The under 12 Avon Girls had a great team performance in Devizes last weekend. After news that Connie Simpson was injured and unable to compete, the team pulled together and particularly on Saturday put up a great performance.
After a noisy and energtic team drive to Devizes on Saturday the starting line up of Hannah Thomas, Natasha Wraith, and Emily Thomas gave us a 2-1 lead against the eventual winners of the weekend, Somerset. Nat and Em then put up a brilliant doubles performance, competing well, relaxed, and confident to give Avon a 3-1 victory. Zulaikha Van Den Bos, and Hannah showing great team support throughout. This first match was a fantastic example of a relaxed team, allowing them all to play to their full potential.
The second match of the day was against Devon. This resulted in another 3-1 win seeing a different combination at the doubles position of Zuliakha and Emily. The girls fought hard in great weather all day, with high energy and excellent focus! Due to this the drive home proved even more energetic and noisy than the morning!
Sunday the girls were at the meeting spot at 7.30 and we hit the road. It was always going to be a tough semi final against Wiltshire despite one of their top players falling to injury the day before. The girls battled hard with the same playing order as the first match against Somerset. Hannah Thomas put up a great fight at number 1, and we started to see some of her better match play shine through after some time out recently due to injury. It was great to see her build over the weekend! Natasha Wraith got us a win at 2, with a very solid performance and great positive play. At 3 Emily Thomas sailed through, keeping calm and focused on the task in hand. Nat and Em then participated in a rollercoaster doubles with all 4 players having moment of brilliance, and moments of not so brilliant!!! They battled on after being a set and 3-0 down to get it to a tie break third set before losing. The Wiltshire player stepping up as a green ball player to play their third position was very impressive and deserved a lot of credit for dealing with a pressure situation. At 2-2 overall I chose the same 2 players to continue the shoot out 10 point tie break. The Wiltshire team took it to them, and I think the girls learned quite a bit about needing to compete for every point and not allowing nerves to affect their play!!! A great match overall and a match they all could have learned from!!
The girls had a very quick turn around to play Cornwall who had won their box the day before, beating Wiltshire! At this point I gave Em a rest and gave Zulaikha a chance to play at 3 singles. All the girls struggled in the singles, playing opponents that were competing hard, chasing balls, and really wanting a win. This round of singles also taught the girls a lot about County Cup and needing to bring your best to the table at every match and the energy needed for a weekend like this! We lost all 3, also saw a good fight back from Zulaikha after being a set down but sadly defeated in a third set super tiebreak. Hannah and Emily played doubles and again fell in a third set tiebreak! They were the last match playing for the second day running and fatigue definitely set in!!
Overall, all members of the team were an absolute pleasure to have for the weekend. They all showed great team spirit, willing to play singles, or doubles, or both and everyone recognizing their importance in any of the positions. They are a fairly young team and I hope that a lot was learned regarding competing for every point, and positive mentality to allow them to think constructively on the court! It was great to see them all play some competitive matches and I look forward to see them improve as individuals and as a team! They will definitely be a force to be reckoned with next year! Somerset who they beat 3-1 when they were relaxed in their first rounds went on to win the event! Proving that every match counts!!
I wish them all a brilliant summer of competing hard, and thoroughly enjoyed all of their energy and team spirit!
Elly Shearman – 12U Avon Girls County Cup Captain