The table tennis junior road show stepped up a gear again last week! The ETTA Junior Masters was held in the famous East Staffordshire Brewing Town of Burton-On-Trent. The Masters witnessed 14 players playing a round robin style tournament; this made the atmosphere at times was palpable.
With places for the upcoming Junior World Championship in Russia still up for grabs the presence of famous ex table tennis players and experts such as Douglas, Parker, Jarvis, Lower and Charters keeping an eye on everyone, just added to the tension.
In the Boys Competition the last game of the weekend was incredibly tense as the first and second ranked players in the tournament battled it out with the title still at stake. Sam Walker and Sean Cullen played intensely throughout the match producing a thrilling final match for the spectators. Sam Walker, 16 from Worksop, proudly left the competition in first place after earning a total of 25 points, although losing to Cullen. After the match Walker commented that, “he felt as though he played well throughout the competition and is now looking forward to playing in Frankfurt, Germany next season. A modest Walker also stated he was, “very pleased to win the event.”
Afterwards Nicky Jarvis ETTA National Coach stated, ”These are the best junior players from around the country so the standard is very high.”
The final game for the Girls Competition was also exceptional with both sides playing to the best of their ability. Karina LeFevre and Tin Tin Ho created a match that proved they are worthy competitors for an event as outstanding as this. The weekend ended with Karina winning the title of Junior Girls Masters 2011 after receiving a total of 23 points. The 17 year old from Middlesbrough said she,” is very happy to win and despite being disappointed about losing the last game she feels it has been a good end to her last junior tournament.”
“This has been a very prestigious event for the ETTA and I am more than happy with the way things have been run. The venue, playing standard, and playing conditions have been great so there isn’t anything that I can fault.” – Jill Parker, ETTA National Coaching Manager
Final Standings
Junior Boys Rankings
1. Sam Walker
2. Sean Cullen
3. Lewis Gray
4. Igor Morais
5. Helsham Weerasinghe
6. Liam McTiernan
7. James Ward
8. Adam Nutland
9. Sam Mabey
10. Paul Smith
11. Jared Patel
12. Matt Outhwaite
13. Adam Harrison
14. Bradley Tuttle
Junior Girls Rankings
1. Karina LeFevre
2. Vicky Smith
3. Tin-Tin Ho
4. Chloe Whyte
5. Yolanda King
6. Natalie Slater
7. Abbie Milwain
8. Evangeline Collier
9. Megan Knowles
10. Jessica Dawson
11. Isobel Ashley
12. Emma Torkington
13. Sophie Neil
Article courtesy of, 17 year old Burton Uxbridge TTC volunteer, Becki Furniss