Oliver Maric-Murray and Jakub Piwowar were the best English finishers at the Euro-Mini Championships in France over the bank holiday weekend. The event attracts hundreds of competitors from around the world, with boys and girls born in 2007 or 2008 competing.
Maric-Murray and Piwowar played their way through four qualifying stages in the Boys 2007 event but narrowly missed out on a place in the main draw and had to settle for a consolation spot.
Maric-Murray reached the semi-finals, where he lost to the eventual winner Noe Keusch of Switzerland, and was then defeated in the third place play-off by David Sochor of Czech Republic, who had earlier beaten Piwowar in the quarter-finals.
It meant Maric-Murray ended in fourth place, while Piwowar won his final two positional play-offs to finish in fifth. In the same age group, Joseph Dennison finished in equal 33rd, his best performance coming in defeating Severin Scherer of Switzerland 3-2.
In the Girls 2007 event, the sole English competitor was Sienna Jetha, who picked up good victories over opponents from Wales and USA, finishing equal 33rd in the consolation event.
In the younger age group, England were represented by Isaac Kingham and Ralph Pattison in the Boys 2008 and by Mia Longman, Chui-Que Wong and Naomi Coker in the Girls 2008.
Kingham in particular picked up a number of good wins, including topping his group with five wins out of five in the first consolation group stage. He went on to be defeated in the first knockout round, thereby ending in a share of 17th place. Pattison’s finishing position was joint 49th.
Wong also reached the first knockout round of the consolation event to claim a share of 17th spot. Longman and Coker both finished in joint 37th.
It was a good learning curve for the English players, who also got to meet legendary Swedish player Jorgen Persson.
Results
Boys 2007
Stage 1
Group 9
Luka Sepesi (SVK) bt Joseph Dennison 3-1 (8-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-9)
Daniel Tran (USA) bt Dennison 3-0 (11-2, 12-10, 11-2)
Group 24
Oliver Maric-Murray bt Nikita Hlobin (UKR) 3-1 (11-4, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5)
Maric-Murray bt Per Gevers (BEL) 3-0 (11-8, 11-3, 12-10)
Group 27
Jakub Piwowar bt Zal Selek (SLO) 3-0 (11-2, 11-8, 11-6)
Piwowar bt Ewen Salvar (Bretagne) 3-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5)
Stage 2
Group 1
Maric-Murray bt Louis Przyluski (Grand Est) 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-4)
Maric-Murray bt Aryan Jha (USA) 3-1 (11-8, 11-5, 5-11, 11-7)
Group 3
Piwowar bt Elwan Gallet (Grand Est) 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-5)
Uri Almor (ISR) bt Piwowar 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-5)
Group 5
Valentin Celikkaya-Schaeffer (Grand Est) bt Dennison 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-7)
Kevin Fu (GER) bt Dennison 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9)
Stage 3
Group 3
Dominykas Samuolis (LTU) bt Dennison 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4)
Jules Lobstein (Hauts de France) bt Dennison 3-0 (12-10, 11-2, 11-5)
Group 12
Maric-Murray bt Corentin Chappelet (Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes) 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-5)
Maric-Murray bt Pavel Sokolov (GER) 3-0 (15-13, 11-9, 11-4)
Group 23
Piwowar bt Rafael Russo (Ile de France) 3-1 (11-8, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6)
Andrei Miroiu (ROU) bt Piwowar 3-1 (12-10, 11-9, 1-11, 11-9)
Stage 4
Group 9
Maric-Murray bt Daniel Tran (USA) 3-2 (11-9, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8)
Patrick Anghel (ROU) bt Maric-Murray 3-0 (11-2, 11-7, 12-10)
Group 14
Arthur Raffi (Ile de France) bt Piwowar 3-1 (11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5)
Kevin Fu (GER) bt Piwowar 3-1 (7-11, 12-10, 11-9, 12-10)
Consolation Stage B
Group 5
Dennison bt Severin Scherer (SUI) 3-2 (13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 4-11, 11-6)
Andrei Miroiu (ROU) bt Dennison 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-5)
Elwan Gallet (Grand Est) bt Dennison 3-2 (9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9)
Positional play-offs
Round of 32
Maric-Murray bt Daniil Vitorski (BLR) 3-1
Piwowar bt Elwan Gallet (Grand Est) 3-0
Round of 16
Maric-Murray bt Jindrich Moravek (CZE) 3-2
Piwowar bt Adam Cseri (HUN) 3-0
Quarter-finals
Maric-Murray bt Jan Kenneth Toming (EST) 3-0
David Sochor (CZE) bt Piwowar 3-0
Semi-finals
Noe Keusch (SUI) bt Maric-Murray 3-1
Third-fourth positions
Sochor bt Maric-Murray 3-0
Positions 5-8
Piwowar bt Francesc Carrera (ESP) 3-0
Positions 5-6
Piwowar bt Toming 3-0
Girls 2007
Stage 1
Group 14
Dziyana Karalek (BLR) bt Sienna Jetha 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-5)
Noemie Comte (Grand Est) bt Jetha 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 12-10)
Stage 2
Group 23
Elise Pujol (FRA) bt Jetha 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-1)
Eireen Kalaitzidou (GER) bt Jetha 3-1 (12-14, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6)
Consolation Stage A
Group 2
Jetha bt Lowri Hurd (WAL) 3-1 (11-8, 11-9, 12-14, 11-5)
Jetha bt Rory Liu (USA) 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 15-13, 11-5)
Neza Pogacar Zun (SLO) bt Jetha 3-1 (12-10, 11-8, 10-12, 12-10)
Nora Polonyi (HUN) bt Jetha 3-1 (11-7, 9-11, 11-2, 11-9)
Elise Berthon (Grand Est) bt Jetha 3-1 (11-7, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9)
Boys 2008
Stage 1
Group 22
Jegor Larkov (LTU) bt Ralph Pattison 3-1 (12-10, 11-5, 3-11, 11-8)
Hector Lewi (Ile de France) bt Pattison 3-1 (11-13, 12-10, 14-12, 11-9)
Pattison bt Mael Muller (Grand Est) 3-1 (11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-2)
Group 23
Rapahael Medez (Hauts de France) bt Isaac Kingham 3-2 (8-11, 8-11, 11-2 11-5, 13-11)
Francesco Trevisan (ITA) bt Kingham 3-1 (11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 12-10)
Kingham bt Erik Hoier (DEN) 3-2 (11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9)
Stage 2
Group 19
Botond Varga (HUN) bt Pattison 3-0 (11-9, 12-10, 11-8)
Nathan Doussinet (Nouvelle Aquitaine) bt Pattison 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-4)
Ylan Cortet (Pays de la Loire) bt Pattison 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-2)
Consolation Stage A
Group 6
Kingham bt Oriol Martinez (AND) 3-1 (11-9, 11-4, 10-12, 12-10)
Kingham bt Igor Caragut (MDA) 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-9)
Kingham bt Evan Gaudion (Grand Est) 3-0 (11-8, 11-2, 11-3)
Kingham bt Kristians Kivlenieks (LAT) 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-4)
Kingham bt Raphael Aladjem-Manin (Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes) 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 12-10)
Group 7
Pattison bt Eneko Rodriguez (ESP) 3-1 (11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10)
Oliver Mankowski (ITA) bt Pattison 3-0 (11-7, 13-11, 11-4)
Pattison bt Daniel McFaul (IRE) 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-4)
Pattison bt Nathan Mathis (Grand Est) 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-7)
Pattison bt Ilan Solari (Ile de France) 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-9)
Consolation Stage B
Group 4
Charles Janssens (BEL) bt Kingham 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-6)
Kingham bt Seth Oomen (NED) 3-1 (10-12, 11-5, 11-9, 11-6)
Kingham bt Theo Ducrot (Hauts de France) 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-7)
Positional play-offs
Round of 32
Zbigniew Nizio (Paca) bt Kingham 3-0
Girls 2008
Stage 1
Group 4
Assia Waknine (Occitaine) bt Chui-Que Wong 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-7)
Mao Takamori (JPN) bt Wong 3-0 (11-1, 11-5, 11-2)
Group 20
Andreea Jifcu (ROU) bt Naomi Coker 3-0 (11-3, 11-3, 11-6)
Violette Clavier (Centre-Val de Loire) bt Coker 3-1 (11-2, 11-4, 11-13, 11-8)
Group 23
Lucie Labourdette (Ile de France) bt Mia Longman 3-1 (11-4, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7)
Longman bt Monta Milzere (LAT) 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-3)
Isabel Conchillo (ESP) bt Longman 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-2)
Stage 2
Group 3
Lola Douine (Normandie) bt Wong 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-8)
Grace Looney (IRE) bt Wong 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-8)
Group 18
Leana Hochart (FRA) bt Coker 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-7)
Maria Brazouskaya (BLR) bt Coker 3-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-4)
Group 22
Gaetane Bled (FRA) bt Longman 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-4)
Julia Martin (ESP) bt Longman 3-0 (11-5, 11-2, 11-8)
Consolation Stage A
Group 1
Lessia Lewyckyj (BEL) bt Longman 3-0 (12-10, 11-9, 11-8)
Sofia Minurri (ITA) bt Longman 3-1 (11-7, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7)
Mathilde Peltier (Ile de France) bt Longman 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-3)
Salome Lepont (Centre-Val de Loire) bt Longman 3-0 (11-2, 11-8, 11-5)
Nyncke De Knegt (NED) bt Longman 3-0 (14-12, 11-2, 12-10)
Group 2
Deimante Adlyte (LTU) bt Coker 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-6)
Lana Slatinsek (SLO) bt Coker 3-2 (11-6, 9-11, 7-11, 13-11, 11-7)
Jitte De Klerk (NED) bt Coker 3-0 (11-3, 11-1, 11-7)
Lucie Labourdette (Ile de France) bt Coker 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-5)
Coker bt Cloe Geneix (Nouvelle Aquitaine) w/o
Coker bt Eliza Manavicka (LAT) 3-2 (11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5)
Group 3
Franciska Linina (LAT) bt Wong 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 12-10)
Wong bt Julia Bragina (EST) 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-6)
Violette Clavier (Centre-Val de Loire) bt Wong 3-2 (12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 12-10)
Wong bt Coralie Chauvin (Ile de France) 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-7)
Clemence Tardieu (Paca) bt Wong 3-1 (12-10, 12-10, 10-12, 12-10)
Veronika Polakova (CZE) bt Wong 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-4)
Positional play-offs
Round of 32
Vanda Vanisova (SVK) bt Wong 3-2