What a great start to the year with well over 200 juniors participating in the Cippenham New Year Young Players Festival of table tennis played over the weekend of Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th of January. Day one at the Premier club’s 16 table extravaganza featured the sports up and coming under 12’s and under 14’s, future stars.
Eleven years old Jared Patel, another product of the Peniel Academy conveyor belt, stole the show with a magnificent brace of wins in both of the boy’s open events. The audacious fact about his workmanlike title win in the under 14 competition, was that Jared came from an unseeded position, to knock out local Cippenham favourite, Eddie Mitchell in the quarter final, and then play a titanic match to outstay Azarel Adebanjo at the penultimate stage. His final opponent and top seed, Lewis Gray was not going down without a determined fight, and this match proved to be the best of the day, with some awesome topspin rallies, which eventually went right to the wire, with Patel victorious in the final leg.
Forty-one Peniel Academy players took part over the two-day festival, and yet another of their starlets, Annabelle Gibson, took centre stage in the girls under 12’s event. She played many inspirational matches en-route to taking home the winners trophy, and in a pulsating final against her club mate Estelle Purkiss, ran out the winner in the final set.
Very rarely does a title not wing its way west down the M4 to the Blaenafon Club in Wales, and so was the case in the under 14’s girls tournament. Thirteen-year-old “Miss Dynamite.”
Chloe Thomas, was in no mood for compromise, when taking on her final opponent, that of England ranked number 4, Bethany March. These very talented young ladies were literally like two featherweight boxers slugging it out until the bitter end. In a magnificent final, full of drama and suspense, with the hardest hitting and counter smashing, you could wish to see. Somehow, Chloe found the extra stamina to win 11-8 in the 5th end, and take home another trophy to the valleys.
It was the turn of the under 16’s, and under 18’s boys and girls, on the final day of the Cippenham Young Players Festival.
Fifteen years old, Rachel Anslow, another star from Peniel, was emerging through the rounds, to reach the final of the girls under 16’s. This young lady that plays with short pimples on the backhand side was playing very positively, to set up a concluding match, with the in form Chloe Thomas. Rachel soon found herself two sets to one down, however, finished strongly to take the final two legs and the title.
Meanwhile the under 16’s boys event was reaching the closing stages. Local hero, Eddie Mitchell was a straight sets winner in the first semi-final against Lewis Gray. The other semi went to Guy Ben-Aroya, who overcame a spirited challenge from Daniel O’Connell.
The stage was set for the boys’ final on the showcourt, with Mitchell facing the in form Ben-Aroya. It was a match to savour, with some brilliant play from both lads. It was looking as though there would be a local Cippenham winner in the shape of the left handed Mitchell, when in the fifth end, Eddie held an 8-5 lead. However, it was not to be, as the Barnet player, Guy Ben-Aroya conjured up some excellent shots to put Eddie under strong pressure, running out a 11-9 final leg winner.
The last of the events were well under way and to the credit of all concerned at Cippenham that kept the show rolling on time. The under 18’s girls competition was dominated by two very in-form girls, and turned out to be an all Welsh final, with (Yes’ you have guessed it, Chloe Thomas) taking on her younger Blaenafon club mate, 11 year old Charlotte Carey.
In a one-sided final; Chloe took her tally to 2 titles with some ferocious attacking play.
Not to be outdone, Chloe’s older brother, Patrick Thomas took the final event on the card, that of the boys under 18’s. Patrick was in great form, however, but had to work very hard in his semi-final against Lewis Gray coming out on top 11-7 in the fifth end.
Whilst in the other semi-final, Ryan Veigas had a marathon match with Eddie Mitchell, taking his place in the final against Thomas, with an 11-7 final end win.
Thomas took Gold, with his vast experience coming into play against relative newcomer Veigas, who to his credit took Patrick all the way, going down 7-11 in the last end.
The tournament was a resounding success, but could not have been achieved without the tireless work from the Cippenham team of Volunteers, headed by Ken Phillips, Jan Chapman,
Jacquie Lovell, Peter Hillier, Malcolm Makarian, Sue Hayes and Graham Trimming, plus so many others that give the Cippenham club the Premier status that it so richly deserves.
A brief summary of the weekends results as follows;
- Boys under 12 winner- Jared Patel
- Girls under 12 winner - Annabelle Gibson
- Boys under 14 winner - Jared Patel
- Girls under 14 winner - Chloe Thomas
- Boys under 16 winner - Guy Ben-Aroya
- Girls under 16 winner - Rachel Anslow
- Boys under 18 winner - Patrick Thomas
- Girls under 18 winner - Chloe Thomas
Geoff Ware
