A total of 83 players competed across 16 events at the eighth Bishop Auckland Bribar 2* tournament.
The U11 Boys was taken home by unseeded Jamie Johnson from North Ayrshire TTC, the group of five saw him go unbeaten, with Gene McGhee losing only to Jamie to claim second. Third was Bishops’ Leo Pontone and fourth Sam Lowe from Yorkshire.
The U11 Girls was an all-Cleveland final with Lola McGhee taking the title over team-mate Lucy Gent, with Bishops’ Anya Milne finishing third and Scotland’s Ameila Smolarek fourth.
The Cadet Girls was won by Charlotte Weatherby, the final seeing Charlotte beating fourth seed Darcie Proud in a fantastic finale to the event. The 3-2 (11-9, 9-11, (11-4, 10-12, 12-10) scoreline reflexes what a final it was.
The plate was an all-Durham affair with Kate Peacock overcoming Erin Greensmith, Erin having beaten team-mate Charlotte McCarty in the semi-finals.
In the Cadet Boys, 36 players competed, with the title going the way of top seed Josh Weatherby, beating second seed Tom Macintosh of Nottinghamshire in the final. In the last four, Josh beat third seed Jonny Heslop and Tom saw off surprise semi-finalist Max Duffin, who took out the fifth and fourth seeds on his run to the semis.
The plate event was taken home by Scotland’s Jake Somerville, having beaten Bishop Auckland’s Troy Maddison in the semis he then beat Adam Webster in the final. Adam had beaten Jake’s international team-mate Rayyan Khalid in his semi-final.
The Scottish winners continued in the Junior Girls with Jennie Yang taking home the title and a £80 vouchers for TT camps Hungary. The final saw Jennie beat third seed Frederica Bonato in three games, Frederica having beaten Charlotte Weatherby in her semi-final and Jennie beating top seed Medha Verma to reach the final.
The plate event was taken home by Rana Rassem in an all-North East final, overcoming Northfields’ Amy Webster.
Sam Kwan justified his top billing in the Junior Boys, reaching the final without dropping a set, dispatching the third seed Tom Macintosh in the semis. His opponent in the final was fifth seed Jonny Heslop, who had taken out fourth seed Kieran Wardell in the quarter-finals and second seed Josh Weatherby in the semis. The final saw Sam win over three games to take home the title.
The plate was won by Jack Dewar from Cleveland, beating Bishop Auckland’s Lee Tinkler over three ends. Both finalists beat Bishop Auckland players – Sam Hume and Jack Jacomb – in the semis.
The final events of the day were the U13s. The Girls’ event saw Darcie Proud again in the final, this time overcoming Cumbria’s Rebecca Rigg in straight sets. The plate event went north of the border with Scotland’s Holly McNamara beating Reem Raseem from Darlington in the final.
The Boys saw an all-Durham final and a repeat of the last Bishop 2* in October. Peter Smallcombe faced Tom Rayner and in a repeat of last time Tom came out on top, winning in three. The plate event was an all-Scottish affair with Jamie Johnson picking up his second title by overcoming fellow North Ayrshire TTC player Chad Duncan.
Big thanks to all the volunteers for their hard work and for the continued support of the players. The next Bishop Auckland Bribar 2* is on April 17 and looks as if it could be another busy one – so early entry is advised.