The seventh Jarvis Sports Burgess Hill 2 Star took place on 11th June at the Triangle Leisure Centre, Burgess Hill.

There were 46 entrants, so a much smaller entry than the one two weeks earlier at the same venue, which had 66 entrants.

Like the previous event, no player won two age groups. Combination-bat exponent, Jack Trafford (Do) made his first ever final at a 2 Star in Sussex and went one better and won 11-9 in the fifth set in the final.

Under-11

There were just nine players in the U11s in two groups. Top seed James Hamblett (He) won his group of five, with three straight set wins, plus a five-set win over Troy Williams (Ha), having lost the first two games. There was a three-way countback for second place in the group, which was won by Louis Treffel (Sx-Brighton City TTC).

Max Wilson (Sx-Brighton City TTC), the second seed, had similar results to Hamblett, with two 3-0 wins plus a five-ender vs Tommy Lyons (Mi). Jenson Moreno (Mi) was runner-up in the group.

In the semi-finals, Hamblett faced Moreno and defeated him 3-0, whereas Wilson was extended to five games by club-mate Treffel, indeed having to come back from two games down. The final also went to the deciding game, with Wilson emerging the winner. Moreno took out Treffel 3-0 to secure the bronze medal.

In the consolation final, Williams got his own back on Joseph Hunter (Mi), winning 11-9 in the fifth set, despite losing the third end 11-1. He had lost to Hunter 3-1 at the group stage.

Under-12

There were just eight players in this age group. In Group 1 the No 1 seed, Ollie Maric-Murray (Sy) won his three matches very comfortably, with Scarlett Anders (Mi) coming second in the group.

In Group 2 the No 2 seed, Ben Poulter (Ha), like Maric-Murray, won all of his in straight sets. Moreno leapfrogged Wilson to get second place in the group, winning 11-9 in the fifth, while Wilson beat Hunter 3-2 for third place.

In the semis, Maric-Murray saw off Moreno 3-0, while Anders had a very good close three set win over Poulter 9, 8, 13. In the final, the recently crowned U10s National Champion repeated his 3-0 group victory over Anders. Poulter overcame Jenson in four for the bronze medal. In the consolation final Hunter, took out the morning’s U11s champion Wilson 3-2.

Under-13

There were 16 players in this category. In group 1 Henry Maric-Murray (Sy) had a good win over Poulter 3-2, but lost out in a three-way countback and Poulter still won the group.

Most of the other group matches went according to form and the quarter-final line-up was as follows: Zach Hodges (Sx-Horsham Spinners TTC) beat Poulter 11-9 in the fifth, Alessio Marrocco (Sx-Brighton City TTC) beat Ollie Michell (Sx-Horsham Spinners TTC) 12-10 in the fifth, Ollie Maric-Murray beat Barney Mindlin (Mi) 3-0 and top seed, Bertie Kelly took out Anders 3-0.

In the semis, Marrocco overcame Hodges in three close games and Kelly beat Maric-Murray 3-0, with two of the games being close. In the final, Kelly saw off Marrocco 12-10, 11-8, 12-10. For the bronze medal, Maric-Murray beat Hodges 3-0. Henry Maric-Murray beat Wilson, (who had played both U11s & U13s in the morning to make up the magic number of 16 players for bonus ranking points), 3-0 in the consolation final.

Under-14

This was the largest event with 20 players. There were only two upsets at the group stage, which were both in the same group, both involving Charlie Cunningham (Sy). First he lost to unranked John Strang (Sx-Warden Park TTC) and later he defeated fourth seed Trafford, who had earlier won the U15s. This led to a three-way countback, which Cunningham won, with Trafford going through in second place.

In round 1, Trafford was knocked out by Marrocco in four close games. Marrocco lost 0-3 to top seed, Charlie Graham-Adams (Sx-Horsham Spinners TTC) in the quarters and at the same stage Kelly beat Jon-Vai Chung (Sy) 3-0, third seed Owen Brown (Sx-Horsham Spinners TTC) beat Cunningham 3-0 and Jacob Evans (Sx-Horsham and Horsham Spinners TTCs) beat club-mate Sam Watts (Sx-Horsham Spinners TTC).

In the semis Graham-Adams beat Kelly in four and Brown beat Evans also in four. In the final, Graham-Adams, who had lost to Brown 0-3 that morning and at least the last eight times they had played, played much more aggressively than usual and overturned the morning’s result 3-0. The bronze medal match was very close, with Kelly beating Evans 11-9 in the fifth. Leo Sochor-Grethe (Mi) beat Henry Maric-Murray 3-0 in the consolation final.

Under-15
There were 16 players in the U15s. There was only one unexpected result at the group stage, which was second seed, Owen Brown losing 0-3 to Alejandro Ito-Aramendia (Sy).

In the quarter-finals Brown knocked out top seed Graham-Adams, as mentioned above, while Will Michell (Sx-Horsham Spinners TTC) beat the higher ranked Chung 3-1, third seed Trafford beat Ollie Michell (Sx-Horsham Spinners TTC) 3-0, but close and Cunningham prevailed over Ito-Aramendia 11-8 in the fifth set, having lost the first two games.

In the semi-finals, Brown faced team-mate Michell. They had played each other over 10 times this season and Michell had won all but two of these encounters close in the fifth set and this was no exception, as Michell won 11-9 in the fifth, with all the ends going to the wire. The other semi was a much smoother straight sets win for Trafford over Cunningham.

The final saw Michell on the wrong side of an 11-9 in the fifth match, losing to Trafford 3-2 for the second time that day, as they had met at the group stage. Brown beat Cunningham 3-1 for the bronze medal. Hodges beat Lewis Marsh (K) 3-1 in the consolation final.

Under-18

There were just seven players in the U18s in one large group. Top seed, Sam Wilson (Np), won all six of his encounters, losing one end apiece vs brother Adam Wilson, Will Michell and second seed and runner-up Will Poulter (H). His closest match was against Michell and was 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11.

Poulter and Adam Wilson both won four matches each, but Poulter got the silver medal, as he had beaten Adam 3-2. Michell also extended Poulter to five ends. Michell and Ito-Aramendia both won three matches, but Michell came fourth, as he won the clash between the two 3-0.

Andrew Reid (Sy) beat Justin Rathe (Mi) in four to get sixth place. Rathe was unlucky not to register a win, as he pushed both Michell and Ito-Aramendia to five ends.

The final 2 Star this season takes place in Horsham on 2nd July, plus there will be 1 Star tournaments on 24th June & 8th July. Entry forms are all on the Table Tennis England website.

Summary of results
U11
Main: Max Wilson (Sx) beat James Hamblett (He) 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-6)
Consolation: Troy Williams (Ha) beat Joseph Hunter (Mi) 3-2 (12-10, 17-15, 1-11, 10-12, 11-9)

U12
Main: Ollie Maric-Murray (Sy) beat Scarlett Anders (Mi) 3-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-6)
Consolation: Joseph Hunter (Mi) beat Max Wilson (Sx) 3-2 (8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 11-5)

U13
Main: Bertie Kelly (So) beat Alessio Marrocco (Sx) 3-0 (12-10, 11-8, 12-10)
Consolation: Henry Maric-Murray (Sy) beat Max Wilson (Sx) 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-5)

U14
Main: Charlie Graham-Adams (Sx) beat Owen Brown (Sx) 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-6)
Consolation: Leo Sochor-Grethe (Mi) beat Henry Maric-Murray (Sy) 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-1)

U15
Main: Jack Trafford (Do) beat Will Michell (Sx) 3-2 (5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9)
Consolation: Zach Hodges (Sx) beat Lewis Marsh (K) 3-1 (11-4, 10-12, 11-5, 12-10)

U18
1st: Sam Wilson (Np)
2nd: Will Poulter (Ha)
3rd: Adam Wilson (Np)