Jason Pool captained the Gloucestershire 10 and Under County Cup team this year and he has written the below report:
This was my second County Cup Qualifying weekend with the Under 10 Girls County Cup Squad from Gloucestershire. The team included; Olivia Rook, Zoe Dibble, Khazaria Curzon and Sofia Moran-Casanova. The weekend began with our initial match against Cornwall. Emerging as 3-1 winners in the opening stage, filled the squad with confidence. Round 2 set-up an encounter with Wiltshire. Already highlighted as the strongest county of the event, Olivia Rook, Zoe Dibble and Sofia Moran-Casanova in the singles and Sofia Moran-Casanova and Khazaria Curzon competed to their highest standard, however the competition was too strong, with Wiltshire emerging victorious.
Day two saw Gloucestershire take on top of Group B Somerset. After finishing the group second the girls warmed up prepared to battle. The depth in the Somerset squad matched Wiltshire and with all efforts the girls come out second best. Within the tie, one of the matches from the tournament was played by Olivia Rook (Gloucestershire number 1) showing her qualities in a closely fought contest with Grace Piper losing 4-2 5-3. Third Place/Fourth Place was set with Avon. Avon prevailed victorious with a 3-1 victory with a closely fought doubles 0-4 4-1(10-6). Olivia Rook and Zoe Dibble remained in doubles tactical positions (One back one at the net) with their lack of volleying experience which was a credit to their personal tennis development.
From the weekend, parents, players and myself enjoyed the experience of great competition, fantastic support and team spirit from all counties. The girls and parents were spurred on to work harder, play more and compete further. All the girls represented the county of Gloucestershire with impeccable manners, commitment and hard work, making all involved very proud of their efforts.
I look forward to County Cup next year.