Bournemouth’s West Hants club was responsible for four of the 16 entrants into the Grade 2 Winter National 14 & under Tour at the National Tennis Centre in London.
Eliz Maloney, Selina Briggs Lauren John-Baptiste and Jodie Burrage all had their sights set on the top prize, but thanks to an unfortunate draw, the first round would be as far as one of the girls would progress.
Selina Briggs and Jodie Burrage, the tournament’s 2nd seed, were drawn together in the opening round and unfortunately for Briggs, the seeded player won through to the next round. Burrage showed her talent with a dominant display, winning 6-0, 6-1.
Eliz Maloney and Lauren John-Baptiste both beat their first round opponents and moved into the quarter-finals with relative ease. Maloney won 6-3, 6-1 whilst John-Baptiste recorded a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
John-Baptiste then came up against top seed Sophie Drakeford-Lewis in what turned out to be the closest match of the tournament. After taking the first set, John-Baptiste was unable to maintain the high standard she had begun the match with and her opponent forced her way back into the match by winning a close second set. The top seed then took control of the deciding set and recording a close win over Dorset’s John-Baptiste, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Maloney was also up against a seed, in the form of Livvy Tomkins, the third seed, but unfortunately, suffered the same result as John-Baptiste did in her quarter-final match. Maloney pushed hard but was eventually beaten 6-3, 6-4 by her opponent.
Meanwhile, Burrage was on great form as she beat Claudia Hallsworth, Avon, 6-0, 6-3 in the Quarter-finals, before defeating Eliz Maloney’s conqueror Livvy Tomkins in a smooth straight sets win, 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-finals.
Burrage then faced the top seed Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, who had earlier edged past Lauren John-Baptiste, for the tournament crown. Much like her fellow West-Hants member, Burrage was unable to get the better of the top seed. Despite some spirited resistance, Burrage was eventually beaten 6-3, 6-4 and finished as runner-up of the tournament.
Click Here for more information on the Grade 2 Winter National 14 & under Tour at the National Tennis Centre in London.
By Harry Lund