England’s Cadet Boys have secured a top-eight place at the European Youth Championships in Sweden, despite a difficult start to their campaign, losing their first match 3-1 to Italy and then going down 3-2 to the host nation.

This was a terrific match in which Sweden led 2-0 after wins for Adam Wallin over Kacper Piwowar and for Sigge Hedblad over Max Radiven, the latter 11-9 in the fifth.

Piwowar & Abraham Sellado came back from 2-0 down to win the doubles 3-2 (10-12, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9) and Radiven then beat Wallin in three. Piwowar then led Hedblad 2-0, only to see his opponent come back to win 11-8 in the fifth.

The squad, which also includes Adam Alibhai, beat Austria 3-1 to maintain their hopes of staying in the top division of 16 teams, but a 3-1 defeat to Romania left those hopes in the balance again.

But a 3-0 win over Luxembourg preserved their status and a cracking 3-1 win over Hungary, clinched by Radiven’s 3-2 (13-11, 10-12, 13-11, 8-11, 14-12) win over Mark Gergely, meant they would finish in the top eight.

Defeat to Turkey followed in the quarter-finals, the boys then faced France in the fifth to eighth-place bracket but lost this 0-3. The final positional play-off is not played, so England end in a share of seventh position.  

England’s Junior Boys squad of Connor Green, Ralph Pattison, Larry Trumpauskas, Ben Piggott and Isaac Kingham raced through their first two group matches 3-0 against British opposition – first Scotland and then Wales. A 3-2 win over Luxembourg from 2-1 down, sealed by Pattison beating Luca Elsen 3-2 (11-13, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5), meant they topped their group.

Victory over Israel would have got them into the top tier of 16 nations, but it was not to be as, despite two wins for Green, their opponents’ three players each won a match to make it 3-2 to Israel overall.

The England team then went into another group stage, overcoming Serbia 3-1 in their first of two matches to set up a crunch clash with Switzerland which would have put them in with a chance of finishing top of the division.

However, in a scintillating match lasting well over three hours, they were defeated 3-2. Green won both his matches, including coming from 2-0 down against Noe Keusch to make it 2-2 overall. Ralph Pattison then saved four match points – two in each of the third and fourth games – against Numa Ulrich to force a decider, which he agonisingly lost 11-9.

England had another gut-wrenching defeat against Norway in their final match, seeing a 2-0 lead evaporate after wins for Trumpauskas and, in his first appearance, Isaac Kingham. Pattison had three match points in the fourth game of the third match, against Martin Froseth, but could not convert them and Norway came back to win 3-2 and leave England in 23rd position.

The Junior Girls – Tianer Yu, Anna Green, Ella Pashley and Sienna Jetha – had a tough draw which included top seeds Poland, as well as Italy and Portugal.

They led Italy 2-1 but saw their opponents come back to win, and further defeats followed to Portugal and then Poland, despite Pashley, Yu and Jetha all tasting victory at some point.

A 3-0 defeat to Denmark dropped them into the second tier, where they contested the 17-24 bracket. Further defeats to Israel – despite a Pashley victory – and Luxembourg meant it was a play-off for 23rd and 24th positions against Sweden. The team finished on a high with a 3-1 victory which clinched 23rd place. Pashley won the first match and Yu took a double victory either side of a defeat in three close games for Jetha.

Results

Junior Boys’ Team
Group I
England 3 Scotland 0
Connor Green bt Jamie Johnson 3-0 (11-3, 11-3, 11-2)
Ralph Pattison bt Kailun Yuan 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 13-11)
Ben Piggott bt Kieran Walker 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 13-11)

England 3 Wales 0
Larry Trumpauskas bt Harri Docherty 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-9)
Green bt Toby Harwood 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-2)
Piggott bt Harry Street 3-0 (11-6, 11-1, 11-2)

England 3 Luxembourg 2
Mael Van Dessel bt Pattison 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 14-12)
Green bt Luca Elsen 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-8)
Loris Stephany bt Piggott 3-1 (11-7, 12-14, 11-8, 12-10)
Green bt Van Dessel 3-0 (11-8, 11-3, 11-7)
Pattison bt Elsen 3-2 (11-13, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5)

Play-off round 2
England 2 Israel 3
Eitay Shushan bt Trumpauskas 3-2 (7-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8)
Green bt Itay Avivi 3-1 (11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9)
Natanel Abramov bt Piggott 3-1 (12-14, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6)
Green bt Shushan 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-4)
Avivi bt Trumpauskas 3-1 (8-11, 13-11, 18-16, 11-9)

Group N
England 3 Serbia 1
Green bt Uros Ninkovic 3-1 (11-5, 5-11, 11-9, 11-8)
Pattison bt Andras Oros 3-2 (9-11, 13-15, 11-9, 11-4, 11-4)
Dusan Pavlovic bt Trumpauskas 3-1 (11-9, 16-14, 7-11, 11-7)
Green bt Oros 3-0 (14-12, 12-10, 12-10)

England 2 Switzerland 3
Noe Keusch bt Pattison 3-1 (11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5)
Green bt Numa Ulrich 3-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-5)
Joschua Spuhler bt Piggott 3-0 (11-4, 13-11, 11-8)
Green bt Keusch 3-2 (11-13, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7)
Ulrich bt Pattison 3-2 (11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 10-12, 11-9)

Positions 21-24
England 2 Norway 3
Trumpauskas bt Sebastian Flaaten 3-1 (12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9)
Isaac Kingham bt Felix Thomassen 3-0 (14-12, 17-15, 11-8)
Martin Froseth bt Pattison 3-2 (8-11, 6-11, 11-5, 13-11, 11-7)
Flaaten bt Kingham 3-0 (12-10, 11-3, 11-2)
Thomassen bt Trumpauskas 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7)

Junior Girls’ Team
Group A
England 2 Italy 3
Tianer Yu bt Miriam Carnovale 3-1 (5-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-9)
Nicole Arlia bt Anna Green 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-5)
Ella Pashley bt Irene Moretti 3-0 (12-10, 13-11, 11-8)
Arlia bt Yu 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-6)
Carnovale bt Green 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-9)

England 1 Portugal 3
Mariana Santa Comba bt Yu 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 14-12)
Matilde Pinto bt Pashley 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9)
Sienna Jetha bt Susana Costa 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-8)
Pinto bt Yu 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-3)

England 1 Poland 3
Karolina Holda bt Green 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-7)
Natalia Bogdanowicz bt Pashley 3-1 (11-5, 6-11, 11-1, 11-4)
Yu bt Zuzanna Pawelec 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9)
Holda bt Pashley 3-2 (9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-2)

Play-off round 2
England 0 Denmark 3
Mille Stoffregen bt Pashley 3-2 (11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 9-11, 12-10)
Maja Hansen bt Yu 3-2 (15-13, 11-9, 5-11, 6-11, 11-9)
Emma Clement bt Jetha 3-0 (11-9, 13-11, 11-4)

Positional play-offs
Positions 17-24
England 1 Israel 3
Elinor Davidov bt Yu 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4)
Pashley bt Romi Tilkin 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-9)
Elisheva Gavrilov bt Green 3-1 (7-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-7)
Davidov bt Pashley 3-2 (8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6)

Positions 21-24
England 0 Luxembourg 3
Melisa Sadikovic bt Pashley 3-1 (7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10)
Enisa Sadikovic bt Yu 3-1 (11-7, 13-11, 8-11, 11-9)
Tessy Dumont bt Green 3-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8)

Positions 23-24
England 3 Sweden 1
Pashley bt Nellie Franzen 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-9)
Yu bt Betty Engstrom 3-0 (11-2, 12-10, 13-11)
Alice Nilsson bt Jetha 3-0 (13-11, 11-8, 13-11)
Yu bt Franzen 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-8)

Cadet Boys’ Team
Group B
England 1 Italy 3
Max Radiven bt Francesco Trevisan 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-7)
Danilo Faso bt Abraham Sellado 3-0 (12-10, 11-6, 11-8)
Faso & Trevisan bt Sellado & Kacper Piwowar 3-1 (4-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5)
Faso bt Radiven 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-8)

England 2 Sweden 3
Adam Wallin bt Piwowar 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-8)
Sigge Hedblad bt Radiven 3-2 (5-11, 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9)
Piwowar & Sellado bt Wallin & Hedblad 3-2 (10-12, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9)
Radiven bt Wallin 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-6)
Hedblad bt Piwowar 3-2 (6-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8)

England 3 Austria 1
Piwowar bt Benjamin Girlinger 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-7)
Radiven bt Tobias Tischberger 3-1 (11-9, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8)
Girlinger & Tischberger bt Piwowar & Sellado 3-1 (8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-3)
Radiven bt Girlinger 3-0 (20-18, 11-8, 11-3)

Play-off round 1
England 1 Romania 3
Robert Istrate bt Piwowar 3-1 (11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-4)
Radiven bt Mihai Nagy 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-9)
Istrate & Nagy bt Sellado & Piwowsar 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-4)
Istrate bt Radiven 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-8)

Play-off round 2
England 3 Luxembourg 0
Radiven bt Philip Theisen 3-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 11-4)
Sellado bt Aaron Sahr 3-1 (11-6, 14-12, 7-11, 11-8)
Radiven & Piwowar bt Sahr & Theisen 3-0 (11-7, 13-11, 11-2)

Positional play-offs
Positions 1-16
England 3 Hungary 1
Sellado bt Mark Gergely 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 14-12)
Radiven bt Lenard Szabo 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-8)
Gergely & Szabo bt Radiven & Piwowar 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-8)
Radiven bt Gergely 3-2 (13-11, 10-12, 13-11, 8-11, 14-12)

Positions 1-8
England 0 Turkey 3
Gorkem Ocal bt Sellado 3-2 (11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8)
Kenan Kahraman bt Radiven 3-1 (12-10, 11-9, 5-11, 11-3)
Ocal & Kahraman bt Sellado & Piwowar 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-2)

Positions 5-8
England 0 France 3
Nolan Johnston bt Adam Alibhai 3-1 (11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7)
Sandro Cavaille bt Piwowar 3-0 (11-7, 11-2, 11-8)
Noah Vitel & Cavaille bt Piwowar & Sellado 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 13-11)