Junior Boys'
The top two seeds reached their alloted semi-final berths' but, the
departure of third seed Igor Morais (Midd) at the first stage
following the group matches, was one of the tournament's big
upsets. The England number 7 junior, who, 24 hours earlier had
taken the Cadet Boys title, faced Emre Ibatoglu (Sy) who finished
second in his group and stands at 36 in the junior list. Morais took
the opening game, Ibatoglu, though, surprising him by winning the
next couple to forge a 2-1 lead. Morais levelled matters in the
fourth 11-9 but, the Surrey man, stepping up a gear, swept to a fine
victory winning 11-8. Had Morais made it to the next round he'd have
faced brother William who then ousted Ibatoglu 3-1 after dropping
the first game to qualify for the quarter-finals where he went out
to Adam Nutland (Wo). England 6 Junior Lewis Gray (S2) conceeded
just one game en-route to the final and only a total of 14 points in
his two rounds prior to the semi's. He lost the first game is his
quarter-final meeting with Nutland before taking the next two 6 and
12 - then easing to victory 11-4 in the fourth. Danny Lowe (S1)
cruised through to the last four without dropping a game but came
unstuck (2-3) against Dash Zhang (Sx) who accounted for James Ward
(St) 3-0 in the quarters'. The opening game in the final didn't
live up to expectations, Zhang forging a 2-0 lead although the next
game developed into a tightly fought affair, the pair trading blow
for blow up to 11 all. With tension creeping in, Gray served off
which gave Zhang the impetus to clinch it 13-11, the set and the
title.
Cadet Boys' Band 1
Top seed Paul Smith (Cv) couldn't have designed his route to the
final any better and the draw seemed to suit him well, dropping just
two games en-route to a meeting with Daryl Gee (Y) to decide the
title. The England number 5 Cadet dropped the second game to
Scotland's Blair Fowler in the semi's before edging home in a tight
game 12-10 and then 11-5. Gee's opponents in the last 32 and 16 were
seen off in straight games, Adam Harrison (Li) taking the third in
Gee's 3-1 success in the quarter's. Gee's last four clash with
England 9 cadet Edward Freeman (St) was a strange affair, when
after winning the opening games 6 and 2, Freeman hit back with a
couple of 9's which left the outcome evenly balanced - Gee, though,
wnning 11-9. Standing seven places lower than Smith in the cadet
listings, Gee opened up a 2-0 lead in the final, but saw Smith
levelling matters to force a fifth game decider which went Gee's
way, 11-9.
Junior Girls'
Three of the top four seeds made the semi's of the event the lone
casualty, fourth seed Evangeline Collier(E). She fell in the
quarters' to Derbyshire's Abbie Milwain (S2) who, after finishing as
group runner-up, dismissed top seed Chloe Whyte (Cv). Charleigh
Kirby (Mi) beat Lucy Zhu (Sk) in three close games before having to
face in-form Maria Tsaptsinos who took the second and fourth games -
Miss Kirby sealing her semi-final place, 11-8 in the decider. She,
then bowed out 3-1 to Jessica Dawson (Cv) the first game she had let
slip. Miss Dawson opened up a 2-0 lead in the final - lost the next
but sealed victory and the title, 11-3 in the fourth.
Junior Girls' Band 1
Top seed Evangeline Collier, Jessica Birbeck (S2), Charleigh Kirby
(S3), Sophie Neil (S4), Emma Torkington, Majada Yasmin, Naomi
Jackson and Maria Tsaptsinos, qualified for the knock out stages as
group winners' and all successfully negotiated their first round
encounters' to reach the quarter-finals. Collier, Kirby and Birbeck
though, required five games to qualify for the semi's, the exception
being Jasmin, who dropped the third in a 3-1 win over Sophie Neil
(Ng). Miss Birbeck cut it finely against Jackson, recovering well
after losing the first two to come through 9, 5, 10 to earn a place
in the semi's where, in an odd encounter, at one game all with
Jasmin, she lost the next two, 11-6, 11-0. In the top half of the
draw, England ranked 14 Miss Kirby (Mi) lost the first to Torkington
(Sk) but took three of the next four to face Collier who forged a
2-0 lead and looked bound for the final. Kirby, though, dropping
only 13 points in the next three games, stormed into the final.
There, she made no mistake in polishing off Jasmin, 6, 6, 9 to
collect the title.
Cadet Girls
Only two of the top four seeds won their group the only upset was
when Chrissie Slott finished behind Lucy Zhu (Sk). Top seed Emma
Torkington (Sx) won her first group match 3-0 against Ellen Auty but
in her next outing, enjoying a 2-0 lead against Maria Tsaptsinos (Bk)
she came within a couple of points of a three straight success when
they stood level at 15 all. The next two points, though, went the
way of Miss Tsaptsinos as did the remaining games which cemented her
place at the top of the group earning her a last eight clash with
Miss Slott who won 11-7 in the fifth. Her run was ended by Megan
Knowles (Bk) who had chalked up a 3-0 victory over Emily Bolton (Cu)
who proved too strong, the Berkshire girl winning 3-1 to earn a
crack at Isobel Ashley (the August Band 3 Liverpool GP champion) in
the final. Ashley overcame a 12-10 first game reversal against Emma
Torkington before sweeping home, 2, 7, 7. The final brought
together England number 3 Ashley and Knowles, who stands one place
lower but, on her 14th birthday Miss Ashley celebrated the occasion
by conceeding a total of just 12 points to record her third title in
Liverpool within the space of six weeks.
Cadet Girls' Band 1
Emma Torkington led Isobel Ashley by just a single point in the
Computer Rating List prior to start of play this weekend and with
the pair meeting each other on two occasions in the tournament, a
significant gap would be opened should one of them chalk up two
victories. Both players qualified for the final without the loss of
a game and it was the former who drew first blood, taking the
opening game, 14-12. It was as if Miss Ashley was teasing her Sussex
foe when she again let the first game slip, 14-12 but, as in their
previous clash, the Derbyshire birthday girl almost re-enacted her
other contest with her opponent by dropping 17 points in the next
three games having conceeded 16 just 30 minutes earlier.
Junior Boys' Band 1
The event went according to plan with the top two seeds reaching the
final, England 11 junior Dash Zhang (S1) enjoying a tremendous
couple of hours, emerging unscathed having won every set without
dropping a game up to the final. Liam McTiernan, Paul Smith, Luca
Mariano and William Morais all fell to the Sussex man with only two
of the twelve games reaching nine points. Second seed Adam Nutland (Wo)
experienced a similar route to the final beating Joseph Ferriera,
Jarred Knowles, Ashley Facey-Thompson and Ryan Maynard were all,
with the exception of Knowles who picked up one, dismissed in
straight games. Nutland came close to taking a game from Zhang when
they stood at 10 all in the opening game of the final, Zhang, though
taking the two points and the next couple of games to become
champion.
Cadet Boys'
A very strong line-up which included nine of the top 15 Cadets in
England with only two from the top ten, absent. Igor Morais the
number one in the country and top seed was due to meet England 4 Sam
Mabey (Np) (S2) in the final while Paul Smith (Cv) (S3) and Adam
Harrison (Li) seeded at 4 completed the line-up. Morais kicked off
with a comfortable win over Luke Savill and followed up with a 3-1
win over Daryl Gee (Y), leaving him to beat Scotland's Blair Fowler,
which he did 3-0, to see him into the last four. Sam Mabey chalked
up a couple of 3-1 wins before bowing out, also 3-1, to Tyrone Wells
(Mi) 15-13 in the fourth who then met Adam Harrrison (S4) in the
other semi. The top end of the draw went as expected with Morais
taking on Jack Bennett (S9) who earlier chalked up wins over Paul
Smith (3-2) in the last 32 and Vince Stacey 3-2, from a 2-0 deficit
to win 6, 5, 7. That was the end of Bennett's challenge, the top
seed cruising into the final 3-0. Harrison's semi' clash proved more
tricky, Wells pushing him all the way before going down 10, 6, 10.
Morais, whose mother comes from former trouble torn Angola, took the
first - Harrison, although, lying way behind on points in the
listings, surprised the number one when taking a 2-1 lead. This
spurred Morais into action, who dropped just ten points in the next
three games to come out on top.
Under 13 Boys'
Of the four seeds from the group stages, only Vince Stacey failed to
top his respective group, that honour going to Alec Ward (Cv).
Stacey, in fact left the competition at the first knock out round,
Luke Savill (K) doing the damage the other group winner to fall
being Tom Jarvis after taking a 2-1 lead against Josh Bennett (Sx).
Top seed Hugo Pang (Do) kicked off with a 3-1 success over Rob
Barker (La) but, the top under 13 in the country, left the scene
beaten 3-1 by Marcus Giles (Sy) in the semi's. Daniel McTiernan (Bk)
(S4) lodged wins over Liam Grant (Sy) and Bennett 3-1 and maintained
form when ousting Billy Forster (Cv) 3-0 to stake his place in the
final. Giles, ranked at three in the U13 list, facing fourth in the
country, Dan McTiernan from Berkshire. Third seed, Giles enjoyed a
great start, developing a 2-0 lead only to crash in the next two,
3-11, 7-11. In a tense finale, it was touch and go in the decider,
Giles pulling rank when edging home 12-10.
Under 13 Girls'
Only five girls' entered the event which was played in a 'Round
Robin' format, four of them coming from the top seven place in the
list. The leading player of the quintet was Emily Bolton (Cu)
ranked at 2 in the country and the obvious favourite to top the
group. Derbyshire's Jayden Budworth set the pace winning her first
three sets while Miss Bolton, a set behind had two wins to her
credit. When the pair met in the eighth set of the ten, a Budworth
win would ensure she took the honours. It started well for the girl
from Chesterfield who took the first 11-8, her rival, though,
stepped up her game to win the next three. Miss Bolton, from Askam -
in - Furness was, however, guaranteed the title even if she lost to
Letitia McMullan (Ha) in the final set of the competition by virtue
of having beaten the Cumbrian girl. Surprisingly, the favourite was
beaten in the opening two games but, with pride and ranking points
at stake, she pulled it around to win the next three and take the
crown boasting a 100% record. Budworth finished second, McMullan
third, Eda Aydin fourth with Imogen Barbar in fifth spot.
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