England’s junior players continued to pick up big shocks at the European Youth Championships, including Sam Walker’s quite incredible 3-0 victory over Hampus Soderlund.
Soderlund, the European number 5, was no match for Walker (70) who brushed him aside 11-7, 12-10, 11-7.
Although the boys eventually fell to defeat against Sweden 3-2, they were big underdogs and can hope to take their form into the singles event later in the week.
Their later defeat to Slovakia meant they will have to fight for places 13-16 tomorrow before they can focus on their individual efforts.
The junior girls also recorded their own spectacular win against Portugal. After losing to Norway 3-1, the girls cruised past Portugal 3-0 with Jessica Dawson (199) beat Mariana Goncalves (60) 3-0 (14-12, 11-7, 13-11) while Emily Bates beat the Portuguese number one Catia Martins (46) 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-4) in a dominant display.
The win was sealed by Yolanda King in the next game who beat Joana Mota 3-2 in a bizarre encounter. After leading 2-1, King was blown away 11-1 in the fourth game, but astonishingly came back to win the deciding game 11-2. They will now play for 17-20th.
There was good news also for the cadet boys and girls.
While the girls encountered few problems in beating Azerbaijan, Lois Peake holding her nerve to win her singles 3-2 and leave the girls fighting for places 29-32, the boys finally recorded a win when they defeated Portugal 3-1.
With the score at 1-1, the doubles was all-important but it started badly for the English. Sam Mabey and Helshan Weerasinghe lost the both first two games 11-4 as their European counterparts raced away with the match.
However, the English pair fought back to win the third 11-9 and the fourth 12-10. Nerves were being tested to the full especially as they were 5-1 down in the fourth game.
In the fifth they went 10-7 up but allowed their opponents back in at 10-10 – eventually sealing the match at 15-13.
If that was close, then Weerasinghe’s victory to seal the team triumph was even closer. Weerasinghe was 7-5 up in the fifth game against Antonio Malheiro when time-out was called by the Portuguese coach. It worked perfectly as five consecutive points later and it was Malheiro who had three match points.
He failed to take them though as England’s number 1 cadet recovered, before saving an incredible five match points in total to finally secure the game – and the cadet boys first win, 16-14. They will now play for places 25-28.
Team Results:
Cadet boys:
Netherlands 3-0 England
Bas Hergelink bt Helshan Weerasinghe 3-2 (13-11, 11-13, 7-11, 11-4, 13-11)
Stellan Smid bt Sam Mabey 3-2 (10-12, 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-6)
Smid/Hergelink bt Lawrence/Weerasinghe 3-2 (6-11, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 18-16)
England 3-1 Portugal
Antonio Malheiro bt Sam Mabey 3-1 (9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-8)
Helshan Weerasinghe bt Paulo Silva 3-1 (3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6)
Mabey/Weerasinghe bt Silva/Malheiro 3-2 (4-11, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10, 15-13)
Helshan Weerasinghe bt Antonio Malheiro 3-2 (11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 4-11, 16-14)
Cadet girls:
England 3-0 Azerbaijan
Maria Tsaptsinos bt Dinara Mammadova 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-5)
Lois Peake bt Maryam Imanova 3-2 (11-4, 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8)
Ho/Peake bt Mammadova/Imanova 3-1 (5-11, 16-14, 11-4, 11-5)
Junior boys:
Sweden 3-2 England
Sam Walker bt Viktor Gorman 3-1 (8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6)
Hampus Soderlund bt Lewis Gray 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6)
Henrik Johansson bt George Downing 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-9)
Sam Walker bt Hampus Soderlund 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-7)
Viktor Gorman bt Lewis Gray 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-4)
Slovakia 3-0 England
Patrik Vlacuska bt Sam Walker 3-0 (13-11, 11-9, 11-7)
Roman Rezetka bt George Downing 3-1 (11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7)
Michal Pavolka bt Lewis Gray 3-0 (11-9, 13-11, 16-14)
Junior girls:
Norway 3-1 England
Stine Folkeson bt Jessica Dawson 3-1 (10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-3)
Emily Bates bt AG Aasebo 3-1 (14-12, 12-10, 10-12, 11-9)
Pia Dyrkolbotn bt Vicky Smith 3-2 (8-11, 2-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9)
AG Aasebo bt Jessica Dawson 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 5-11, 14-12)
England 3-0 Portugal
Jessica Dawson bt Mariana Goncalves 3-0 (14-12, 11-7, 13-11)
Emily Bates bt Catia Martins 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-4)
Yolanda King bt Joana Mota 3-2 (11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 1-11, 11-2)