There was a reasonable representation from Wales at the Junior British League held last weekend at Fenton Manor. There were three teams made up entirely of players from Wales, whilst Charlotte Carey represented Burton Uxbridge.
Undobtedly the most successful team during the weekend was Ael Y Bryn. The Ael-y-Bryn Team playing in Boys Division 2 had a tough but rewarding weekend in Stoke taking away the maximum 10 points by remaining undefeated all weekend.
Daniel OConnell, Jonathan Evans, Joshua Jenkins, and Alex OConnell, all performed to a high standard and are now 4 points clear of their nearest rivals Sheffield A. In true JBL style the boys had to fight for every point as no quarter was given in the ultra competitive league. Daniel OConnell manged a 100% average, with Josh and Jonathan not far behind. This is the best finishing position the team has ever achieved in the first weekend, the difference being impressive performances by Joshua Jenkins playing at number 3. Josh regularly found himself in 5th sets and always managed to win through, sometimes coming back from 2 sets down. The team are now hoping for success in the final weekend in February.
Meanwhile in Division 1 of the girls event, the BATTSracquetsport team started strongly with a hard fought draw against the Irish Girls--it was to be the only point lost all weekend by the girls from the Emerald Isle. All of the team members had signifcant victories--Angharad Phillips won 7 of her 8 matches, Megan Phillips 6 out of 8, whilst Chloe Thoms had impressive wins against Vicky Smith and Rachel Trevorrow. The 4th member of the team, Taylor Williams, making a welcome return to competitive table tennis, also had some notable victories as she featured in a succession of tense 5 set matches--and displayed sufficient evidence that it won't be long before she's back to her best. At the end of the weekend's competition, the team lie in third position knowing that promotion is still a possibility.
In the premier division, Charlotte Carey won 5 out of 8 matches, with probably her best victory being against the talented Jessica Dawson.