The Essex girls put in a great team performance this weekend to keep their place in Division 2 of the Junior Inter County Cup after a weekEnd of tough competition with Kent, Notts and Bucks.
The team representing Essex was made up of Olivia SofronIou, Caitlyn Hardy, Sian Green, Brooke Newnes, Bronwen Perkins, Grace Lowe, Erica Izatt and Alex Jones.
We were up against Kent on the first day who were the strongest team by far (on paper) and for the first time in my history as captain we were out of the match after the singles, with only Olivia picking up a great win at no.3. 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 against Florence Abbott. Caitlyn showed signs of turning her match around against Nell Miller at no.5 but had left it too late with her resurgence beginning at 1-4 down in the 2nd. Olivia and Alex also won their doubles match meaning that we lost to Kent 2-7.
As we lost, we had to face the victors of the of other tie on day 1 which meant Bucks were up next as they had beaten Notts 6-3. Grace Rowe was due to make her county debut in the U18 event but felt unwell and so at the last minute, birthday girl Bronwen went in to play at no.6 against Hannah Russell. Caitlyn and Bronwen both played some great tennis and enjoyed good wins to put us 2-0 up. Olivia and Erica were next on against Lauren Armstrong and Lauren King-Sparke respectively, but the tables were turning as they both dropped the first sets. Erica was looking down and out but managed a truly impressive comeback as she found a way to get off her own case and work the points! Olivia managed to get herself into a 5-2 lead in the second set but eventually lost it 7-5 mostly through some excellent tennis from Lauren.
At 3-1 Up Alex and Sian went on and a composed Alex put in a solid performance to defeat Alice Patch 6-0, 6-2 and nudge us one match away from victory. The no.3 doubles of Caitlyn and Bronwen started their match as Sian was at the end of her first set which she lost 6-2. Looking for one more match to secure the tie the whole support team was anxiously watching both matches. At No.3 doubles we got off to a great start taking the first set, meanwhile Sian was still in the 3rd game of her 2nd set! Sian was having mammoth rallies and 15 minute games with Georgie Sanders and was digging in and eventually took the second set 6-4. Meanwhile Bronwen and Caitlyn were in a match tie break which they ended up losing 10-7.
Three and half hours after she started her match Sian lost 7-5 in 3rd but had played some fantastic tennis and done us all proud continuing on after turning her ankle at the begining of the third set. Alex and Olivia fortunately went on and did the business at no.2 winning their doubles 6-0, 6-1 and so that meant Sian could rest and recover and not play doubles. This meant that Brooke and Erica played at no.1 doubles and after being tonked in the first set 6-0, they settled in and really took the game on. After a bit of nag for her to commit to the volleys and smashes, Erica had 100% success at the net in the second set and the girls took it 6-4. Unfortunately they lost the match tie break but it was another good performance.
On the last day we knew that provided Kent won, then we could lose 6-3 and remain in division but we wanted to come second and end on a win of course. Bronwen and Caitlyn got us off to a flying start at no.5 and no.6 both winning in under an hour. Erica started really well against Frances Benson and worked her way into a 5-2 lead. Unfortunately she was unable to keep it up and lost 7-5 6-2. Olivia held off an initial challenge from Ellie Horton where the first few games were very closely contested, but she managed to pull away and win 6-3, 6-2. So just when everything was looking under control with Alex serving at 6-3, 5-3, 40-15 in no time at all Alex found herself a third set. Sian was on the next court up against Livvy Tomkins who had won at no.1 very comfortably every other day but Sian was giving her a run for her money. After a closely contested first set which she lost 3-6, she went on to go for and make pretty much all of her shots winning the 2nd set 6-0. Sadly, both Sian and Alex were unable to win the third so we were tied at 3-3.
Caitlyn and Brooke then went on at no.3 and after a tight second set where they faced a sudden death set point, they won a long rally to take the score to 5-5. They then took care of business and won 7-5. At no.2, Alex and Olivia who were in theory our "bankers" won a good first set but as so often happens in doubles, the momentum turned and they found themselves in a match tie break for the first time. There were some great rallies in the tie-break but Notts showed some guts and took it 10-7. So at 4 rubbers all, Sian and Erica were in yet another battle against Livvy Tomkins and Nina Luiggi who had both won their singles matches that day.
As the curse of the match tie-break continued Sian and Erica lost 6-7, 7-6 10-8. It was a valiant display by all and especially by the Notts girls, who remained competitive even though they knew they were regulated.
It was a great team effort this weekend and there were also some fantastic individual performances. The U18 team now has to say goodbye to Sian and Bronwen who I hope enjoyed their last year. It's hard to imagine the team without Sian with her having been in it the last four years but I'm sure she will continue to do well for the Ladies teams in the future. Bronwen has been a breath of fresh air the last two years always happy to play or not play, and her quirkiness will be missed in the future, especially at the dinner table!
Finally, thanks to my co-captains Victoria and Jo and to the parents who were there supporting the team throughout and supplying me with the nerve-calming coffee.
Heleln Crook
U18 Girls Captain