Cambridgeshire 12 and under girls team of Lizzie Pam, Anna Traherne and Anna Loughlan played extremely well to beat the opposition of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Bedfordshire at Woodford Wells Tennis Club to reach the Aegon County Finals on 9th/10th July at Bolton Arena.
The competition consists of 3 singles matches and then 1 doubles match and if the match score is then two matches each a tie-break shoot out to 10 points is played. On the Saturday Cambridgeshire played against the host county Essex and Anna Loughlan got the team off to a good start beating T Schumacher 4/2, 4/1. Anna Traherne battled hard to narrowly lose to the Essex number 2 E Carrington 4/2, 1/4 , 5-10. Lizzie Pam at number one then played a very aggressive game to beat W Goldman 4/2, 4/0. In the doubles Pam and Loughlan combined very well to beat Goldman and Schumacher 4/2, 4/1.
In the second match Cambridgeshire played Suffolk and continued in their winning ways Anna Loughlan again played a really solid match to beat Flora McWhirter 4/0, 4/0. Anna Traherne then defeated Francis Kenworthy 4/2, 4/1. Lizzie Pam had a tougher match against Nia Bradford – she took the first set 4/1 but Bradford hit back and won the second 4/0 – Lizzie then regrouped and played a good tie break to win it 10-5. The two Anna’s combined to win the doubles 4/2, 4/1.
On the Sunday Cambridgeshire played Norfolk and Anna Loughlan again played very well to beat Francis Evans 4/0, 4/1. Lizzie Pam then defeated Tabitha Rowan 4/0, 4/2. Anna Traherne had a really tough match against Megan Lait and was 0/4, 2/3 down but fought back magnificently to take the second set 5/4 (7-5 in the tie break) and then won the deciding match tie break 10-3. Anna Traherne and Lizzie Pam won the doubles against Rosie Pooley and Megan Lait 4/0. 4/0.
This meant the group was decided on the result of the match between Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to decide who went to Bolton.
Once again Anna Loughlan played a very good match to defeat Emma Brown 4/0, 4/1. Lizzie Pam then defeated the top Bedfordshire player Claudia Johnson 4/0, 4/2. This meant Cambridgeshire only need one more win to secure the group. Anna Traherne was up against tough opposition in Shanice Marshall. Anna played a great first set and won this 4/2, but Marshall fought back to take the second 4/0. In the deciding match tie-break Anna played very well to get 9-7 up only for Marshall to again come back and eventually take this 11-9. The results was all down to the doubles then and Lizzie Pam and Anna Loughlan combined very well to take this 4/2, 4/1.
Overall it was an excellent team effort from all the girls and captain Sue Rich was rightly proud of them all. Bolton here we come!