Cadet and Junior Nationals
19-20 November 2011
Hertfordshire Sports Village
Hatfield
The 2011 Cadet and Junior National Championships take place in Hatfield this weekend with all of the finalists from the Under 11s, 12s, 13s and 14s tournament in Doncaster competing for the top prizes once again.
All the victors from the last Nationals competition from the Dome Sports Centre (Helshan Weerasinghe, Maria Tsaptsinos, Marcus Giles, Tin-Tin Ho, Samuel Mabey, Emily Bolton, Tom Jarvis, Jane Li, Alex Ramsden and Kate Cheer) will be attending the event in Hertfordshire to try and win yet another title.
This year’s Junior Boys crown will be hotly contested with a number of players all in with a great shout of winning the event. Under 14s winner in Doncaster, Helshan Weerasinghe, will be one of the favourites alongside his victorious South-East team-mates from the Sainsbury’s UK School Games: Igor Morais, Lewis Gray and Jared Patel.
Not forgetting, of course, number one junior boy Sam Walker, who was a semi-finalist last year before he lost to the eventual winner: Gavin Evans. Other top junior seeds include Sam Mabey, Liam McTiernan, Paul Smith, Marcus Giles and George Downing in a feast of junior boys talent which is sure to make for an entertaining spectacle.
The Junior Girls’ event is likely to be just as fiercely challenged for with last year’s losing finalist Tressa Armitage looking to go one step further this time around. She will find many obstacles in her way though with English senior women’s number three Emily Bates beginning as favourite.
UK School Games winner Yolanda King will also be in the hunt while her opponent in the final in Sheffield, Tin-Tin Ho (the number 1 cadet), will look to add to her triumph from the Under 13s event in Doncaster.
Outsiders for the title include Abbie Milwain, Vicky Smith, Jessica Dawson, Maria Tsaptsinos and Emma Torkington in a very competitive field.
In the Cadet Boys’ singles Helshan Weerasinghe will begin as favourite as he looks to turn his second place finish last year into a tournament victory. All the other semi-finalists from last year (winner Igor Morais, Paul Smith and Jared Patel) have now moved up an age group, which gives Weerasinghe a great opportunity.
The main challengers for the title will be Sam Mabey, Marcus Giles, Danny Lawrence and Tom Jarvis.
The Cadet Girls’ event looks likely to be another shoot-out between Tin-Tin Ho and Maria Tsaptsinos (last year’s finalists) with Tsaptsinos looking to avenge her defeat.
In the doubles events, none of the previous victorious pairings will be competing so new title winners are in the mix.
For the Junior Boys’ Doubles the favourite pairings look to be Sam Walker/Lewis Gray, Jared Patel/Liam McTiernan and Helshan Weerasinghe/Sam Mabey.
The Junior Girls’ Doubles will see Emily Bates and Tressa Armitage potentially face Yolanda King and Tin-Tin Ho in the final if both pairs progress as expected.
The Junior Mixed Doubles event also looks strong with Sam Walker/Tressa Armitage, Jared Patel/Emily Bates, Igor Morais/Jessica Dawson and Helshan Weerasinghe/Tin-Tin Ho compete for the title.
The Cadet Boys’ Doubles will see Weerasinghe again as favourite alongside Sam Mabey while the Cadet Girls’ Doubles has the strongest pairing of Tin-Tin Ho and Emily Bolton.
For the full draws click the links below: