Sajiv cruises through to final of West Midlands 2-star event

Nikit Sajiv shows off his runners-up trophy in Wednesbury. Picture submitted

Sajiv won his under-13 boys’ group, defeating Francesco Bonata of Middlesex and Joshua Webb and Benjamin Greve of Gloucestershire in straight games before Todd Stanmore of Oxfordshire was dispatched 3-0 in the quarter-final.

Sajiv dropped his first game in a 3-1 win over Lewis Ellams of Yorkshire in the last four but found England number eight Felix Thomas (Berkshire) too strong in the final.

Eduardo Bolanos was also in this event, with the 12-year-old giving a good account of himself in a tough group where he took Nathaniel Saunders to five.

In the under-15 boys’ category, Sajiv again won his group with victories over Leicestershire’s Oliver Wynne, Finley Drane and Ellams.

He defeated Webb for the second time in the first knock-out round but again went down to Thomas.

Ricardo Bolanos also won his group, beating Connor Green, Kirash Shaddel and Henry Belcher but was disappointed to fall in the knock-outs to Marcus Holba of Gloucestershire.

However, he bounced back in the junior event, winning two out of three in his group only to be places third on countback.

This gave him a spot in the consolation event where he beat Kent’s Tirian Jakes in the last eight, Marco Di Giammarino of Middlesex in the semi-final and Louis Roper-Gibbs of the Great Stukely club in the final.

Jack Green qualified from his junior group with wins over Yoni Ehrlich and Finley Drake but exited in the knockouts to Jake Price of Hereford.

Milan Sajiv also qualified from his group with victories over Warwickshire’s Jake Crawshaw and Kirash Shaddel.

However, he found Jacob Kurowski too strong at the knockout stage.

Emma Kilpatrick and Eve Briscoe contested the junior girls’ event which was played in a round-robin.

Kilpatrick finished third, edging Briscoe into fourth, in an event won by England number 58 Federica Bonato.

Meanwhile, Warwickshire Juniors’ team of Sam Cafearo (Rugby), Timmy Cooper, Livvy Fletcher and Lewis Singleton (all Lillington Free Church) and Lisa Rinnhofer (Colebridge) found the going tough in Division 1A on day one of the County Championships at St Nicholas Park Leisure Centre.

They started with a good draw against Staffordshire, with Cafearo overcoming Lewis Acton and Jack Wood in his two singles and Cooper defeating Luke Gittins.

Fletcher and Rinnhofer both won one of their singles, with Fletcher beating Aimee Evans (ranked 31 in England) but losing to Georgina Harris, whom Rinnhofer beat.

Warwickshire’s only success in a 9-1 loss to Nottinghamshire came courtesy of Fletcher who defeated Jess Lindsey (67) and she agin performed well in the 7-3 defeat to Yorkshire’s B side, accounting for Alice Rice and Ffion Myers (45), who also lost to Rinnhofer.