YOU couldn’t begrudge table tennis ace Charlotte Carey taking a well-earned break from the sport after playing 50 sets in one day on her way to four Welsh titles.

The 19-year-old from Ebbw Vale is having a rest on the back of her exertions at the national championships in Cardiff, although she will soon be heading to Prague to coach the Irish team.

Carey then travels to Asia for a few weeks of training in China, the top nation in world table tennis.

For now, the teenager is savouring her quadruple success in the Welsh capital – she won the ladies’ singles, under-21 ladies’ singles, ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles.

In the under-21 singles, an event Carey also won in 2012, 2013 and 2014, she dropped a set in the final against Rhymney’s Beth Roberts but still had enough in her locker to prevail 3-1.

A second ladies’ singles title followed – Carey first won the crown in 2014 – as she again beat Roberts, this time in straight sets.

However, the ladies’ doubles, which Carey had won on five previous occasions, was not as straight-forward.

Carey only decided to enter the event on the day but might have pulled out after a hip injury flared up during her last match in the round-robin stages of the ladies’ singles.

Playing alongside former Wales international Catherine Jones, Carey’s hopes of a four-timer looked over when the duo trailed 9-1 in the deciding set of the final against Beth and Kate Roberts.

But having hauled themselves back into it, Carey and Jones eventually sealed a 14-12 victory.

It was then left to Dan O’Connell to help Carey secure her fourth title of the day in the mixed doubles.

The pair beat Michael Marsden and Kate Roberts 3-0 for a fourth championship together and a third in a row – it was also O’Connell’s sixth in as many years.

“I thought I played well and was really happy to do as well as I did,” said Carey.

“It can be quite difficult when you’re playing against players you’re expected to beat.

“But it was nice to win the four titles and not really have too many problems.

“The hardest one was probably the women’s doubles when we were 9-1 down but managed to come back and win.”

On that injury, the left-hander added: “I’ve got a problem with my hip and it can last five minutes, a day or longer.

“I was playing my last match in the group stages of the women’s singles and twisted it a bit.

“It was quite painful and I thought about pulling out of the women’s doubles.”