BY BRIAN THOIMPSON

PAUL DRINKHALL from Loftus produced a "five star" performance to become the European cadet boys singles champion last Sunday in Prague.

He also took the gold medal in the cadet team event for England; and collected a silver in the individual mixed doubles. The North-East teenager thus became the first young player to collect a brace of first places in the 48-year history of the championships!

His singles gold medal was achieved with a comfortable win in the final over team colleague and partner Darius Knight of the Southfields Elite club by 11-6 11-1 11-5 11-7, in a contest in which Paul was always in control.

This was something of an anti-climax after both Paul and Darius were forced to battle hard in their semifinals. The young player of Ormesby TTC and Cleveland County, seeded one, thus confirmed his status as the top European.

The teenager had little to say when spoken to at the airport, concentrating on getting home, but his first comment: "What a relief!" summed up his achievement.

" I was glad to get it finished. I expected a lot of myself to succeed. There was a lot of pressure as the favourite." But people agreed his triumph was brilliant.

In a see-saw semifinal confrontation with Poland's Piotr Chodorski, Drinkhall found each time he took an end his opponent came back, meaning a seventh game was needed. Paul forged ahead to six points to one; but he knew the victory was still uncertain. After each player had a time-out, Poland's best clawed his way back to six-all.

The English supporters were getting nervous, but the Clevelander drew on all his experience and steadied himself as each competitor took two more points each. At eight-all, with the prospect of a tense finish,

Drinkhall showed his increased maturity to calm himself down away from the table, and then proceeded to finish off his talented and game opponent.

This was close but England's best pulled through by 11-1 9-11 11-5 6-11 11-9 3-11 11-8. Knight meanwhile won his by 4-2 against France's number one.

With Margaryta Pesotskaya of Ukraine, Drinkhall beat partnerships from Greece and Cyprus, Hungary, and Serbia to reach the last eight of the mixed doubles, and this after practising with his unfamiliar partner for a mere two games.

They then disposed of a strong couple from Russia before encountering a tough semifinal against Pierre Bezard of France and Barbora Balazova of Slovakia.

This they came through by three ends to two but despite improving through the final they went down by 0-3 to Alex Shibaev and Ekaterina Kolodazhnaya of Russia.