Twins see double once again

The amazing Green twins continue to match each other title for title as they took matching Under-12 singles golds on day two of the PG Mutual U10-U13 National Championships.

Anna was the first to win her final and, minutes later, Connor completed his victory to make it back-to-back golds for last year’s Under-11 champions.

It was also the turn of the youngest players to show off their skills at WV Active in Wolverhampton and the golds went to Louis Cheung-Turner in the boys’ event and Sienna Jetha in the girls’ competition.

All photos by Michael Loveder – click here to see more on our Flickr page

Click here to see all the results from the weekend

Under-12 Boys

From left: Ollie Maric-Murray, Connor Green, Jakub Piwowar, Joseph Hunter and Table Tennis England Chairman Sandra Deaton

Ollie Maric-Murray reached his third final of the event but had to settle for silver as top seed Connor Green showed no sign of losing his grip on this age group.

The Nottingham youngster, with twin sister Anna rushing over to support him after winning her own title, recovered from a second game in which Maric-Murray looked as if he might seize the initiative. Green, though, upped his game when it mattered to deliver a 3-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5) victory.

The semi-finals had differing scorelines, Green advancing 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 12-10) against eighth seed Joseph Hunter, but Maric-Murray needing to dig deep to overcome Jakub Piwowar, as he had in the Under-11 final yesterday.

On that occasion, it was 3-0, but this time it went the distance and at the change of ends in the decider, Piwowar led 5-1. However, the second seed kept going and forced his way back in, eventually taking it 11-8 to complete a scoreline of 11-9, 5-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8.

Hunter had knocked out fourth seed Nathaniel Saunders in the quarters by a convincing 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-6). In fact, every quarter was decided in three straight – Green beating Tom Powlesland (3, 6, 5), Piwowar overcoming Georgios Gerakios (8, 5, 5) and Maric-Murray recording a 5, 6, 4 success against Joseph Cooper.

There were a couple of lengthy matches in the last 16, Gerakios going through 3-2 (11-8, 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 11-7) against Francesco Bonato and Cooper twice going from behind to see off Harry Yip 3-2 (7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9).

Group stage

Francesco Bonato rose from third to second in Group 1 behind Connor Green, thanks to a terrific five-set win over Jake Hewitt in the final match of the group. The score was 3-2 (11-8, 6-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6).

No alarms for third seed Jakub Piwowar in Group 3 but it was the third player in the group, Larry Trumpauskas, who followed him through at the expense of Luke Hodgson. It was a 3-0 (9, 9, 7) scoreline in favour of Trumpauskas. Hodgson had earlier defeated Daniel Clark in a five-setter (7-11, 12-10, 12-10, 10-12, 11-2).

The third player also advanced from Group 4 as Ethan Eaketts beat the second player, Charlie Nabatto 3-2 (12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-6) in the final match. He had earlier won another five-setter against Jacob Archer (9-11, 11-6, 13-15, 11-8, 11-4). Nathaniel Saunders won the group, as expected.

The second-ranked player in Group 5, Joseph Cooper, went through behind top seed Joseph Hunter but only after a monumental comeback in a decider against George Noel. Cooper was 10-7 down in the fifth and saved two further match points to go through 3-2 (11-3, 5-11, 6-11, 11-6, 16-14).

It was a similar story in Group 5, where Joseph Dennison had to survive a scare against Ojasvii Borah before prevailing 3-2 (11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10). That helped him to go through with the top player James Hamblett, while Borah had the consolation of a 3-2 win of his own – 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9 over Eduard Lakatos.

In Group 9, top seed Ben Poulter needed to survive two matches which went the distance, coming back to beat runner-up Adam Dennison 3-2 (9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8) and then defeating the No 4 player Adam Palmer 3-2 (13-11, 11-9, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8).

Under-12 Girls

The Under-12 Girls’ podium – Isabelle Lacorte, Anna Green, Katie Bates and Maliha Baig – with Sandra Deaton

Anna Green defeated Isabelle Lacorte as the top two seeds met in the final, despite seeing her opponent save five match points – three of them at 10-7 down – before she was able to complete a 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 14-12) victory.

Both semi-finals went to five, though with different patterns. Green saw Under-11 champion and third seed Maliha Baig claw back from 2-0 down to level, but the top seed – with some vocal support from her twin brother – found a higher gear to clinch it 3-2 (12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 8-11, 11-5).

Meanwhile, Lacorte was not in the lead until the final game as she beat fifth seed Katie Bates 3-2 (7-11, 13-11, 4-11, 13-11, 11-6).

In the first round, Jessica Moggeridge had ended the hopes of fourth seed Bethany Ellis with a fine 3-2 (9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 5-11, 11-9) victory.

But Moggeridge lost in four to Bates in the quarter-finals, where Green defeated Sophie Richardson 3-1 and there were 3-0 victories for Baig over Kate Watkinson and Lacorte over Saskia Key.

Group stage

Darcy Brewer beat Milly Hanrahan in the last match in Group 2, ensuring the third-ranked player leapfrogged the second-ranked. The score was 3-1 (11-9, 11-5, 11-13, 11-4) as Brewer followed Isabelle Lacorte into the knockout stage.

The third-ranked players also advanced from Groups 1 and 3, behind the top seeds Anna Green and Maliha Baig respectively.

In Group 1, it was Lucy Bridle who went into the knockout rounds after beating the player above her, Anna Piercey, 3-1 (9-11, 11-2, 11-7, 13-11), while in Group 3 Anna Walsh impressively defeated Inderjeet Pawar 3-2 (2-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8) to book her place.

The top two advanced in the ‘correct’ order from Group 7, though only after a five-game tussle, Sophie Richardson coming from behind to defeat Jessica Moggeridge 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4).

In Group 4, Sienna Jetha went through in second as expected behind Bethany Ellis, but only after two five-set wins over Phoebe Tomlinson (11-5, 7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6) and Inara Ahmed (11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6).

Under-10 Boys

Louis Cheung-Turner

The top seed Louis Cheung-Turner overcame fifth seed Ralph Pattison to claim the youngest National Championships title – without dropping a game in the tournament.

Although it was another three-straight margin in the final, Pattison fought hard before going down 11-3, 11-8, 12-10.

Pattison knocked out second seed Sam Gabriel 3-1 (11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6) in the last four, while Cheung-Turner beat Daniyal Palmer 5, 3, 3.

Two matches went to deciders back in the first round – seven-year-old Kacper Piwowar extending Sam Davies in a switchback tie before succumbing 3-2 (11-2, 3-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-3) and Pattison having to save match points before getting the best of a tight match against George Jackson 3-2 (9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 14-12).

Pattison went on to beat Isaac Kingham 3-1 in the quarters – at the same stage, Cheung-Turner overcame Davies, while Palmer beat Henry James 3-1 and Gabriel came through 3-0 against Charlie Davidson.

Group stage

The top player in Group 4 was Oliver Dugaric, but he missed out on the knockout rounds after starting with a defeat to Charlie Davidson in five – the winner taking it 4-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-3, 11-9 – and then losing his final match 3-1 (11-4, 8-11, 11-5, 11-2) to Daniyal Palmer.

It was Palmer who topped the group thanks to a 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10) victory over Davidson.

Isaac Kingham overcame the leading player in Group 3, Abraham Earl Sellado, 3-1 (11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 13-11) to top the group, having earlier beaten George Goodwin. Sellado beat Goodwin in four to ensure he went through as runner-up.

Ralph Pattison was Group 5 from top position, but he was followed into the knockout stage by seven-year-old Kacper Piwowar, who got above Raphael Zakaim into second place by virtue of a 3-1 (13-11, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10) win, having earlier defeated Alec Lyons.

Felix West made it through from second in Group 6, but needed all five games to get the better of Louis McPhee, winning 3-2 (10-12, 12-10, 11-8, 7-11, 11-1). McPhee won a five-setter of his own against Alf Beresford-Peirse (11-9, 10-12, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9). Top player Sam Davies won the group.

Top seed Louis Cheung-Turner won Group 1, though he was pushed by runner-up George Jackson in a close 3-0 (13-11, 11-9, 12-10).

Under-10 Girls

Sienna Jetha

Second seed Sienna Jetha took gold in the five-player round-robin, winning all four matches and only dropping one game in the process.

Silver went to Cumbria’s Sophie Ackred and bronze to Naomi Coker from Derbyshire, while top seed Caron Charles, from Surrey, found it was just not her day as she ended in fifth, behind Mia Longman of Yorkshire.

Coker was impressive in defeating Charles 3-2 (11-3, 11-8, 8-11, 11-13, 11-9) and also took the only set off Jetha, but Ackred sealed the silver when she defeated Coker 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-5).

Author: via Table Tennis England
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