Siraj clinches memorable hat-trick at East Midlands 4*

Shayan Siraj won his third successive Junior 4* event and Anna Hursey took two titles at the East Midlands 4* at the weekend.

Leeds athlete Siraj had previously won the events in Stockton and Grantham before Christmas, and he kept up his impressive form at Wellingborough.

Having won his group and come through the bottom half of the draw without dropping a set, beating Jamie Liu in the semi-final, Siraj faced Grantham College colleague Joe Clark in the final.

Clark took a close first set, but Siraj came back, winning two more tight sets and pulling away in the fourth to win 3-1 to complete his memorable treble.

Anna Hursey (left) and Charlotte Bardsley

In the Junior Girls’ event, Wales’ Hursey edged a 3-2 scoreline over Charlotte Bardsley in a see-saw encounter. Bardsley had earlier picked up a good 3-1 win over Denise Payet in the semi-finals, while Hursey defeated Danielle Kelly in three.

The Band 1 events went to Lincolnshire’s Long Ly, who defeated Jack Stockdale in five in the boys’ final, and Anaya Patel, who triumphed over Holly Williams in four in the girls’ final.

In the Cadet age group, the singles winners were Jamie Liu and Jasmin Wong.

Jamie Liu (right) and Amirul Hussain

Liu was extended to five by Amirul Hussain in another match which ebbed and flowed. The two semi-finalists were Rhys Davies, beaten in four sets by Liu, and Benjamin Hee, seen off by Hussain in three straight.

Jasmin Wong (left) and Anna Hursey

In the girls, Wong prevented a Hursey hat-trick with a three-set victory – the first two sets going to deuce. Both needed four in the semi-finals, Wong to see off Raquel Sao Pedro and Hursey against Darcie Proud.

The two Band 1 winners were Callum McRae, who beat Ricardo Bolanos in four, and Angharad Beman, who defeated Helena Dicken, also in four.

Hursey’s second win was in the Under-13 Girls, where she beat Niamh Scarborough in short order. Scarborough had a good five-set win over Anna Green in the semis, while Hursey defeated Lauren Loosemore.

Felix Thomis (left) and Bertie Kelly

The Under-13 Boys’ final went to five before Felix Thomis edged out Bertie Kelly. Thomis beat Todd Stanmore in his semi-final, while Kelly was on the right side of a five-setter against Jake Grayson.

Grantham College’s line-up of Siraj, Clark and Israel Awolaja also won the Junior Boys’ Team competition, defeating Greenhouse Sports 3-1 in the final. Joola Plymouth won the Plate, defeating Formby TTC in the final.

Singles final results

Junior Boys’ Singles
Shayan Siraj (Y) bt Joe Clark (Cv) 3-1 (9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-5)
Junior Girls’ Singles
Anna Hursey (WAL) bt Charlotte Bardsley (St) 3-2 (12-14, 12-10, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7)
Junior Boys’ Band 1 Singles
Long Ly (Li) bt Jack Stockdale (E) 3-2 (11-4, 5-11, 13-11, 2-11, 11-5)
Junior Girls’ Band 1 Singles
Anaya Patel (Bk) bt Holly Williams (Cv) 3-1 (11-4, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7)
Cadet Boys’ Singles
Jamie Liu (Bk) bt Amirul Hussain (La) 3-2 (8-11, 12-10, 11-7, 3-11, 11-3)
Cadet Girls’ Singles
Jasmin Wong (Y) bt Hursey (WAL) 3-0 (13-11, 14-12, 11-5)
Cadet Boys’ Band 1 Singles
Callum McRae (Du) bt Ricardo Bolanos (WAL) 3-1 (11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8)
Cadet Girls’ Band 1 Singles
Angharad Beman (Dv) bt Helena Dicken (Dy) 3-1 (11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 11-3)
Under-13 Boys’ Singles
Felix Thomis (Bk) bt Bertie Kelly (So) 3-2 (4-11, 11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9)
Under-13 Girls’ Singles
Anna Hursey (WAL) bt Niamh Scarborough (Ch) 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-2)

The winning Grantham line-up of Joe Clark, Israel Awolaja and Shayan Siraj
Callum McRae and Ricardo Bolanos
Anaya Patel and Holly Williams
Author: via Table Tennis England
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