Megan Jones and Naphong Boonyaprapa were the star turns with two gold medals apiece in the Under-17 events at the Mark Bates Ltd Cadet, U17 and Junior Nationals.
Both won singles gold to add to doubles titles they had taken earlier. Boonyaprapa, having teamed up with Connor Green to beat Joseph Hunter & James Hamblett in the doubles, beat his partner Green in the singles final. Bronze medals went to Felix Thomis and Ben Piggott.
Jones took gold alongside Anna Green in the doubles, overcoming Amy Marriott & Saskia Key, and then beat Ella Pashley in the singles. Singles bronze medals went to Key and Sienna Jetha.
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For all the tournament results, click here.
Under-17 Girls’ Singles
Megan Jones, the second seed, took the title and her second gold of the day as she defeated unseeded Ella Pashley 3-1 (11-5, 7-11, 11-6, 11-4) in the final.
Jones had really had to fight to hold off Sienna Jetha in the semi-finals as her younger opponent came storming back from 2-0 down to level. Jones managed to see it home 3-2 (12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7).
Pashley came through against fifth seed Saskia Key in her semi-final, taking it 3-1 (11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 1-11).
The quarter-finals saw top seed Amy Marriott fall to Key, who fought back from 2-0 down to edge a real tussle 3-2 (8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 15-13, 11-8).
Pashley only needed three against Rebecca Savage, winning 14-12, 11-3, 11-8.
Pride of place in the first round went to seventh seed Savage, who bounced back from finishing second in her group to end third seed Anna Green’s singles campaign with a 3-2 (11-9, 15-13, 5-11, 7-11, 11-6) victory.
Eighth seed Lauren Loosemore also fell, 3-1 (11-5, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10) to Pashley. Maliha Baig and Rachael Iles took the first games against Anders and Jones respectively, but saw the seeds come back to win 3-1.
Group stage
Lianna Shilani Tousi rose from No 4 to No 2 in Group 8, going through behind group winner Lauren Loosemore.
It was a five-game victory over second-ranked Anya Milne which set Shilani Tousi on her way as she twice trailed before prevailing 3-2 (5-11, 11-0, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8). She also beat third-ranked Anna Piercey in three straight to seal her place in the knockouts.
Sienna Jetha defeated top-ranked Rebecca Savage in Group 7, winning a mammoth first game and going on to seal the match 3-1 (19-17, 2-11, 11-4, 11-6). Both girls defeated Abbie Hurley in a group reduced to three players after Sasha O’Halloran’s withdrawal.
Evelyn Pace and Bethany Ellis went through from Group 4, but both lost one – Pace to Connie Dumelow in the first match and Ellis to Pace in the last. That victory saw Pace able to finish top, ahead of Ellis as the group went with seeding. Jonabel Taguibao beat Dumelow in five to finish in third place.
Group 6 went as expected as Scarlett Anders and Ella Pashley qualified with ease, and it was the same in Group 2 as Megan Jones and Isabelle Lacorte were the top two. The match for third place in the group saw the fourth-ranked player come out on top, Naomi Coker beating Tilly Simms 3-2 (11-4, 11-13, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6).
Group 1 also saw the top two go through – Amy Marriott and Rachael Iles – while fourth beat third as Eva Eccles edged Isobel McGerty 3-2 (13-11, 8-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-5). In Group 5, top two Saskia Key and Maliha Baig advanced with few alarms.
Group 3 was not quite so straightforward. Anna Green won, as expected, and No 2 Niamh Scarborough also went through, though only after a comeback 3-2 (6-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8) victory over third-ranked Jasmin Coker, who in turn defeated fourth-ranked Kate Watkinson in five.
Under-17 Boys’ Singles
Fifth seed Naphong Boonyaprapa made it two titles on the day as he added the singles crown to the doubles he won a short while earlier.
It was his club-mate and doubles partner Connor Green who was the beaten finalist as Boonyaprapa triumphed 3-1 (11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-2).
In the semi-finals, Green overcame the challenge of seventh seed Felix Thomis 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 12-10), while Boonyaprapa held off third seed Ben Piggott 3-1 (11-6, 13-15, 11-8, 11-8).
The quarter-finals saw Thomis despatch Jakub Piwowar 3-1 (11-7, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4), while the other matches were done and dusted in three – Green beating Bertie Kelly, Piggott ending James Hamblett’s hopes and Boonyaprapa seeing off Georgios Gerakios.
Second seed Toby Ellis departed in the first round at the hands of Kelly, who won in four (11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9).
Third and fourth seeds met, and it was Piggott who defeated Joseph Hunter, who had come second in his group, 3-1 (11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6).
There was a terrific tussle between Piwowar and Ralph Pattison, the former taking it 14-12 in the fifth having come from 2-1 down.
Group stage
Jakub Piwowar upset top-ranked Joseph Hunter in Group 4, defeating the 2021 Cadet champion 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 13-11) to leapfrog him into top spot. Both boys beat Jake Haygarth in what was a three-player group as Chris Ho withdrew.
There was an upset in Group 8 as well, Bertie Kelly overcoming top-ranked Adam Dennison 3-2 (11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9) to swap positions and go through as group winner.
It was the same in Group 2 as Georgios Gerakios beat top-ranked Toby Ellis 3-2 in a humdinger – it was 13-11, 5-11, 13-11, 16-18, 11-9 in Gerakios’ favour, as Ellis saved a clutch of match points in the fourth. Gerakios also got past Nathaniel Saunders 12-10 in a decider, having been 2-0 down, and Saunders also led Ellis 2-0 before losing in a decider.
Just for good measure, Ellis needed five against Yiannis Kazantzidis to make sure of second place.
Group 7 saw Isaac Kingham, the No 3 player, defeat No 2 Larry Trumpauskas to take his place in the knockouts. It was a 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9) victory for Kingham, who earlier fought past Gregory Fray 3-2 (5-11, 11-6, 11-6, 4-11, 11-4). Top-ranked Felix Thomis won his three matches to head the group.
Ben Piggott won Group 3 as expected, but had to dig deep to overturn a 2-0 deficit against second-ranked Krish Chotai, coming back to win 3-2 (7-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-6, 11-8).
Chotai’s defeat to third-ranked Joseph Dennison meant it was Dennison who joined Piggott in the knockouts – it was a 3-1 (11-13, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6) scoreline for the winner.
Ralph Pattison had to come from 2-0 down to beat third-ranked Ollie Maric-Murray in Group 6. Second-ranked Pattison turned the tables to win 3-2 (9-11, 10-12, 11-4, 14-12, 11-3), saving a match point in the fourth. Top-ranked James Hamblett won the group.
No alarms for top seed Connor Green in Group 1, and he was joined in the knockouts by Daniel Jones, though only just as Jones held off third-ranked Jake Grayson 3-2 (11-5, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 13-11).
It was as expected too in Group 5, Naphong Boonyaprapa leading Aaron Yuk Shing Geung through, but only after beating him by an unusual-looking 3-2 (8-11, 11-1, 15-17, 11-3, 11-6) scoreline.
Under-17 Girls’ Doubles
The final went all the way and it was top seeds Megan Jones & Anna Green who won the title, beating second seeds Amy Marriott & Saskia Key.
The scoreline was a back-and-forth 3-2 (8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 6-11, 11-6) in favour of the winners.
In the semi-finals, Jones & Green were 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-7) winners over Scarlett Anders & Isabelle Lacorte, while Marriott & Key had a harder passage before seeing off Rebecca Savage & Ella Pashley 3-2 (11-1, 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6).
Savage & Pashley got past Rachael Iles & Anna Piercey 6, 7, 6 in the quarter-finals, while it was 6, 10, 6 for Marriott & Key against Niamh Scarborough & Jasmin Coker.
In the top half of the draw, Jones & Green had to shake off Abbie Hurley & Isobel McGerty 3-1 (11-9, 13-15, 11-7, 11-4), while it was also 3-1 for Anders & Lacorte against Evelyn Pace & Tilly Simms (11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8).
Under-17 Boys’ Doubles
Top seeds Connor Green & Naphong Boonyaprapa took the title with hard-fought victories in the semi-final and final.
They first saw off the threat of Ben Piggott & Felix Thomis in a see-saw semi, winning it 3-2 (11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 1-11, 11-5), and then beat the second seeds Joseph Hunter & James Hamblett 3-1 (11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 13-11) in the final.
The other semi-final had seen Hunter & Hamblett progress with a 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-9) victory over Bertie Kelly & Georgios Gerakios.
Second seeds Hunter & Hamblett were extended by Adam Dennison & Krish Chotai in the quarter-finals, seeing their opponents battle back from 2-0 down to level. But Hunter & Hamblett were able to pull out a 3-2 (11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5) victory.
Green & Boonyaprapa dropped a game to Aaron Yuk Shing Geung & Daniel Goitom, but had too much for their opponents and won it 3-1 (11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6).
The other two quarters were decided in three straight, Piggott & Thomis defeating Daniel Jones & Nathaniel Saunders 6, 10, 7 and Kelly & Gerakios overcoming Tom Chesworth & Gregory Fray 8, 6, 4.
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