BATTS were delighted to have so many youngsters playing for the first time at BATTS. We had players from 22 different clubs, and 25% of them were getting their first taste of open tournaments. It was also very pleasing that despite a record number of cancellations we still managed to fill all but one of the available 48 spaces. Our team of officials were unanimously impressed, not only by the high standard of play, but also by the exceptionally friendly and helpful behaviour of our competitors and their supporting families.

The group matches proceeded smoothly. At one point we began to wonder if we could get held up due to the sheer number of close matches. Two of our groups included four matches that went to five sets. But the players had hidden reserves of energy, moving without a break into the knockout stages.

The overall tournament winner was top-seeded Jayden Xian Chen (Archway) who beat the second seed Chris Darby (Luton) in the final. A most impressive performance by Jayden, who has been steadily climbing the U13 rankings and must now be a threat to the top five. I suspect Chris may have been suffering from his very close semi-final encounter with Pranav Panchamukhi (Spins). Chris came out the winner, 11-7, 14-12, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8. In the other semi-final Jayden overcame the fourth seed Sanav Sethi (Luton) 6-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3. Before leaving Band 1, a special mention for Miles Bygrave (Evolve) who managed to finish runner up in his group and thus enter the top band in his first open tournament.

The Band 2 semi-finals were also tightly fought matches. In the first SF, Bradley Prosser (BATTS) beat Dhruv Ghildyal (Paragon, Cambridge) 11-6, 7-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-7. This represented an outstanding achievement for both players. For Bradley it meant reaching his first final in one of our tournaments. Dhruv, on the other hand, had reached the semi-final in his first ever open tournament. Dhruv was one of several players entering for the first time from Paragon and we were delighted to welcome all of them. The other Band 2 semi was another five setter, with Ananmay Gupta (Ellenborough) defeating Noah Clarke (Kingfisher) 8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-5, 11-3. Ananmay had been playing with increasing consistency during the whole day and he carried off the final convincingly, winning 11-7, 11-4, 11-7.

The Band 3 semi-finals followed the same pattern as the other two. Very even matches, going the full distance. Ruolun Li (Ellenborough) beat Charlie Bishop (BATTS) 11-3, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 12-10 and Luke Waite (Ellenborough) beat Akira Bennatraj (Luton) 9-11, 12-14, 11-5, 11-6, 13-11. That set up an all-Ellenborough final, and it was easily the closest of the three, with Ruolun emerging the winner 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8. This was also a great achievement for both players. For Ruolun it was his first win in an open tournament. For Luke, this was his first appearance in any formal competition, and he had only gained entry less than 24 hours earlier following a late cancellation.

Special thanks to Linda Radford for her superb efficiency on the control desk as well as supporting me in the refereeing. Also to Eamon Brennan, who was our qualified umpire and who worked tirelessly through the afternoon to ensure we ran smoothly. And finally to Neil Brierley for his constant help in just about everything that needed doing, and to Sharon Head who single handedly kept everyone nourished with fine food.

We have two more BATTS junior tournaments this season. Next is an Under 15 Two Star on Sunday 3^rd May. Although this filled up a few days ago, there is a good chance of a place if you act quickly, as we currently have no reserves. Typically, we can fill at least 10 places from our reserve list. Click HERE for the entry form.

Our final event this season will be our first ever Girls Only tournament. We are really excited about this, and it will be open to multiple age groups and suitable for players of any level. We have a cash prize fund of £300. If you know of girls who may like to enter but who are not on our mailing list please forward this message. Click HERE for the entry form.

Finally, looking further ahead at more dates. These are our first three confirmed dates for next season. The forms will be published 5 months before each date, but you may want to make a note of these dates now as they will all fill up very quickly.

Sunday 13^th September Under 13 Two Star
Sunday 4^th October Under 15 Two Star
Sunday 1^st November Under 17 Two Star