Welsh talent shines bright at Huw Collins Cam Gears Junior Open

The first ever ranking event to be held at Cam Gears Table Tennis Club was a great success, with the Huw Collins Cam Gears Junior Open demonstrating what amazing talent we have in Wales; the competition brought with it some of the best table tennis to be seen at the club.

The U11s category was very competitive, with some very close matches. It was a day to remember for the Francis-Li brothers, both taking home accolades.

Toby Francis-Li took the winner spot in the main draw with a thrilling 3-2 victory over runner-up Freddie Dacey. Meanwhile, the Plate final saw Reuben Francis-Li take victory over Sophie Williams.

In the U13s, the final between Oliver Harvey and Dylan Williams provided some nail-biting action, with the latter coming out on top 3-2. The Plate final saw Joshua Williams and Antony Sakr go up against each other and, in a hard-fought contest, the former ran out 3-1 winner.

First up on the Sunday was the U15s event, which saw home entries Ollie and Alfie Giles turn up just a few hours after getting home from their holidays. Undeterred, Alfie Giles caused an upset in the group, winning two of his three matches before getting knocked out in the quarter finals by Toby Young.

The final of the main event saw round two of the Oliver Harvey and Dylan Williams battle, this time the tables being turned with Oliver coming out as champion courtesy of a 3-1 win.

Meanwhile, the Plate final saw Ollie Giles defeat George Sakr in front of his home crowd.

The final event of the weekend, the U19s provided the biggest upsets of the tournament with Oliver Harvey Beating Luca Strinati in the Semi Final 3-1, before the final pitted him against Jacob Davies – whom he had lost to in the group stage 3-2.

After some great table tennis, Oliver triumphed 3-2 to claim his second title of the weekend.

The Plate final saw Jenson Denton-Smith narrowly defeat Jack Morgan 3-2 in a very tight battle.