Over the weekend of 29 & 30 June our 12 & Under boys and girls journeyed to Taunton and Devizes respectively to play in the regional County Cup.
On the first day at Devizes, Devon girls were up against a very strong team and eventual winners Somerset.
Beth Cooper, Emma Featherstone and Teya Sheppard fought hard before losing out in each of their matches. Emma managed to take the higher rated Olivia Hamilton to three sets in a determined effort to get a win for the team, however, Somerset proved to be too strong winning 4-0.
The girls then played Avon, who again were another strong county to play on the opening day. Beth Cooper fought hard against the higher rated Avon player, Hannah Thomas to win an excellent match, 5-3, 5-3. Emma and Teya played some great tennis before bowing out to their opponents. Despite a fairly disappointing day for results, the girls showed great team spirit and a positive attitude throughout the day.
The following day, Devon played Gloucestershire for fifth place. Beth showed great determination to beat the same rated Gloucestershire player, Monica Arteaga 4-2, 4-2. Emma fought hard against a very strong player before losing out. Teya played a great match to overcome the higher rated Gloucestershire player, Alice Findlay, 5-4(2), 4-2. Going into the doubles, the score was 2-1 to Devon, however, some great doubles play from Gloucestershire took the rubber to 2-2. This meant Devon had to play in a championship tie break to determine the winner. Despite losing the doubles, Beth and Emma played the same pair in the championship tie break in a nail biting finish, which the girls pulled through to win 10-8.
Team Captain, Amanda Cox, who also captains the Devon ladies, said, "It was a great and well-deserved win for the team and the girls were singing the whole way home!!"
Our boys team also finished fifth at their tournament in Taunton after similarly being drawn in a tough box which featured Avon and Somerset on the opening day.
Devon were beaten 3-1 in their opening match by a Somerset team which was stronger on paper at every number.
No.3 Matthew Turner was first up for Devon and was not able to counter the big hitting Oliver Monteiro, going down 4-0 4-1. Fellow Exeter Tennis Centre player and No.2 Jake Upsher produced a high energy performance to defeat Matthew Crofts 4-0 5-4(5), gaining a good win and levelling the tie at 1-1. Devon No.1 Kieran Rooney-Heason faced Matthew Harrison but couldn’t find a way past him and lost 4-1 4-1. Rooney-Heason and Upsher then attempted to save the tie in the doubles rubber against Harrison and Monteiro, but despite a good effort fell just short with Monteiro’s hard hitting causing problems in a 5-4(5) 4-2 defeat.
Devon then faced an Avon side featuring Joe Leather and Tom Batchelor, both top 20 players in the LTA UK 12U rankings. Turner produced a more confident display this time to push Joseph Partridge 4-2 4-2. Upsher was then dispatched 4-0 4-0 by Leather with Tarka Tennis Centre’s Rooney-Heason losing to Batchelor 4-0 4-1. Devon No.4 Styles and Turner teamed up for the doubles, producing a good performance but not taking their opportunities in losing 4-1 4-0 to Leather and Batchelor. This gave Devon a third place finish in their box of three.
Devon returned on the second day to face Cornwall and compete for fifth place. They made a winning start with Rooney-Heason producing a fighting performance to defeat the 7.2 similar rated Freddie Stone 4-1 4-1. Upsher overcame a slow start to gain another singles win against Thomas Bradley 4-2 4-1 to give Devon a 2-0 lead in the tie. Tarka Tennis Centre’s Alex Styles then made his County Cup singles debut at No.3 and beat Janner Bindiren 4-2 4-2 to secure the tie for Devon. Styles and Turner completed a whitewash, winning a tight doubles match against Bradley and Bindiren 5-3 4-5 10-8.
Team captain Simon Huddart, who coaches at Exeter Tennis Centre, said: "The boys can be pleased with their efforts over the weekend. They faced tough opposition on the opening day, but recovered well to finish with a comfortable victory and end the event on a high.”