The Aegon 10U Boys County Cup was held over the weekend of 28th & 29th May and we were in Group F at Chichester Racquets and Fitness Club with Dorset, Surrey, Kent and Sussex.
The team was: George Day, Theo Harrison, Daniel Mackley, Luke West
The team Captain was: Andy Sheridan
Day One
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight team were drawn against Dorset in their first match of a round robin group featuring four other counties. We started well with Theo Harrison quickly winning 4-0, 4-1 against Ambrose Evamy but it wasn’t long until Dorset had levelled the match at 1-1 with Jake Fascione beating George Day 4-0, 4-1. A gritty win from Luke West saw us build a 2-1 lead as he repeatedly came back in the tiebreak to beat Oscar Hextall 4-1, 3-5, 10-8. This was a big win for us and we carried the momentum into the doubles in which Luke and George teamed up to beat Jake and Ambrose 4-1, 5-4(4) to give us the win overall.
Our next match was against a very strong Surrey team who were also coming off the back of a big win against Kent. This was a tough one for the boys and the singles matches didn’t last long with all three getting beaten fairly comfortably. George and Theo were overwhelmed by a good performance from the Surrey pair in the doubles and we lost 4-0 overall.
Day Two
After the mixed fortunes of the first day we were bolstered by the return of Daniel Mackley for day two. First up were Kent who were still in contention to win the group if they could win their remaining matches and Surrey were to lose. Unfortunately the Kent side were just too strong and we were soundly beaten in the singles and doubles and again went down 4-0.
Our final match was against the home county, Sussex and the boys were much more competitive in this one. George Day started brilliantly playing Toby Mullineux winning the first set in quick time but Toby was able to turn the tables in the second set before winning the tiebreak. Luke competed well in his match with Sergio Viera but lost 4-1, 4-1. Daniel lost a tough match against Charlie Holmes 4-0, 4-2. The doubles was essentially a dead rubber but it was great to see Daniel and Luke work together well and nearly steal the second set against Toby and Sergio before eventually losing 4-0, 5-3.
At the end of the weekend we finished fourth overall, above Dorset but it was a tough weekend for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight team; there were some good performances and hopefully some experiences to learn from and build upon. Thanks to all the parents who supported the players.
Sussex beat Surrey in a shootout which left them both tied with Kent on six points. On countback the final positions were Surrey first, Kent second with Sussex above us in third.
Andy Sheridan, Team Captain