Day 1 – 1st match v Surrey
The Hampshire and IOW team played Surrey in the first match of the 14U Boys Count Cup, which was scheduled to be our toughest match.
The team had a decent start with our number 3, Hayden, beating the number 9 in UK in a match tie-break. Our number 4, Tuna, lost in straight sets but showed a great work ethic. Unfortunately, our number 2, Jonathan, and our number 1, Sami, both lost in straight sets against very tough opponents. We ended the singles 3-1 down against Surrey. In the doubles we lost both matches in straights sets, with Hayden and Sami as number 1 pair and Tuna and Jonathan playing at pair 2. Although the second pair managed to go to a tie-break in the first set, overall, we lost to Surrey 5-1.
2nd match v Middlesex
Our second match, which followed on very quickly from the first, was against Middlesex. We played the same order although we lost 6-0 overall to again a very strong team. Jonathan lost a very close first set and Sami nearly took the match into a match tie-break. I took the opportunity to play our 5 and 6 players in the doubles. Samuel played at 1 with Hayden and Edwin played at 2nd pair with Tuna.
Day 2 – 1st match v Cambridgeshire
There was a change of venue on the second day, so we ended up playing on hard courts at Horley Lawn Tennis Club. First up was Cambridgeshire, which on paper looked a winnable match. We used our 1-4 ranked players in the singles and won every match, putting us 4-0 up after the singles. Unfortunately, Hayden got a back injury during his match but managed to win on a match tie-break despite having to serve underarm. In the doubles, the matches were reduced to one set as the weather was very bad. Tuna and Sami won easily at pair 1 and Sam and Edwin played at 2. They lost 4-2 but was great experience for them, although the court was very slippery. So overall we beat Cambridgeshire 5-1, which was a good effort.
2nd match v Essex
The last match was against Essex. We were on a roll. The first part of the match was played at Horley on hard courts. Tuna won a big match at 3 and, as Hayden was injured, we played Samuel at 4 and he won a really big match in straight sets showing great maturity. Sami lost to the number 1 in UK 4-1, 4-2 and was 2-0 40-0 up in the second set. It was a good effort. Jonathan lost in two very close tie-breaks and was 6-2 up in the second set tie-break, so such a shame. After the singles, it was 2-2 with Essex, which was a very good effort considering they finished 2nd overall. The rain then got heavy, and the talk was that the event would be concluded early.
After a 2-hour wait, we headed back to Redhill Tennis Club to complete the final doubles rubbers. Hayden and Sami played at first pair, and we lost 4-2. It was only one set but was very close. Tuna and Jonathan played a very close match at pair 2 but lost 4-2 which was a great shame as a draw would’ve been a fantastic result. We ended up losing to Essex 4-2 and finishing 4th overall.
The County Cup was a really good experience for the team and the team spirit was fantastic. I’m looking forward to next year already!
James Neate
14U Boys County Captain