Essex Press Office

Reported by Steve Kerns
Press & Publicity Officer
Essex County Table Tennis Association

Junior Match Secretary Arthur Clark reports on the recent Essex Ranking Trials.

The Essex Junior Assessment Trials were held over the last weekend of September. With The BATTS venue unavailable due to refurbishment works the Under 18 Boys event was held at the Coopers Company and Coborn School at Upminster on the Saturday and the remaining events at Peniel Academy on the Sunday.

48 players entered the U18 Boys event, 44 playing on the day. Unfortunately due to injuries to top seed Azarel Abebanjo and Jack Cleminson during play of the final top group of six, group positions remained unresolved. Azarel had comfortably won his first two matches in the Group before sustaining his injury whilst playing Jared Patel. The expected five set thriller between Reece Tan and Luca Mariano never materialised this time, Reece winning in three straight sets. In the following Group, Fellows Cranleigh’s Anthony Kent, Joe Stannard and Nial Akata finished first, third and fifth respectively with Havering’s Chris Penrose the runner up.

The withdrawal of the injury hit Azarel and Jack required a quick reconstruction of the Under 15 Boys event Groups the next day. In the early Groups Brandon Crouchman surrendered a 2-1 lead to lose to Hilkiah Adebanjo whilst Scott Dowsett benefited from the non-appearance of the Group’s top seed David Whealy. At the end of the day Jared Patel headed the Group winners Group with Alex Holland second and Phillip Lawson third. At the start of Sunday in the U13 Boys event Clacton’s Lewis McKenny found himself well tested in the Group Winners Final Group. Opening with a 9-11 loss in the fifth to Hilkiah , he was involved in two more five setters which he won and a four setter which he won 14-12 in the fourth after losing the opening set of that match to 2 to finish runner up. Meanwhile Hilkiah had little difficulty winning the rest of his Group games easily to finish top Under 13 boy.

All the players in the Under 11 Boys event bar one were Team Peniel players. In the play off between Groups Christian Gibson beat Ben Holland, Alex’s younger brother, for first place with NETTS Arlen Crawley-Smart beating Elliot Graziano 15-13 in the fifth to claim third place.

Girl wise, Southend’s Polish find Nicole Syderenko made an immediate impression in the Under 18 Girl’s event beating the top two seeds Evie Collier and Bethany March, both in four sets, to claim top spot. Evie’s win over Alice McGahon ensured third place for her. In the Under 15 Girls event Evie defeated Bethany three straight to take first place and countback between Bethany, Georgina Barnes and Annabelle Gibson saw Bethany narrowly take second place. Ify Okafor beat Estelle Purkiss 12-10 in the fifth in the Under 13 Girls final and this result was later confirmed in the Under 15 event when the two met again, Ify winning 11-9 in the fourth this time. Kristelle Brooke confirmed her National Ranking by beating the other three Peniel Girls in the Under 11 event.

Steve Kerns
Press & Publicity Officer
Essex County Table Tennis Association