Derbyshire's 12-and-under boys' captain Mike James feels his side can go on a good run at next year's AEGON 12U County Cup following their efforts at the competition this year.
Four boys competed in the first stage of the annual 12-and-under tournament at Bolton but were unable to reach the second and final stage of the tournament.
The county's girls' side was also in action at Bolton Arena in the same age category but they also finished outside the qualifying places.
Derbyshire's boys, comprising Callum Edworthy, George Finney, Christian Mills and Rhys Powell, won one of their four matches in Group H.
They beat Cumbria 6-2 in their first round-robin match but lost 8-0 to Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire, finishing fourth overall.
However, James, who is also part of the coaching team at the Derbyshire Tennis Centre, said the matches were much closer than the scorelines suggested.
He said: "There were several three-set matches and, in the third set, a couple were as close as 10-8 so there was not much in it.
"And, often, when you don't win that first singles' match and they have clinched it, it can make all the difference to the rest of the day.
"The boys played very well and, interestingly, they were one of the youngest sides in the group.
"Rhys was playing in his first County Cup, Christian is in the top 10 in the country's under-11 category and all the boys are coming along nicely.
"I think that, when they are a bit older, they can have a great chance next year.
"But this year was a great atmosphere, a good experience and generally a nice two-day event for the boys."
The county's girls, meanwhile, also finished fourth in their Group H division.
Hannah Davey, Millie Devey-Smith, Kelsey Hodgson and Grace King matched the boys' performance by beating Cumbria 6-2, before losing 8-0 to Yorkshire and Lancashire.
They also lost their last round-robin match against Cheshire but, unlike the boys, won two rubbers.