8:00am Wednesday 23rd September 2009
A BASINGSTOKE youngster was a member of the south west England team that claimed table tennis gold at the UK School Games.
Fifteen-year-old Jonathan Evans travelled to Newport, South Wales, for the games and featured in two matches.
He featured in the opening game as the south west beat the north west 4-3, losing his match 3-0. Evans, pictured, then sat out the second match, a 4-3 win over the south east, but returned against Scotland. He also lost that game 3-0 but the south west won the match 5-2 to top the group and qualify for the semi-finals.
Evans did not feature again but cheered from the sidelines as his teammates beat the Midlands 4-3 to reach the final, where they beat Northern Ireland 4-1.
In the individual event, Evans lost his opening game 3-0 to Sean Cullen from the Midlands but bounced back in fine style to beat Northern Ireland’s Stephen Slater 3-0. This set up a winner-takes-all match with Graeme Barella from the north east, with both knowing that a win would see them through. Sadly Evans could not record another victory, losing 3-0.
Evans had warmed up for the games with good performances in the Liverpool Grand Prix and Chippenham Series.
In Liverpool, the teenager took won 11 of his 18 matches, while in Chippenham Series, Evans won the consolation event – beating Pritash Kakad over four games in the final.
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