Lionel Cox 2011 (Bucks u10)
Team:
Daniel Dean Lauren Armstrong
Mark McGuinness Indu Ragunather
Jack Chapman Maddy Weir
Finlay Barrett Sophie Ivansky
The team was dealt a last minute blow on the eve of the competition as key player Daniel Dean was forced to withdraw through illness. This was not only really disappointing for the player, who had been training and competing really well of late, but certainly for the squad who benefit massively from his hunger, drive, motivation and infectious personality.
Daniel’s absence was unfortunate, and he was clearly missed by all, but the remaining players responded fantastically over the weekend. The swirling winds and tough low-bouncing astroturf courts made life challenging for all the players, especially those playing with the green ball!
For the boys, Mark McGuinness stepped up to deputise at number 1 and produced some inspired tennis after a tough opening match against Suffolk. His big serving and great net play worked well with the conditions, and he won his other 2 singles matches in the group impressively against Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.
Jack Chapman fought hard in each of his three matches, and was unfortunate to narrowly lose in the ties with Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. He did however overcome a nasty toe injury on the Sunday to heroically win his last match against Norfolk.
Finlay Barrett played at number 3 after 6 weeks out of competition. He produced some great displays against Suffolk and Norfolk in particular to help Bucks qualify for the 3rd place play-off against Bedfordshire on the Sunday.
With increasingly high winds, the boys still managed to play their best tennis of the weekend, seeing off Bedfordshire with hard-fought wins for Mark and Jack. It was a fantastic reward for their great team-spirit and persistence against the elements!
The girls’ competition pitted Bucks against Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Essex in the group stage. Lauren Armstrong and Indu Ragunather played in each tie, with Maddy Weir and Sophie Ivansky rotating as the 3rd player.
Lauren proved far too strong for her opponents in each of the 3 matches, taking the ball early, and hitting aggressively. Her first serve percentage was also impressively high.
Indu too won all her group matches, using great movement and clever touches. This meant that defeats for Maddy and Sophie mattered little as the team powered to the final against Norfolk.
Sunday’s final saw the girls in confident mood, and keen to maintain their momentum. Lauren again led the way with a blistering display in her rubber; winning in straight sets.
With Indu’s match on a knife-edge, Sophie produced her best game of the weekend, winning at a canter to secure 1st place for Bucks.
Indu battled on bravely even so. With both players not giving an inch, the conditions began to play more of a part in the result, and Indu eventually succumbed, although she can be very proud of her efforts.
So overall, a particularly promising display from the Bucks team ahead of the County Cup. A brilliant team ethic and bond amongst the players both in training, and in competition has hopefully inspired them to improve further.
Tom Edis - 10&U Team Captain