Epsom’s 1st V comfortably topped their group in Stage 1 of the National Schools competition. Playing this group stage on one afternoon, Epsom faced Reigate, Charterhouse and Lancing, each seed playing three games against all of their opposite numbers in the other teams.
Epsom got off to a flying start against a talented young Reigate side, winning all but two of the 15 games.
Natalie Chak (Wh) was particularly impressive at third seed, controlling the pace of her match to win 11-3, 11-4, 11-3.
Epsom then faced old rivals Charterhouse and again only dropped two games. Captain Ben Harris (Rn) featured in an especially high-level first seed match, winning 11-7, 11-6, 10-11.
Finally, Epsom secured the top place in the group by beating Lancing. Ben Harris fought hard to win a game against the British under-13 champion in the first seed match. Stan Tanguy (G) produced an equally determined performance to win the second seed match 2-1, while third seed Natalie Chak (Wh), fourth seed Elliott Rumble (P) and fifth seed James Bull (G) all won 3-0.
The overall score was determined by the total number of points scored per game over the afternoon. Epsom accumulated 468 points, 100 more than second-placed Reigate, with Charterhouse and Lancing finishing with 363 and 335 points respectively.
Epsom – 468 points
Reigate GS – 368
Charterhouse – 363
Lancing – 335
