Junior Power League champion Jack Nankervis and fellow JPL player Jack Johnson are among the players to have qualified for the first ever JDC Volts national finals after winning their regional events.
Nankervis, 14, followed up his recent JPL win by winning the South West regional Volts final in Bristol, while 13-year-old Johnson won the South East final in Cray.
Nankervis went into the regional finals as the No 4 seed – although he was the hot favourite on the day, having won all three of the events in which he played during the group stage.
He dropped only one leg on finals day, producing a series of strong performances to book his place in the national finals on September 27. The overall final will be played on the big stage at the World Grand Prix in October.
Nankervis beat Ben Smith – the No 30 seed – 4-0 in the final, after averaging 87.13 with 10 ton-plus scores in his 4-0 semi-final win over Harry White.
He beat Finlay Cleave 4-0 in the quarters, while Grayson Jarvis was the only player to take a leg off him all day, Nankervis winning their last-16 clash 4-1. The Cornish player had kicked off his day with a 4-0 win against Spencer Phillips.
Smith deserves enormous credit for reaching the final having gone in as the No 30 seed. He beat No 3 seed Jack Kempster 4-1 in the last 32, which opened up the draw for him to proceed.
A 4-2 win against Kyle Chudleigh followed, before Finlay Bird was beaten 4-1 in the quarters. In the semi-final, Smith beat No 2 seed James Wallace 4-1 to progress – but Nankervis was too strong in the showpiece.
In the South East, the No 1 and 2 seeds reached the final, with top-ranked Johnson securing his spot in the national finals.
He beat Jack Ingram 4-1 in the final, hitting nine ton-plus scores on the way, after a 4-1 win over Freddie Herbert in the semis. Johnson had earlier beaten Reggie Price 4-3 in the quarters, and Charlie Chambers 4-2 in the last 16.
In terms of both averages and hitting his doubles in the big moments, Johnson was the most consistent player all day in the South East finals, despite a strong run from Ingram, who came through two last-leg deciders on his way to the final.
RESULTS:
South East
Final:
Jack Johnson 4-1 Jack Ingram
Semi-finals:
Jack Johnson 4-1 Freddie Herbert
Jack Ingram 4-3 Harry Rawlings
South West
Final:
Jack Nankervis 4-0 Ben Smith
Semi-finals:
Jack Nankervis 4-0 Harry White
Ben Smith 4-1 James Wallace
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