The Bournemouth based quartet of Finn Morgan Bayliss, Jamie Trevellion, Hugo Pang and George Downing flew the flag for Dorset with storming performances at the Sussex 2 Star Junior and Cadet Open tournament held at the Triangle Leisure Centre in Burgess Hill on Sunday the 14th of August.
George Downing ranked at number 29 in the England Juniors, who recently moved to Bournemouth from the Isle Of Wight, was in superlative form to win both his entered events which were the Under 17’s and Under 18’s Open. George has been putting in the hours at Bournemouth Sports Table Tennis Club and will be a force to be reckoned with this season in the Bournemouth and District League’s Premier division.
Hugo Pang, at just 12 years of age and ranked number 3 in the England under 13 years category, has already established himself as an England International and was yet another Dorset superstar to reach the finals in all three of his entered events. Hugo took on the England ranked number 1 player in Under 13’s, Tom Jarvis from Lincolnshire in all three finals. Jarvis won both the Under 13’s and Under 14’s events but Hugo struck back in the Under 15’s event to take the title.
Next for Dorset was Finn Morgan Bayliss and in his three entered competitions he played brilliantly to reach the semi-final of the Under 14’s category before losing out to the eventual winner Tom Jarvis. Morgan Bayliss also went on to reach the quarter-final stage in both the Under 15’s and Under 16’s and in doing so dispatched the second seeded George Heath (ranked over 100 places higher than Finn) before narrowly losing to Ryan Williams from Essex.
Last but by no means least was the much less tournament experienced 13-year-old Jamie Trevellion who was outstanding in the Under 15’s category in reaching the last four. After winning his group matches in which he displaced the 3rd seeded Adam Jepson from Cambridgeshire (ranked 33 in Cadets and 78 places higher than Jamie). He then beat Jack Davies in the quarter-final to set up a Dorset v Dorset semi-final against eventual winner Hugo Pang.
Later in the afternoon Jamie sent shockwaves through the hall by taking the scalp of the number 1 seeded Ross Jarvis (who is ranked 250 places HIGHER than Jamie in England Juniors) in the Under 16’s event in a nerve-jangling five game thriller during which Trevellion survived a match point. Trevellion’s run eventually came to an end at the hands of 2nd seeded George Heath by a 1-3 games scoreline.
With the Dorset boys taking three Sussex Two Star Open titles and two runner’s up medals back to Bournemouth they were well congratulated for their combined efforts.
Referee Rory Scott together with Steve Pound worked tirelessly throughout the day keeping the nine scheduled events on track with Rory umpiring so many of the latter stage finals – great show Gentlemen!
By Geoff Ware