Last Saturday saw Northern host our annual Dunlop Northern Junior Open. This season we decided to focus on six younger age groups and we were rewarded with a very healthy 60 entries, of which 28 were girls! In addition to Dunlop supplying the prizes we also had three new sponsors in Jesmond Health Partnership, JBA training and Mincoffs solicitors.
We had nine entries in the Girls U11 and it was a three way tie for the prizes. On points won our own Dua Ali Saleem finished third, Olivia Black ( Yarm ) finished second and the winner was Lucy Barnet ( Jesmond )
Ten boys entered the U11 event and after some close matches two boys from Northern made the final. Olan Taylor was the number 1 seed and favourite but he lost out in the final to Josh Lim, who is 8 years old and has only been playing for four months! Alexander Lambert ( Yarm ) finished third.
The top three in the Girls U13 were all Northern juniors and products of our schools outreach work, with Millie Bond finishing third, Alice Pearsall second and Emma Little winning comfortably in the final.
Will Brocklehurst ( son of tournament director Dave ) won the Boys U13 but only after a close and entertaining final against Magnus McKay ( Durham ). Huey Lamb ( Sedgefield ) was third.
Rebecca Little emulated her sister Emma by winning the U15 Girls event with Clara Westwood and Meera Jatania of Northern, finishing second and third.
The biggest shock of the day came in the Boys U15, where Northern junior Charlie Armstrong upset the number 1 seed and big favourite James Southern ( Tynemouth )
The atmosphere at the event was superb, assisted by the junior committee running a cake stall that, added money from our new sponsors meant that the event raised over £1,000 for junior funds.
