Four unbeaten at Under-12 National Cup

The top two seeds in both boys’ and girls’ events at the Under-12 National Cup are unbeaten after the first day’s play in Blackpool.

Maliha Baig and Bethany Ellis did not drop a set between them and lead the way in the girls’ event, with third seed Connie Dumelow and fifth seed Rachel Iles – who beat two higher-ranked players – one win behind.

In the boys’ event, top seed Ollie Maric-Murray did not drop a game all day, while second seed Joseph Cooper had to dig deep to win his final match of the day 15-13 in the fifth to maintain his own unbeaten record. Ralph Pattison and Lennon Maughan have three wins apiece to share third place.

All photos by Trevor Parsons – see more on our Flickr page.

Boys

Ralph Pattison

Round one saw two results go against seeding and both matches went to a deciding fifth game.

Ralph Pattison, ranked No 7, defeated No 4 Joseph Dennison in a match which both players led before it finished 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-6) in favour of Pattison.

Meanwhile, Cameron Driver saw Francesco Bonato, ranked one place above him at No 5, fight back from 2-0 down to level, before Driver reasserted himself to take the decider and complete an 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 11-4 victory.

The top three seeds all started with 3-0 scorelines – Ollie Maric-Murray over Eduard Lakatos, Joseph Cooper over Abraham Earl Sellado – though he had to battle to take a pivotal second set 17-15 – and Lennon Maughan over Louis Cheung-Turner.

Pattison caused another upset in the second round, this time unseating the third seed Maughan in three straight (4, 6, 7). And Driver was also at it again, this time defeating No 4 Dennison in four.

Bonato got his first point on the board but was pushed all the way by No 10 Lakatos before securing a 3-2 win 11-8 in the fifth – the most ‘one-sided’ game in a match which finished 3-2 (10-12, 11-9, 16-14, 10-12, 11-8) in Bonato’s favour.

Maric-Murray and Cooper both won in three straight against Sellado and Cheung-Turner respectively, though the latter was a very tight match, Cooper taking it 14-12, 13-11, 11-9).

Lakatos got himself on the board in round three, recovering a 2-0 deficit against No 9 Sellado to win 3-2 (10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-1).

Bonato beat another higher-ranked player, leaving No 4 Dennison still searching for his first victory, but Pattison’s winning start came to an end 3-1 to Cooper, as did Driver’s at the hands of Maughan (3-0). It was 3-0 in favour of Maric-Murray against Cheung-Turner.

Abraham Earl Sellado

Two more players got their first victories in round four – Cheung-Turner defeating Sellado in four and Dennison overcoming Lakatos in three.

It was 3-0 again for Maric-Murray, against Pattison, and for Maughan against Bonato. The closest match saw second seed Cooper stretched by Driver before coming through 11-2 in the decider, a curious score given the relative closeness of the match to that point.

There were some close matches in the fifth and final round of the day, none more so than the one in which Cooper kept up his unbeaten run. He twice trailed Bonato and eventually won 15-13 in the fifth, both boys having had match points.

Sellado came close to his first victory but was edged out by Pattison in a fifth, while Dennison beat the player ranked immediately above him, Maughan, in a close four-game match (12-10, 14-12, 12-14, 12-10). It was also four close sets for Cheung-Turner as he got past Lakatos 14-12, 11-9, 13-15, 11-9).

Maric-Murray’s was a comparative breeze as he maintained his record of not having dropped a game, this time defeating Driver.

Results

Round 1
Ollie Maric-Murray bt Eduard Lakatos 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 11-5)
Joseph Cooper bt Abraham Earl Sellado 3-0 (11-8, 17-15, 11-6)
Lennon Maughan bt Louis Cheung Turner 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 11-3)
Ralph Pattison bt Joseph Dennison 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-6)
Cameron Driver bt Francesco Bonato 3-2 (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 11-4)

Round 2
Driver bt Dennison 3-1 (14-12, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8)
Bonato bt Lakatos 3-2 (10-12, 11-9, 16-14, 10-12, 11-8)
Maric-Murray bt Sellado 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-4)
Cooper bt Cheung-Turner 3-0 (14-12, 13-11, 11-9)
Pattison bt Maughan 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-7)

Round 3
Cooper bt Pattison 3-1 (11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3)
Maric-Murray bt Cheung-Turner 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-9)
Bonato bt Dennison 3-1 (7-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6)
Maughan bt Driver 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 12-10)
Lakatos bt Sellado 3-2 (10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-1)

Round 4
Cheung-Turner bt Sellado 3-1 (11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8)
Maughan bt Bonato 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-9)
Cooper bt Driver 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-2)
Dennison bt Lakatos 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 14-12)
Maric-Murray bt Pattison 3-0 (11-2, 11-7, 11-6)

Round 5
Dennison bt Maughan 3-1 (12-10, 14-12, 12-14, 12-10)
Pattison bt Sellado 3-2 (8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6)
Cheung-Turner bt Lakatos 3-1 (14-12, 11-9, 13-15, 11-9)
Maric-Murray bt Driver 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-9)
Cooper bt Bonato 3-2 (7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9, 15-13)

Girls

Sienna Jetha

Everything went with seeding in the first round and it was 3-0 all the way, except for the match between No 5 and No 6, which was won by the higher-ranked Rachael Iles. Up against Emily Cheung, Iles saw a few match points slip by in the third, which she lost 14-16, before coming back to complete a 3-1 victory.

The 3-0 wins were for No 1 Maliha Baig against No 10 Chui-Que Wong, No 2 Bethany Ellis against No 9 Mia Longman, third seed Connie Dumelow against eighth-ranked Sophie Ackred and No 4 Sienna Jetha against No 7 Jessica Morris.

Cheung came close against Jetha in the second round, twice pegging back her opponent before losing 3-2 (13-11, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7).

The only other match not to be dealt with in three saw Dumelow beat Morris 3-1 as again all five matches went with seeding – Iles beating Wong, Baig overcoming Longman and Ellis defeating Ackred to complete the picture.

The first match to go against seeding was in round three, and it went to Iles, who came storming back from 2-0 down to overcome Jetha 14-12 in the fifth, completing the match with a fist pump and a yell of delight.

Longman picked up her first victory thanks to a 3-1 scoreline against Wong, and it was also 3-1 as Dumelow notched her third win, against Cheung.

The top two seeds both won in three straight again, Ellis against Morris and Baig against Ackred.

Mia Longman

Iles continued her superb run in round four as she recovered from losing a close first game 15-13 to Dumelow, winning the next three to maintain her 100% record.

Longman doubled her win total, defeating Ackred, ranked one place above her, 3-0. Ellis and Baig kept up their records of not dropping a game, beating Cheung and Morris respectively, while Jetha got back to winning ways by seeing off Wong 3-1.

Baig and Ellis completed their blemish-free days in the final round, triumphing over Cheung and Iles respectively – the latter result was the first defeat of a fine day for Iles.

Iles sat in a share of third with Dumelow, who prevailed in a tight encounter against Jetha, defeating the girl ranked just below her in five.

Longman continued her winning streak by getting the better of Morris in four and there was a first win for Wong, in four games against Ackred.

Results

Round 1
Maliha Baig bt Chui-Que Wong 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-1)
Bethany Ellis bt Mia Longman 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-8)
Connie Dumelow bt Sophie Ackred 3-0 (11-0, 11-8, 11-7)
Sienna Jetha bt Jessica Morris 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-6)
Rachael Iles bt Emily Cheung 3-1 (11-6, 11-7, 14-16, 11-6)

Round 2
Jetha bt Cheung 3-2 (13-11, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7)
Iles bt Wong 3-0 (11-8, 12-10, 15-13)
Baig bt Longman 3-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-8)
Ellis bt Ackred 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-2)
Dumelow bt Morris 3-1 (9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-2)

Round 3
Ellis bt Morris 3-0 (11-8, 11-2, 11-9)
Baig bt Ackred 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-4)
Iles bt Jetha 3-2 (9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 14-12)
Dumelow bt Cheung 3-1 (11-13, 11-8, 11-4, 11-7)
Longman bt Wong 3-1 (11-5, 12-10, 11-13, 11-5)

Round 4
Longman bt Ackred 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 14-12)
Iles bt Dumelow 3-1 (13-15, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8)
Ellis bt Cheung 3-0 (13-11, 11-5, 11-7)
Jetha bt Wong 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8)
Baig bt Morris 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-2)

Round 5
Baig bt Cheung 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-3)
Ellis bt Iles 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-9)
Longman bt Morris 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5)
Wong bt Ackred 3-1 (6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-2)
Dumelow bt Jetha 3-2 (5-11, 12-10, 12-10, 9-11, 11-4)

Author: via Table Tennis England
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