Team: Sarah Cantlay, Naomi Cavaday, Amanda Cunningham, Nicole Daisley, Jacqueline Darby, Kate Green, Rebecca Finch & Ellie Murphy
Captain: Holly Richards
On Sunday 28th July, we started our journey to Cromer LT&SC, a club we had not been to before as we have spent the last 3 years in West Worthing, so this was a nice change! After narrowly missing out on promotion for the last couple of years I was sure this year was our time!
Day 1 Kent vs Middlesex
Looking at Middlesex player nominations this was going to be a tough match, as they have some great players having spent many years in division 1. We started out with Kate and I as pair 1, Naomi and Sarah as pair 2 and Rebecca and Amanda as pair 3. Our team started strong, against a weak looking Middlesex (thanks to Anne Keothavong for not showing) and we got off to a 3-0 lead! Unfortunately Amanda injured her foot and wasn’t able to continue for the day so Jacqueline was put in to play with Rebecca. 2 wins from the next round took us to 5 rubbers and an overall 7-2 win for Kent. Great start to the week, minus the sunburn!
Day 2: Kent vs Hampshire & IOW
After a hot and tiring day yesterday today on paper looked a little easier but Hampshire always have some good doubles players. Our team stayed the same as yesterday, Jacqueline paired with Rebecca as Amanda was still injured. Another great start from Sarah and Naomi who got the job done quickly with a 6-1 and 6-1 win. Kate and I also won putting us 2-0 up; Jacqueline and Rebecca had a tough 3 set battle but lost 6-2 in the third set. 2-1 to Kent after the first round!
Kate and I struggled against their no.1 pair and unluckily lost a close 3 setter. Naomi and Sarah won comfortably but Jacqueline and Rebecca had another tight match and lost 7-5 and 7-5. 3-3 after the second round...it was getting a bit tight now! Jacqueline and Rebecca lost to the no.1 pair but Kate and I won! We all watched Sarah and Naomi finish their match with a straight sets win and a 5-4 win overall. COME ON KENT!
Day 3: Kent vs East of Scotland
A tough day for us today as Scotland were looking strong. However we felt quietly confident as they had lost 5-4 to Middlesex yesterday, who we beat on day 1. Pairings were the same as yesterday and so play started in the blistering heat! As we started, looking across the courts I could see each match was close, they all went to 3 sets but despite everyone’s best efforts we didn’t get a win. Not a great start at 3-0 down, a big fight was on to try and make a comeback, or get as many rubbers as possible. The next round didn’t go to plan! Kate and I lost to a strong no.1 pair and so did Rebecca and Jacqueline. However Sarah and Naomi won, putting Kent on the scoreboard; we were 1-5 down after round 2. It was looking unlikely to get a win so we went into the last round trying to get some more rubbers. Kate and I won comfortably but Jacqueline and Rebecca lost. Naomi and Sarah battled on to a 7-6 in the third win! Great effort from the girls today who kept fighting, but we lost 6-3 overall. L
Day 4: Kent vs Norfolk
Norfolk were yet to lose a match, and had only lost a few rubbers so today was going to be tough! After a long discussion over dinner the night before, we decided to take a gamble and change our pairings around to strengthen the third pair, as Jacqueline and Rebecca were losing close 3 set matches and needed some confidence back! At No.1 was Sarah and I, at 2 was Kate and Jacqueline and at 3 Rebecca and Naomi. As we started the warm up I was very concerned I had made the wrong decision as it was a bit risky! (obviously I kept this to myself!). Unfortunately Naomi and Rebecca lost in 3 sets to Norfolk’s third pair who were very strong. Kate and Jacqueline also lost but Sarah and I got a win against the no.2 pair. We were 2-1 down after the first round.
Norfolk then decided to swap their third pair and take out a very strong player and put someone else in, which I think helped us as she was weaker! Naomi and Rebecca got off to a great start winning their second match. Jacqueline and Kate also fought hard and played some unbelievable tennis to get a win 6-2 in the third. Sarah and I lost a close 3 setter against Norfolk’s 1st pair. 3-3 after the second round!
The last round was looking difficult for us as it’s tough to won 2 out of the 3 remaining matches ….however…..Sarah and I won 6-4, 7-5 – one win down. Naomi and Rebecca were facing the 1st pair who were too strong and sadly they lost 6-1 and 6-1. It was all down to Jacqueline and Kate who were in a HUGE battle! Coming back from 5-0 down in the first set, but losing it 7-5 didn’t dishearten them; as they went on to take the second 7-6! As we all watched on, or tried not to watch, the girls got an unbelievable start to the third as the Norfolk pair were crumbing under the pressure. Showing no nerves the girls won 6-2 in the third. COOOOOME ON THE GARDEN! With a late 7pm finish we celebrated in style…. Pizza and a dvd! Wild! 5-4 Kent!
Day 5: Kent vs Essex
We were feeling confident that we would win today and gain promotion as Essex had lost everyday and looked very unmotivated! This was good for us as we were all very tired! Norfolk were playing East of Scotland today…and after some challenging mathematics we knew we needed Scotland to win, but not win more than 6 rubbers for us to come first and win our group! We all went on trying to get it over and done with as quickly as possible…which we did. 9-0 to Kent. We watched East of Scotland and Norfolk fight it out for promotion, East of Scotland won 5-4.
Kent win Division 2!!!
I would like to say a massive well done to all the girls who were part of the team this year, everyone contributed to helping us get a win. We are all very excited about playing in Eastbourne next year, which is a first for all of us! I would also like to thank Spandau Ballet for providing our team song this year….WE ARE GOLD, ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOUR SOUL, YOU GOT THE POWER TO KNOW, YOUR INDESTRUCTIBLE…ALWAYS BELIEVE IN, YOU ARE GOLD!
Report by Holly Richards