This year at the World Racketlon Team & Doubles Championships was the most successful for England teams and players since this annual event started in the year 2000. The England Senior team (over 45) won the gold medal in that category and the England Elite team finished 5th in the main event, their best placing for some years. Three England players also won gold medals in various categories of the doubles events.
Avon tennis junior (well, until September anyway) Josh Kashdan arrived back on Monday morning after his most successful World team and doubles performance so far - but still not quite enough to become a world champion!
In previous years Josh came back from Bulgaria and Italy with a bronze medal for both the Under 21 team and Under 21 doubles. This time Josh went one step better with a bronze for the team event and a silver medal in the Under 21 doubles.
Josh arrived a day early for his Under 21 events but was able to get used to the conditions by taking part in the Mens Elite doubles event on the first of the four days. After two hours of four gruelling racket sports Josh and his Belgian partner finished their first match equal on points - which meant a single point of tennis would decide the outcome. Unfortunately, Josh's partner double-faulted on serve to lose the match and they were out of the hunt for medals in that event.
In the Under 21 team event on Friday and Saturday England's biggest challenge in the group stage was from Germany, Josh won his match against the German No.1 by a single point, but heavy losses by other team members meant that England lost top Germany and went through to the Bronze medal play-off against the Czech Republic - which England won by a comfortable margin.
In the Under 21 doubles on the Sunday, Josh made the shrewd move of teaming up with the German No.1! This took them all the way through to the final where they met the two top players from the Austrian gold medal-winning team. Although Josh and his partner led after the table tennis, several errors in the badminton and squash left them too much to do in Josh's strongest sport of tennis and they had to settle for silver. We are still trying to find out if Josh's nutritional intake at the players party on the Saturday night had any connection with the errors after the badminton.
Josh still has three more years in the under 21 category so will keep trying for that elusive world team or doubles title - and will try equally try for the singles title at the individual world championships in Switzerland this November.
If any Avon tennis players feel they have strength in three or more racket sports, perhaps the fast growing 21st Century sport of Racketlon is also for them. If interested please visit www.englishracketlon.org