News >> Gauteng Juniors Shine While Having Fun
Gauteng Juniors Shine While Having Fun
By Filipe
With 66 juvenile athletes from Discovery, Atridgeville, Mogale City, Soweto, Lenasia, Hydepark High School and GCTTA in attendance, the 4th of April proved to be a great success for the GCTTA Junior Open Tournament, the Boskruin Centre and all that tended to the smooth running of the tournament.
The visible enthusiasm radiating around the playing venue was inspiring to watch.
This year, the notable absence of Terence Mathole (GN), who is participating in the Egyptian leg of the ITTF Junior Circuit, was a downer for most of the juniors present who all wanted to measure their abilities against the never-say-die youngster, but his cousin, Samuel Mathole more than made up for his absence.
The tournament also served as a platform for the selection of up-and-coming youngsters to join the ranks of the GC Junior Squad; a task that kept Margie and Vivian busy and watchful throughout the proceedings.
The day culminated with the U20 finals. Finals that pitted Gauteng’s top juniors against one another. And the presence of a camera crew provided a nervous tension never before experienced in a GCTTA Junior final.
In the end, Danisha outclassed her Lens counterpart, Fathima, by making a clean sweep of the U20 Girls group, while Chetan outscored Lloyd in a hard fought final 3 games to 2 and 12/10 in the final game.
A demanding day but given the level of play on display, a satisfying day and worth every minute of it.
Medal Standings:
U12
| Boys | Girls | Medals |
|---|---|---|
| Shakeel Edwards | Nakedi Dzikiti | Bronze |
| Ryan Horowitz | Muriel Molefe | Bronze |
| Adam Veldman | Stacey Daniels | Silver |
| Dylan Edwards | Rose Phasha | Gold |
U14
| Boys | Girls | Medals |
|---|---|---|
| John Khiba | Kgothatso Molekwa | Bronze |
| Liam Weinberg | Kajal Itchu | Bronze |
| Samuel Mathole | Poppy Kehana | Silver |
| Melvin Mohloare | Meenal Manga | Gold |
U12/U14 Doubles
| Boys | Girls | Medals |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan/Devon | Rose/Muriel | Bronze |
| Shakeel/Abdullah | Mbali/Kgathatsho | Bronze |
| Meelan/Liam | Poppy/Catherine | Silver |
| Melvin/Baldwin | Meenal/Kajal | Gold |
U17
| Boys | Girls | Medals |
|---|---|---|
| Baldwin Kotelo | Victoria Molefe | Bronze |
| Kalpesh Itchu | Poppy Kehana | Bronze |
| Shivesh Dindayal | Kajal Itchu | Silver |
| Samuel Mathole | Danisha Patel | Gold |
U20
| Boys | Girls | Medals |
|---|---|---|
| Emile Mauvis | Esther Pasha | Bronze |
| Bhavik Patel | Fahima Sayed | Bronze |
| Lloyd Reddy | Fathima Sayed | Silver |
| Chetan Nathoo | Danisha Patel | Gold |
U17/U20 Doubles (co-ed)
| Danisha/Kalpesh | Bronze |
| Samuel/Matthews | Bronze |
| Chetan/Bhavik | Silver |
| Lloyd/Shivesh | Gold |
Selected to join the GC Junior Squad:
| Liam Weinberg | (Hydepark) |
| John Khiba | (Soweto) |
| Mbali Khumalo | (Soweto) |
| Kgothatsho Molekwa | (Soweto) |
| Karishma Lakhoo | (Lens) |
| Ryan Horowitz | (Maccabi) |
| Dylan Edwards | (Discovery) |
| Nakedi Dzikiti | (Soweto) |
| Stacey Daniels | (Flames) |
| Adam Feldman | (Maccabi) |
Thanks:
Boskruin Management and Staff, City of JHB, GPSAC, GTTB and NLDTF.
Vivian, Margie, José, Philip, Gavin, Filipe, Rolf and Myrna.
Parents, spectators and above all, the enthusiastic participants.
