Mighty Mollie, 13, serves up a feast of medals at English championships
Mollie Patterson in action in Huddersfield. Picture: TREVOR PARSONS - Credit: Archant
Mollie Patterson returned from the Cadet and Junior National Championships with gold, silver and bronze medals, writes Paul Stimpson.
Mollie Patterson, second left, and her partner Gauri Duhan get their hands on some doubles silverware. Picture: TREVOR PARSONS - Credit: Archant
The 13-year-old from Brancaster Staithe struck gold in the Cadet Girls’ doubles, alongside Gauri Duhan.
They saw off surprise packages Darcie Proud and Hannah Ward, who had knocked out the top seeds in the quarter-finals, 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-2).
Patterson also reached the semi-finals of the singles, where she was eliminated by eventual champion and top seed Denise Payet. Both beaten semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals.
There was also the bonus of winning the team competition — a test event this year — with her Burton Uxbridge team-mates, beating Grantham College 3-2 in the final, with Patterson winning one of her two matches.
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Patterson, who attends Smithdon High School in Hunstanton, said: “To be a double national champion feels really good. Me and Gauri have never played doubles together but I think our styles suit each other.”
The previous day, in the older Junior event, Patterson punched above her weight to reach the singles final. She defeated second seed Emily Bolton 4-2 (11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-6) in the quarter-finals and then saw off Beth Farnworth — who herself had eliminated the third and fourth seeds — 4-0 in the semi-finals (11-0, 13-11, 11-5, 11-6).
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That set up a final against top seed and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Tin-Tin Ho, who had beaten Patterson in the group stage.
And although Patterson acquitted herself well, the result was the same as Ho showed her class to win 4-0 (12-10, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6).
Patterson said: “I played very, very well. I had no expectations before the day, I just thought I would try to play my best on every point.
“I think I gave Tin-Tin quite a good match and I want to say well played to her.”
