England retain European U17 and U15 titles for 12th consecutive year

England successfully defended their European Under 17 and Under 15 titles in Sweden at the weekend.

For the 12th year in a row, England claimed both titles, adding to the trophy won by England’s Under 19s in Poland in March.

The Under 17 side led by four-time English Junior champion Jared Carter, travelled to Malmo on a quest for their 19th European Team Championships title. Both teams were named as favourites to retain the trophies and neither failed to disappoint.

England’s Under 17s breezed through the pool matches and advanced to the finals relatively untroubled where they faced France.

British Junior Open 2018 champion Sam Todd faced a tough opponent in Manuel Paquermar. Dropping the first game, Todd fought back valiantly but ended up on the wrong side of a 3-1 scoreline.

Meanwhile, Carter reduced the deficit by winning 3-1 against Toufik Mekhalfi in a high-quality encounter, forcing a decider and leaving England’s fate in the hands of current British Junior Under 15 champion, Katie Malliff. And Malliff didn’t disappoint. The 2018 British Junior Open semi-finalist showed her class winning in straight games against Yuna Loaec, keeping the trophy firmly in English hands.

Looking to claim their 14th title, England’s Under 15s topped the group and progressed to the finals without dropping a game.

Two straight game victories courtesy of England’s Franklyn Smith and Hassan Khalil against Spain’s Christian Dominguez Canelon and Adrian Gracia Garcia respectively handed the team title to England once again.

Commenting on the team’s performance, High Performance Coach Adam Fuller said:

“The pressure of playing for England in this event can be quite high with England having won 13 times in a row, and with the standard of other European nations improving.

"The players dealt with the pressure very well and demonstrated both quality on the court and a togetherness off the court. A very enjoyable event and good experience with a great reward for all the hard work they have put in over the season.”