On Friday 28th February – Sunday 2nd March 2014 the Under 18 Girls County Team played at David Lloyd Southampton, contesting in Division 2a.
The team consisted of: Natalie Sayer, Selena Briggs, Ellie Milliard, Esther Adeshina, Summer Colling, Emily Kerr, Christin Louw, Thandiwe Mlambo
The other counties in the division were: Hertfordshire, Surrey and Staffordshire.
Day 1 vs Hertfordshire
The singles players were: Natalie, Esther, Emily, Summer, Christin, Thandy. After the singles we were 4-2 up with wins in 2 sets from Natalie, Emily, Christin and Thandy.
The doubles pairs were: Natalie and Ellie, Esther and Christin, Summer and Emily. Summer and Emily had a tight 3 setter, but in the end the wins came for the other two pairs, Natalie and Ellie in 2 sets and Christin and Esther in 3. End of day result 6-3 to Hants.
Thank you for all the locals for coming down to support!
Day 2 vs Staffordshire
The singles players were: Natalie, Selina, Esther, Emily, Summer, Christin. Esther and Christin won their singles matches convincingly in 2 sets, whilst Summer and Emily both lost very long 3 setters. We went into the doubles 4-2 down.
The doubles pairs were: Natalie and Ellie, Emily and Selina, Christin and Esther. Christin and Esther had a fantastic 6-0 6-0 win, and Emily and Selina lost in 3 sets, but we ended the day 6-3 to Staffordshire.
In conclusion, a very close day with 3 3 setters which didn't quite go our way.
Day 3 vs Surrey
The singles players were: Natalie, Esther, Emily, Summer, Christin, Thandy. After the singles we were 6-0 down, but a mention should be made of the very good play by Christin, Thandy and Natalie, all of whom had very close and hard fought matches against tough opponents.
The doubles pairs were changed to be a little more tactical: Natalie and Summer, Emily and Ellie,Christin and Esther. The team were unable to make inroads into the strong Surrey pairs, which left our end of day score 9-0 to Surrey.
Despite the heavy loss to Surrey, the team managed to stay in Division 2a as we had one more rubber than Staffordshire who got relegated. Surrey won the division.
It was a good weekend with many good performances and with such a young team, we've got much to look forward to in the future.
I would like to thank all the parents, family and friends for their support over the weekend.
Sue Espley - 18U Girls County Captain