The Cumbria Boys County Cup team battled through some tough matches in Group 6A last weekend and did themselves proud!
Team captain, Jon Griffin, took the boys down to Welwyn Garden City to play in the group against Isle of Man, Wiltshire and Berkshire. The team consisted of:
Peter O'Donovan
Sam Clarke
James Kirkpatrick
Alexander Meek
Jonny Hyman
Ben Clarke
Louis Glaves
Graeme Blair
Jon Griffin said; "Going solely on our opponents ratings/rankings prior to the event, we were in effect seeded to come 3rd which we achieved, and we kept the rubbers won intact (2010: won 7, 2011: won 14, 2012: won 14) which is pleasing. The team spirit and general banter between the boys was great and Cumbria certainly had the most vocal support!"
The boys had some touch matches, losing really quite a close tie to Berkshire 6-3, and battling an even closer fixture against Wiltshire which ended 5-4 in Wiltshire's favour.
Both of Cumbria's reserves, Louis and Graeme, got a game against Isle of Man on day 3, and they were both fantastic team members and gained a lot from participating. The boys lost only 17 games as a team against Isle of Man, winning 9-0 overall.
Captain Jon mentioned; "I think most of the boys took a lot out of the weekend, not just about tennis, but about what being part of a team means, as tennis is so often an individual sport. They all enjoyed some lively banter and as a whole supported each other and were a credit to the County. This year sees the end of the junior age group for Jonathan Hyman and Ben Clarke, who have served the team well over the years. This was also Graeme Blair's last opportunity to represent Cumbria at junior level and he can be proud of his role - he thoroughly justified his selection. I would like to thank them all for their efforts over the past few years and wish them well in all their future endeavours, both on and off court."
Jon awarded both Ben and James the 'player of the weekend' for this County Cup as Ben had a 100% win ratio and "James played the best I have seen him at 18U County Cup, winning all 3 singles matches. Both players were first class team members."
Well done to the whole team!