Eighteen young players gathered in Leicester to compete for the PE Junior Singles Championship title, representing Heart of England, Mercia, Chiltern, GWR, Central, Kent, and Southern.
The morning session featured four groups: three groups of boys and a fourth group of six girls. The girls were grouped separately to allow them to compete against their peers, aiding the selection process for the European Championships.
In the girls’ group, Aimee R and Tegan F remained unbeaten, with Aimee leading at +16, three points ahead of Tegan. The competition was fierce, with Tegan defeating Sasha 13-10, and Aimee winning against Sasha 13-12 in tightly contested matches.
Qualifying from the boys’ groups were: Group B – Zac F (3 wins, +9) and James R (2 wins, +5); Group C – Alex W (3 wins, +17) and Cole F (2 wins, +6); Group D – Charlie W (3 wins, +21) and Connor E (2 wins, +3).
In the quarter-finals, Tegan and Aimee were knocked out by Charlie W and Connor E, respectively. James R advanced by beating Alex W, and Cole F ended Zac F’s unbeaten streak.
The first semi-final saw James R dominate with a win to 1, while the second semi-final was a thrilling battle, with Cole F narrowly defeating Charlie W 13-12.
James R showcased his dominance in the final, defeating Cole F and losing only five points. It was a remarkable victory for a strong and resilient player.
The silver competition, a three-round snake for ten players, saw Alex Read claim the trophy with 3 wins and a +19 differential. Alfie W secured second place with 3 wins and a +17 differential, recovering from a winless morning.
In the main event standings: 3rd place went to Connor E, 4th to Charlie W, 5th to Alex W, 6th to Tegan F, 7th to Aimee R, and 8th to Zac F.
In the shooting Tegan F was the victor scoring 19 points with Nathan H second with 9 points.
A big thank you to the Leicester Club for hosting us and donating a perpetual trophy for the winners, to Michelle and Drew for their outstanding work in the kitchen and everywhere else, and to John Edmondson for umpiring and mentoring the organizer.
Well done to all our winners and thank you to all the juniors that attended.
our next competition is the Junior Triples @Whitnash P.C. – Entries are now open more details as they come in can be found here: Junior Triples (petanque-england.uk)
For those keen to stay updated on junior petanque activities, be sure to follow @PEJuniors on Facebook. Additionally, for information on upcoming events, visit the juniors webpage at Juniors (petanque-england.uk).