September has been cancelled due to lack of entries. Because the entry closing dates were during the Tokyo 2020 ParaOlympics many of the nations had not entered as they were still competing in Tokyo. Also after 5 years of training and preparation it was felt that many athletes and support staff would not support the event as it was so close to Tokyo.

For British Para Table Tennis the ParaOlympics was their best ever as regards medals. 2 Silver and 5 Bronzes was the haul and although no Golds this time it beat the Rio 2016 haul so a great time to be involved in Para Table Tennis in Great Britain.

October sees the resumption of the Para calendar and I have been entered in the Finland Para Open, Spanish Para Open and the Jordan Para Open for the coming month and will be representing Great Britain on a self funding basis.This will be the first International event that I have played in since my debut in December 2019 in Costa Rica so a long time coming to test my improvement against the best athletes in the world in my Class in these FA20 tournaments.

The image below was taken last weekend when I took part in the VETTS North East Masters where  I was the only wheelchair athlete in the tournament competing against able bodied players.

Finally my Para Table Tennis journey can continue as the ITTF have opened entries for the Spanish Para Open in Alicante from 22nd to 25th September.

My GB Para debut was in December 2019 and since then Covid has struck and caused havoc for Para athletes around the world as far as competitive play is concerned.However the time away from the competition table has enabled me to practise and get better and train and get stronger. Needless to say I cant wait to get back on the table in the International scene. It has been too long !!

Milford on Sea resident and Para athlete Simon Heaps has received support from Hordle based Will Stone Plumbing & Heating and will be displaying their company logo on his vehicle until the end of September 2022.

The company are well know for their reliability and professionalism in the Plumbing & Heating industry and have clients in the Milford on Sea, Lymington, New Milton, Barton on Sea and surrounding local areas. 

Simon said ” To have the support of a local company on the doors of my vehicle is fantastic and I am proud to be an ambassador for both Will and his wife Franseca. Their enthusiasm in what I am trying to do is even more important to me and it only makes me more determined than ever not to let ant of my sponsors down.”

Simon’s short term goal is to gain qualification for the 2022 Commonwealth Para Games, in Birmingham, in Wheelchair Table Tennis. But to gain selection he must gain world ranking points and their are numerous ITTF Para events around the world starting in September ( post Covid ) where he can compete. Unfortunately Simon has to self fund and the soon to be 66 year old said ” International tournament play is very expensive, there are entry fees, travel and accomodation to be paid. I have to organise all of my own fundraising and am very reliant on the generosity of sponsors and individuals that have supported me on my journey, to achieve my goals of getting to Birmingham.” He added ” I am currently paying nearly £600 per month to my two specialist wheelchair table tennis coaches, one in Bournemouth and the other in Southampton and this is a big drain on my funds but something that I cannot do without. The nearest competitive wheelchair player is approx 125 miles away and is not an option on a regular basis.”

Simon has a Go Fund Me Page, where donations can be made:

https://gofund.me/89069b9d

British Para Table Tennis are to launch a bid to hold the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Sheffield in 2023. UK Sport have given approval and funding for the bid and BPTT will be working alongside Table Tennis England in the bid to get the event played in these shores.The event will be held a season before the ParaOlympics are held in Paris in 2024.