Ethan fought through some sticky moments early in the competition to win the title.
The Stevenage Nobel student player, beat Amirul Hussain in the final 4-1 (8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4, 14-12).

In the semi-finals, Walsh had beaten his doubles partner, Joe Cope, 4-2 (11-7, 11-7, 9-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8), while Hussain needed one set fewer to see off Jamie Liu (11-13, 11-5, 11-5, 12-10, 11-6).

Back in the quarter-finals, Walsh had to fight hard to shake off Naphong Boonyaprapa 4-3 (12-10, 12-10, 6-11, 5-11, 11-5, 16-18, 11-8)

Walsh said: “It’s probably my biggest event of the year. At points I wasn’t playing my best but I had to keep fighting and push through.

“In the final my hard work paid off and I started playing better and was more relaxed.” “I am proud to be National Champion 4 times as I know not many players have achieved this”

Ethan’s record is up their with the best and is starting to make history.

It didn’t end there as Ethan and his partner went on to get to the final of the Cadet boys doubles losing out to Sam Chesterman and Amirul Hussain but picking up another medal (silver) in the Nationals was another great achievement.

This was all played at Medway over the weekend with the Cadets being played on the Saturday and Juniors on the Sunday.

Junior Boys Doubles

Ethan knew Sunday was going to be a tough day as he was to come up against Tom Jarvis and partner Luke Savill very early on (Tom is the number 1 under 18 in England and also picked to represent England in the Olympic Games) – Ethan and James Smith were doubles partners and have represented England playing together in the team and doubles abroad on many occasions and play great together but looking at the draw were not confident having Tom Jarvis and Luke Savill number 1 seeds in the quarters.

It was a good start for Walsh and Smith having started by beating yesterday’s Cadet champions Amirul Hussain & Sam Chesterman in the first round. Smith & Walsh then had the number 1 seeds Jarvis/Savill in the quarter finals. What a performance they put in – recovered from going 2-1 down to Jarvis & Savill, playing with real authority in games four and five as they completed a 3-2 (14-12, 9-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-6) triumph. James went on to say “For me and Ethan, beating Tom Jarvis and Luke Savill is probably one of the best results of our careers. We just tried to stop them from playing and take any chances they gave us.” A big crowd was around the table to watch their win and there was a big roar from players and crowd when they won. Not over yet though.

They then went on to defeat Samuel Kwan & Josh Harland in the semi-finals, in four sets.

Walsh and Smith did not expect to get to the final of this event and came across Matt Leete/Josh Bennet in the final (both doubles pairs represent England in their respective age group) – it was a great final with lots of rallies but Walsh and Smith ended up losing 3-1 and taking silver in this event.
Walsh went on to say “its been a great National Championships for me winning 1 gold and 2 silvers. I have the Spanish Open next week so I will go to that with confidence” Ethan has a busy few months ahead playing Internationally – good luck !!

In the doubles Ethan was paired up with IIia Kortchinski from Belarus and they had never played together before so needed to get used to each others game quickly. In their opening match the managed to get a 3-2 win over Marc Gutierrez and Miguel Nunez from Spain. After never playing together they had a great run and got to the last 16 where they came up from a strong pair from Hungary and they lost 3-1

It was a strong tournament and Ethan performed well. ” I am concentrating on my European events this year” Ethan went on to say ” I am hoping to be selected by England for the Spanish and Swedish Youth Open as well as the Six Nations next year so I am training harder than ever”

Speaking about his current form, and the trip to China, Ethan said: “I have had a great season and hope for it to continue.
“It was an amazing experience in China and the training was of top quality.
“I had to get in top shape ready to train in Shanghai as they are so fit – my personal trainer Hallam has helped me get physically and mentally strong and I hope to go to China and train every year now.”

What was your timetable table each day?

Most days we played for six hours starting at 8.30am and finishing at 5.30pm with a 3 hour break in the middle of the day. On some days we were taken on trips, including one to see some ancient monuments and another when we visited Shanghai.
In the mornings we spent most of the time practising, and in the afternoons we would be multiballing (each other) and playing matches.

Did you not get multiball from the coaches?
A little, but they tended to do this with the Chinese students.

Were there other nationalities involved or just English and Chinese?
Yes, I met players from Germany, Canada, Slovakia, Slovenia, Barbados, Peru and USA!
Did you notice differences in coaching methods in China?
There were quite a few differences. In some ways the coaching was more simple
- the coach would set a straightforward exercise which we would work on in pairs. They didn’t use so many complicated sequences of strokes in their routines.
Another difference was that they didn’t spend so much time demonstrating. This meant that during the training period we had quite a lot more table time.
Did you learn any Chinese?
I learned a few words!

What was the food like?
Some of it was like the food we have in Chinese restaurants over here, but other things were plainer. It was good, really.

Did you notice any improvements in your play?
Yes. I think I have improved the power in my forehand, both speed and spin. Also I think I am moving around the table more quickly.
Did you notice any other differences in how the Chinese attitude to table tennis differed from how it is treated in England?
Definitely. Over there they treat the sport much more seriously. They are more determined and more intense in their training.

Has the experience made you adjust your own ambitions?
If anything it has made me even more determined to do well and reach the top. I definitely want to play for England.

One of the most important events that Ethan has been training for is the National Cadet Masters held on 21st/22nd February at Burton Uxbridge which involves the top 12 ranked under 15 year old players in England and they all play each other for final positions. Ethan got picked for this event as he is ranked 7th in the under 15’s – with Ethan still only being 12 years old it was going to be a tough ask for him physically and mentally.

The week before the Masters was half term which Ethan spent all week in Plymouth at an intense England training camp (this normally involves getting up at 7am – going for a morning run) before spending the day training at table tennis and lots of physical activities and tests – this was all getting Ethan ready for the weekend ahead.

All players turned up ready for the masters – Ethan was feeling very nervous as he knew what he had ahead of him and for this event you need to be physically and very mentally strong as if you are having a bad day you need to carry on and keep going.

Ethans first match was against Joe Clarke and it didn’t start off as Ethan had liked – although each leg was close Ethan finally lost to Joe – not a great start even though Joe was ranked number 4 (Ethan 7th). After a half an hour rest back for match number 2 against Shayan Shiraj (ranked 5) – Ethan just lost the first leg but battled to get the second leg to make it 1-1 – something then clicked in Ethan and there was no turning back and Ethan ended up winning 3-1. Ethan was now buzzing and couldn’t wait for the next 2 matches against James Smith (number 3 seed) and Harry Dai (number 2) – it was going to be a battle – but a battle Ethan ended up winning against both players ranked above him – Ethan beat James and Harry and was playing some of the best table tennis ever. After these wins the weekend just got better and with Ethans amazing backhand and powerful forehand he was unstoppable and mentally strong. With day 1 over Ethan was in joint 4th position but had played all of the top players ranked above him. Sunday was going to be tough but Ethan could see the finish line and was hoping to come top 3. Ethans form did not stop on Sunday and he won every match which meant he ended up winning bronze – this was a tremendous achievement as Ethan was the youngest competitor and ranked 7th – he beat the number 2,3, 5 and 6th seed all ranked above him – beating everyone ranked below him.

Afterwards Ethan was interviewed : ‘I knew I had to stayed focused. I was nervous at the beginning of the event but once I won my first match I knew I was playing well and kept as motivated as possible’ ‘Every game is tough – there are no easy games and I am really pleased getting bronze – I have 2 more years left in this age group to try and get gold’

Ethan has a busy few months ahead with the National School finals and the National Championships coming up where he is the number 1 seed in both events.

It has been an exciting time for Table Tennis England as they announced a 28-strong England Youth Squad geared to help the elite players of the future hit their full potential. To be part of this Ethan took part in a series of fitness tests, on-the-table practice, and a short interview to look at and talk about his current training, results and table tennis ambitions. It was a tough day but Ethan was selected has signed an agreement which sets out commitments to the programme, including training, fitness and behaviour criteria, and a commitment to be available for selection for certain overseas events, including the European Youth Championships, 6 Nations and French, Hungarian and Spanish Opens.

Ethan has been playing a lot more senior events and has had some tremendous results managing to beat top 70 senior men ranked in England and has beaten the number 6 senior woman who has represented England many times.

Ethan is hoping to play abroad a lot more and is looking forward to the season ahead.

It feels great,” said the Stevenage youngster. “I think I had some tough matches but I prepared for it and I had motivation.

“In the final, when Jamie came back to 1-1 I knew I had to stay relaxed.”

“I would like to thank everyone for their continued support – Django (Grove Leisure), my club Batts and Neil Brierley , my coach Adam Nutland and my family.

Ethan has now been selected to go to Belgium to represent England in August in the European mini Championships. Last season Ethan went to this event and as a result got a ranking of number 11 in Europe for his age group. Ethan has an exciting summer ahead of him !!

Ethan now 11 is continuing to grow and improve at a fast rate and is now challenging the top 100 Senior Men.
Ethan has been competing as usual in Junior events where he reached the final at the Derby 4 star tournament a few weeks ago. He competed recently in the Junior British League where he played 10 matches and managed to win 9 of them – the only defeat being deuce in the fifth.
Due to Ethans success he was asked by his club, Batts, to play in the Mens British League in Division 2. He was not intimidated by the standard or by the fact that he was the youngest by quite a big margin and he ended up winning 50% of his matches over the season.
Following Ethan’s success in Division 2, he was then asked to play up in Division 1 Mens British League where yet again he didn’t disappoint: he ended up beating top hundred men players, and also narrowly losing some close matches in the fifth leg. Ethan displayed some amazing talent with tremendous rallies and had the crowd on his side shouting and clapping in amazement at the shots he was coming up with. The atmosphere was buzzing.
Ethan is the youngest player so far to play in the Mens division 1 British League which is quite an achievement in itself, and, to win matches at this level shows that he he has the potential to be a true star.
Ethan continues to train at Lilleshall National Sports Academy every month with the under 15 England players. He has a Junior England training camp coming up over Easter where all the top under 18 players in England will be training. This is an intensive week long training camp.
Des Douglas, the table tennis legend, is very impressed with how much Ethan has improved lately and enjoys working with him and help him reach his full potential. Ethan is fortunate enough to be able to train with his family who are also top players – his dad Jimmy, sister Natasha and brother Luke.
Ethan has also been doing a lot of work with his coach Adam Nutland recently and he has a full schedule over the next couple of months. Ethan will be representing the Senior County in division one, playing alongside his dad, brother and sister. This will be a tough standard and Ethan will be up for the challenge. Ethan’s determination and desire to succeed helps him be as performant as his is.
Also coming are the under 12, 13 and 14 National championships. Ethan will want to retain his title and be picked again for the European Mini Championships to be held in Belgium over the summer.
Ethan is now becoming quite well known and recently has been doing exhibitions to show off his talents at table tennis clubs and encourage other children to realise the standard they can achieve if they work hard enough; he has even been asked to sign autographs, bats and shirts !!
It will surely be an exciting summer ahead for Ethan who continues to amaze everyone with his talent.

Ethan said:

This is the title I wanted and what I have been leading up to and training so hard for all season

Ethan has now been selected by the ETTA to represent England in the European Mini Championships to be held in Schilitigheim in France on 23rd August.

Ethan has got a lot of support behind him and would like to say a big thank you the club he trains at Batts based in Harlow and everybody there and a big thank you to Ethan’s sponsor Django Fung and Grove Leisure !!

Ethan says:

‘I am delighted to have joined the Grove and hope they can bring me success like they have done in snooker. I am looking forward to meeting up with other Grove players.’

Django says:

‘I am still playing table tennis at the local leagues and am passionate about table tennis. Ethan is a great talent and from a lovely family.I am looking forward to working with him.

Read more about Ethan here