The Cadet Premier Division of the County Championships played to a finish at Highfield Table Tennis Club, Wellingborough.
Defending champions Cambridgeshire opened their campaign strongly with a 9-1 victory over newly promoted Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire’s Ian Lai produced the surprise of the match, defeating Zihan Lin 3-0 to prevent a whitewash.
Essex recorded an emphatic 8-2 win over Yorkshire. Yorkshire’s Harry Tomlinson defeated Dhruv Datta in a dramatic encounter 3-2 (12-10, 11-5, 5-11, 5-11, 12-10). However, Essex responded well, with Maisha Patel, Mimololuwa Adu, and Harrison Hill all edging close 3-2 victories over Safiyah Adeel, Phoebe O’Brien, and Harry Tomlinson respectively.
Surrey defeated Middlesex 6-4, thanks largely to Lok Yiu Lam and Shreya Popat, who each secured two wins. Noah Byrne-Smith and Charlton Ngitngit added the remaining victories.
Meanwhile, Warwickshire began with a 7-3 win over Sussex, with Mustafa Ibrahim and Hazel Lam both battling to 3-2 victories over Finley Aitken and Saskia Svoboda.
In Round 2, Cambridgeshire continued their dominant form with a 9-1 victory over Yorkshire, Aaron Wong defeating Jayden Chen for Yorkshire’s only point.
Essex strengthened their position with a 7-3 win over Surrey, with Mimololuwa Adu claiming two hard-fought wins over Shreya Popat and Lok Yiu Lam.
Warwickshire continued their solid start by defeating Middlesex 6-4. Oscar Nikolli was pushed to the limit by Mustafa Ibrahim, while Daven Rawal narrowly overcame Parsia Ahsani in five games.
Sussex defeated Bedfordshire 8-2. Bedfordshire’s two points again came from Ian Lai, who edged Finley Aitken 15-13 in the deciding game, and Christopher Darby, who beat Liam Higgins.
Cambridgeshire maintained their perfect start with an 8-2 win over Surrey in Round 3. Surrey’s points came from Noah Byrne-Smith, who beat Zihan Lin 3-2, and Charlton Ngitngit, who defeated Jayden Chen. Amber Lemmon was pushed to a deciding game by Lok Yiu Lam, eventually winning 11-6 in the fifth.
Warwickshire produced an impressive 6-4 victory over Essex in a match featuring several deciding-game battles. Mustafa Ibrahim defeated both Dhruv Datta and Harrison Hill in five games, while Hazel Lam overcame Mimololuwa Adu and Maisha Patel. Charlotte LokChing Wong also secured a deciding-game win over Patel.
Middlesex beat Sussex 8-2, with three matches going the distance: Oscar Nikolli vs Finley Aitken, Zeina Negm vs Sienna Svoboda and Parsia Ahsani vs Finley Aitken.
At the bottom of the table, Bedfordshire and Yorkshire shared the points with a draw.
In the final round of the first day, Cambridgeshire defeated Warwickshire 9-1. Charlotte LokChing Wong earned Warwickshire’s only point with a straight-games victory over Cindy Xiao. Mustafa Ibrahim and Wong both narrowly lost deciding-game matches to Zihan Lin and Amber Lemmon respectively.
Middlesex secured their second win, beating Bedfordshire 8-2. Essex defeated Sussex 7-3, with Sussex points coming from Finley Aitken (2) and Ryan Goodier (1).
Surrey beat Yorkshire 7-3, with Yorkshire’s wins coming from Phoebe O’Brien, Harry Tomlinson, and Aaron Wong.
The second day saw Cambridgeshire make a slight line-up change, with Hannah Saunders and Vardhini Nishanth replacing Amber Lemmon and Cindy Xiao. They continued their winning form with a 7-3 victory over Sussex, despite Vardhini Nishanth losing both her matches and Jayden Chen being defeated by Finley Aitken.
Middlesex, after a slow start on day one, dented Essex’s medal hopes with a strong victory. Oscar Nikolli and Nishil Shah both won their matches, supported by contributions from Parsia Ahsani, Zeina Negm, and Zoe Gonpot.
Warwickshire beat Yorkshire 7-3. Yorkshire’s points came from Harry Tomlinson (defeating Daven Rawal 3-0), Phoebe O’Brien (3-2 against Charlotte LokChing Wong), and Aaron Wong (against Eddy Snowdon).
Surrey battled to a 6-4 win over Bedfordshire. In the final match of the tie, Thomas Otterbu defeated Nayan Pattni 11-8 in the fifth game.
In the penultimate round, Cambridgeshire were given their biggest scare by Middlesex. Kai Lun Chow opened strongly, and Jayden Chen edged Parsia Ahsani 3-2, giving the champions a promising start. The girls’ matches were shared, with Zeina Negm beating Vardhini Nishanth, while Hannah Saunders defeated Zoe Gonpot.
Middlesex levelled the tie as Oscar Nikolli and Nishil Shah defeated Zihan Lin and Jayden Chen. The next two matches were split again: Saunders beat Negm, while Gonpot overcame Nishanth.
The clash of the tournament’s two previously unbeaten players saw Oscar Nikolli edge Kai Lun Chow in a high-quality encounter. On the neighbouring table, Parsia Ahsani appeared set to defeat Zihan Lin, but Lin mounted a comeback to win 11-8 in the fifth, securing a crucial victory for Cambridgeshire.
Elsewhere, Essex beat Bedfordshire 6-4 after Bedfordshire won the opening two matches, Sussex defeated Yorkshire 9-1 and Warwickshire edged Surrey 6-4.
Four matches in the Warwickshire-Surrey tie went to deciding games, with Hazel Lam and Charlotte LokChing Wong winning crucial encounters over Shreya Popat and Lok Yiu Lam.
In the decisive final round, Cambridgeshire defeated Essex 7-3, securing the match needed to retain the Cadet Premier Division title.
Middlesex, Surrey, and Warwickshire each recorded 6-4 victories over Yorkshire, Sussex and Bedfordshire respectively.
The runners-up position went to Middlesex, who finished ahead of their rivals on sets ratio.
