Strong Warrington perfomance at Burton Junior Table Tennis Open
Posted by on 13 June 2011
Warrington junior David Eden gave a career-best performance to reach the final of the under thriteen's Junior Table Tennis Open in Burton-upon-Trent this Sunday.
David Eden, the tournament's 5th seed, topped his qualification group and proceeded confidently through each of the knockout rounds to reach his first tournament final. In his qualification group David defeated each opponent, George Bradley, Oliver Tyndall and William Pugh, 3-0.
David Eden: career-best performance at Burton Junior Open
After another confident winning performance in the second round, David met the in-form Aaron Thompson, recent winner of the Blackpool Junior Open, in his quarter-final. This match proved to be a hotly-contested, gripping five-gamer with both players needing time-outs to regain composure in the match's tense latter stages. But it was David Eden's ability to change pace and deny Aaron his favoured open game, that proved the winning formula and David finally won the match 11-6 in the fifth.
Next up was Will Pearson in the semi-finals: another open, attacking style of opponent with several years' experience of tournament play. Both players started strongly, but as the match progressed David Eden took control and and never really looked under serious threat, coming through the encounter in straight games to reach his first tournament final.
The final was to be against 6th seed Alex Gillem, a very tricky prospect, who had just knocked out Warrington club team-mate and no. 1 seed, Daniel Clarke, in the other semi-final. David took the first two games narrowly 11-9 and, after going 5-1 up in the third, looked set for his first tournament win but Alex hadn't read the script and started to mount an incredible come-back, taking the next two games to level the match. Both players had seen an unusually high number of nets and edges go fore and against them and it was unlucky for David that the match would be settled on yet another edge, handing victory to Alex 11-9 in the fifth.
David Eden is presented with
the runner-up trophy
The day provided another highlight for the Warrington club when ten year-old Jordan Glendenning, who only started playing table tennis earlier in 2011, gave a series of strong performances in the qualification rounds to make it through to the knockout stages. It was noted that Jordan managed to achieve this in the older under-thirteens age band, competing against players with vastly more experience and setting Jordan out as one-to-watch for the future.
