From sensational shots to a TTR challenge on match point via players climbing on the table, Josh Reynolds’ journey at London 2026 was a rollercoaster which saw him officiate teams from every continent and ended with him umpiring the Women’s Team final.
The Halifax umpire is one of England’s most experienced, despite still being only 32 years old, and had previously taken charge of the women’s ITTF Team World Cup final at the Copper Box Arena in 2018, as well as European Championships finals.
But umpiring the best players in the world at a home World Championships trumps all that, with Josh describing it as something he never imagined he would get to do when he first started out as an umpire.
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Josh’s journey at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026 Presented by ACN started back at the familiar venue of the Copper Box, where he officiated some of the more far-flung nations who were competing in London.
He took charge of Poland versus Korea DPR women, Wales vs Uzbekistan women, Algeria vs New Caledonia men, Chile vs Tahiti men and Puerto Rico vs Angola women, something he describes as “a very multi-cultural experience”. Among the highlights of his time there was the shot which became a viral sensation during the match between Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa and New Caledonia’s Emmanuel Bruchard.
The atmosphere in east London was competitive, but it ramped up a notch once the action got under way at OVO Arena Wembley, and Josh had some big matches to handle. He was in the chair for 11 matches in total and, although obviously not allowed to take charge of England, officiated most of the top nations including China men and women, Sweden men, Romania women, France men and Japan women. Here are some of his highlights.
Korea Republic 3 China 1 – Men’s Team, Stage 1a
Josh took charge of this match alongside fellow English umpire Jo Outhwaite, as China were defeated in the Men’s Team event for the first time since 2000.
Josh said: “It was interesting to be part of history for the first time in a quarter of a century that China lost at a Team World Championships.”
France 3 USA 0 – Men’s Team, Round of 32
Best remembered for Simon Gauzy’s outrageous round-the-net return against Nanden Naresh.
Sweden 3 Hungary 0 – Men’s Team, Round of 32
Josh had to contend with lighting troubles and an injury timeout in this match.
He said: “We had issues with spotlights on Table 1 and the players were complaining it was too bright. We turned off the spotlights and then the players remarked it was too dark – I think you can hear me laughing in the background of the stream.
Romania 3 France 1 – Women’s Team, Quarter-Final
This match produced another viral moment when the entire Romania team stood on the table after winning the tie and securing their nation’s first medal for 24 years.
Josh said: “It was a very high-pressure match, knowing they were going to get a semi-final place and a medal. When the Romanians jumped on the table, there was a moment of regaining my composure and looking over to the referee to make sure they were ready to deal with it as this was far past the point I could deal with.”
China 3 France 1 – Men’s Team, Semi-Final
A pulsating match which produced high quality and high drama as Liang Jingkun brought China back from the brink of going 2-1 down to a youthful and highly fancied French side and they went on to book a place in the final.
Josh said: “The atmosphere was something I’d never experienced before, a full capacity crowd screaming on every point. You could feel the noise level increasing every time it got tight, so it was a case of trying to keep your composure and concentration at the same time as hearing it all to make sure you didn’t miss anything.”
China 3 Japan 2 – Women’s Team, Final
A fantastic final as Japan took a 2-1 lead but ultimately had to bow to the brilliance of Sun Yingsha and, in the deciding match, Wang Manyu.
Josh said: “We were on court for three-and-a-half hours and it was a great match which had a lot of ebbs and flows. The difficulty for such a long match is ensuring you are always on top of your game at all times to make sure you don’t miss anything.
“On match point – 2-0, 10-5 – in the second match I called that the ball had struck the side of the table and awarded the point to Hina Hayata, but Sun Yingsha challenged it. Fortunately, it was proved I called it correctly. I also caught an edge at 10-7 that Hina Hayata had missed but Sun Yingsha had also spotted and awarded the point to her opponent.”
The other matches Josh officiated were: China versus Romania women in both their Stage 1a clash and the semi-finals; China vs Korea Republic women in the quarter-finals; Hong Kong China vs Korea DPR men in the Round of 32; and Croatia vs Japan women in the Round of 32.
Josh began his officiating career in Halifax where, in a curious quirk of fate, he was in the same class at Crossley Heath Grammar School as Premier League football referee Samuel Barrott, who was taking charge of the Aston Villa versus Tottenham Hotspur fixture on 3 May while the action was unfolding at OVO Arena Wembley.
“I’m not in touch with him anymore, but it’s strange to have two world-class officials in one class,” said Josh, whose abiding memories of London 2026 were “meeting umpires from all over the world, as well as stopping to chat to people from the English community inside and outside the venue. We had great support from the volunteers both domestically and internationally as well”.
He added: “The coaches are mostly former players and the respect the players had for the coaches and the respect the coaches had for the officials was good to see and whilst may not always liked a decision were able to accept these.
“It was a great experience to be a part of it and a lot of hard work. It was something when I started out, I never thought I’d get to do.”