Ladies County team seal promotion in Bolton.
The Durham and Cleveland team won three out of three fixtures against tough opponents to see them go up to Group 3 for next year’s competition.
Playing Captain, Libby Fletcher led the team made up of:
Farah Abdel-Aziz
Lydia Perkins
Charlotte Derbyshire
Jo Cunliffe
Yasmin Tanfield
Iona Amos
Mia Robinson
Day one saw Durham & Cleveland compete against Dorset. It was going to be a challenging first round but the teams unity and belief was there from the start. Mia Robinson and Iona Amos were first on. Iona’s opponent was rated higher than the Tennis World player and we knew it was going to be a battle from the start. Both players traded shot for shot in the first set with neither giving up on any points, which saw the first set go to Iona 6-4. Iona aka ‘Iowa’ then continued to press in the second set and her opponent didn’t have any answers to the depth and consistency that Amos displayed. In the end Iona took the second 6-1, giving us a 1-0 lead. On the adjacent court Mia aka ‘Miasippi’ showed her determination and courage against Abigail Downer. The match seemed to go on for ages and the team were with her with every serve and forehand she swung. Taking the first set narrowly 6-4 Mia’s wish for an easy second was too be thwarted by her unwavering opponent. The cheering got louder and you could feel the tension. It went to a tiebreak, which put us all on the edge of our seats (or feet as we were all standing at this point!!). With a second wind Mia plucked the courage to storm ahead in the tiebreak and within 10mins she was shaking Abigail’s hand! That would be 2-0 up for the team.
Next 2 singles players were Yasmin (Yasmanian Devil) and Jo ‘Johannesburg’ Cunliffe. Cunliffe started off how she meant to finish and as Libby said ‘it was business and no messing around.’ The Teessider took the match in just under an hour 6-1, 6-2. The Yasmanian Devil proved her namesake and she used more energy per point than Djokovic in a 5 setter. It was an incredible match to watch and her opponent should be applauded to make it one of the matches of the day! Although Yasmin took the first set 6-4 Lauren was clearly not going to wane or give up and she took the 2nd set 6-3. The team supporters were behind Yas for the third and we wanted more than anything for Yasmania to find every ounce of energy left to take the third. However Lauren was simply too strong in the end and she deserved to take the match. We were all really proud of Yas and it was clear to see that she had given everything on the court afterwards with her match lasting 2.21 hours!
So 3-1 up with the top 2 ranked matches to be played. Charlotte Derbyshire who also goes by the name of ‘Charlottesville’ was going to face a real challenge because she was playing Jane Bingham who holds a 2.2 rating and has a wealth of experience under her belt. Derbyshire displayed some great play and applied pressure but narrowly lost the first set 6-4. Unfortunately Jane wasn’t letting up focus or concentration in the 2nd and Charlotte could quite break her down, which saw the match finish 6-4 6-3.
Going into the final singles Lydia Perkins who is currently training for the London 2013 marathon was playing against Jane’s younger sister Anna, who still shows the power and strength that she had as a junior! The match was a tough one for Lyd with Anna being unrelenting with her groundstrokes and accuracy. The match went to Dorset 6-3, 6-1.
My word 3-3 after the singles which meant it was all to play for in the doubles! We shouldn’t have had any doubts as Libby picked the pairings perfectly. 3 out of 3 doubles went to Durham & Cleveland, which was truly magnificent. This was particularly important because it gave us the confidence that our doubles pairings were strong for the next 2 days and which would become key on the last day!
Following day one we went out for team dinner at Chiquito’s next to the Reebok football stadium. Everyone was a bit goosed but the banter was flowing and burritos, nachos, fajitas and helium balloons provided the much needed energy and laughs deserved after a hard fought first day!
Day 2 was playing against Somerset. We had actually lost to the team in the summer at Cheltenham so we knew we couldn’t expect anything easy. Well the Mexican pre night entertainment must have loosened up the team as we were 6-0 up after the singles! Wowza! The results are highlighted below.
http://lta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/teammatch.aspx?id=20C2072D-DC70-4B96-9F59-747AD7822901&match=8
Onto the 3rd and final day! All to play for and too be honest we focused on enjoying the final fixture rather than thinking too much about winning. The team spirit in the morning was really positive and Jo even thought ‘I have a good feeling about today,’ although she didn’t say this until on the way home.
Iona and Yas were on first round. It was to be shared rubbers with each team taking one of the matches. The supporters from both sides were equally as loud and it was really exciting being part of something so close and competitive. Jo and Charlotte followed Iona and Yas. Jo went a set up but then 5-2 down in the 2nd. With a reminder to get the ball in the court and make her opponent play she got it back to a tiebreak and although had a horror miss on one of the match points went on to win the second set tiebreak, which took the rubber score to 2-1. Derbyshire took on their number 3 and played some solid groundstroke shots and was too powerful for her opponent. Charlotte who is going to Denver, USA in January took the match 6-4 6-3, which helped D&C push forward to a 3-1 lead.
Before we had started the third day we knew the number 1 & 2 matches were going to be tough and we weren’t proved wrong. Lydia played Anna Brogan who is an unbelievably talented 15 year old from the West of Scotland. Everyone who was in Bolton were blown away by her talent and we are sure with continued hard work and commitment she is going to be one to watch for the future! Lydia’s aim was 2 games and that’s exactly what she achieved….a huge well done as most of the team would have been pleased just to be on court with Anna!!!! So Farah was the last of the singles and we really thought she was going to do it. Spectators were treated to a fine display of skill and composure from both players because it really was one of those matches that could have gone either way. With the pressure on it was amazing to see both players deal with the situation and continue to push each other to the limits. After 2.5 hours the match went to the Scottish player 7-6, 2-6, 6-3.
Nerves at the ready…..3-3 after the singles…this is what County Cup is all about! As mentioned above we knew our doubles pairings were strong. Libby and Iona at 3 stomped their match, which gave Lydia and Jo the inspiration to give it all for the number 2 doubles. You could feel and see the determination on their faces from the first point and with a break early in the 1st set they romped to a 6-1 lead. It really was a case of keeping things simple. Lydia (aka Lydinese) to blast her formidable forehand back cross court and JoJoaction to pounce at the net. This was an ideal scenario and the Scots couldn’t get anywhere near to the D&C ladies! The last rally was tense with all players battling to either stay in the match or win promotion and with the last stroke being unplayable Jo and Lydia jumped in the air and hugged each other with the rest of the team cheering like mad!
Amazing weekend and the aim is to build on this momentum for Summer 2013 when AEGON County Cup will take place between July 21-23rd for the ladies. Libby couldn’t hide her excitement,
“What the team achieved this weekend should not be underestimated. Sunday was going to be a massive challenge against a strong Scottish team and I am so proud of the way the team conducted themselves over the whole weekend. I am delighted that we are going up to group 3 and we are really looking forward to Summer 2013! Well done to everyone who competed and thanks to the County for their support of the team.”
Overall results of the weekend can be found,
http://lta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=20C2072D-DC70-4B96-9F59-747AD7822901