Check out the report below
Day 1 - The morning for Kent was brimming with energy and excitement. An early wake up meant that we were the first team down to practice and the energy showed with the team stamping it’s intent on the weekend.
As we moved to the courts the balcony was dominated by Kent’s booming support which appeared to be too many for Ethan’s opponent who was broken down by Ethan’s systematic domination of the baseline, 1 nil Kent. Milo on the other hand got off to a shaky start going 0-3 down but he soon battled back to make it 5 all eventually losing out 5-7, 3-6 to a tough opponent. Support for Kent by this stage was sensational reaching its peak when Matt Summers took the second set against an on form Jake Hersey. Matt eventually went down in the third set after a fantastic encounter.
At number 3 Nick Brookes over powered his opponent applying a ball pressure which opponent clearly wasn’t used to. This levelled the tie at 2-2. Unfortunately James came up against a tough opponent in Max Stewart going down in straight sets and making the score 2-3 to Warwickshire.
At this point Kent’s number one Alex Juniper took to the court against the only ATP ranked player in the competition. Alex had clearly saved his best tennis for this encounter but was narrowly edged out after serving for the first set in a dramatic contest.
At 2-4 down going into the doubles the boys we had a team meeting and set the goal of maintaining high energy throughout and making Warwickshire earn the result, we would not be rolled over. James and Matt led the charge taking the win in the second pair match as 3-4 it was game on again. Unfortunately we were unable to make this momentum count as 3-4 became 3-5 and then 3-6 to Warwickshire.
A tough loss but well faught every step of the way against the team which had been victorious 2 years in a row. This was a loss we could learn from and help us in our next two matches.
Day 2 Yorkshire
Day 2 started off with the same enthusiasm as the day before which was admirable to see considering the result the previous day. Up next for the Kent boys were Yorkshire, a team who had also lost the previous day.
It was clear from the start the Kent boys really wanted the win today as the atmosphere was incredible from the off- along with zero noise coming from the Yorkshire pack.
Matt Summers set the ball rolling with a comfortable 2&2 win where some sumptuous volleys were on display.
Milo Bargeron came just short of the win, losing 6-4 4-6 1-6. The 2 time Kent doubles champion couldn't find the extra gear to prevail victorious- not even the thought of popchips could help him clinch this rubber.
Following next was Remus Cope. The French magician was on fire throughout this match, dropping boosters and showing some competent net play, frequently being compared to as John-Christophe (the great) by all sorts of supporters! Awesome from Remus. This gave the garden a 2-1 lead, going into number 3 and 2 singles.
Brookes was up next, his hose pipes on full display as always! Nick was sending down some absolute rockets that Karlovic would have been proud of.
Jimmy Davis soon overcame a tricky opponent in which he battled to win 6-4 6-4. Davis' finishing shots were on point with his hands being as good as Henman's at wimby 2005.
James showed great fight to close out the match- throwing everything he had at his opponent! Edging us closer to the win! Great stuff from The Garden! 4-1 Kent.
King Babooni took a very convincing win against a tricky Conor Tordoff 6-1 6-2. AJ Baboon was unplayable today... His forehand was on top form, as always! Great performance for Juniper sealing the win for The Garden 5-1.
Now onto the doubles:
Our number 3 doubles pairing consisted of Remus Cope and Alex Jochim. This was a county cup debut for Alex Jochim! This didn't affect him at all, the boys played some sublime doubles and were too strong for their opponents on the day! Clinching the win 6-1 6-2. Kent showing again we are doubles specialists.
Summers and Davis played a very solid doubles match winning 6-2 6-3. They had too much for their opponents and gave us a 7-1 lead with one rubber to go.
Our number 1 doubles pair took too the court. AJ Baboon was back for more after getting the singles win, playing with Nick and aiming to give Kent another win. With both the boys having absolute rockets, Yorkshire struggled to get a look on the returns. However, they managed to get to a third set where the tiebreak ended at 10-7 to The Garden.
This ended a great day for Kent giving us the win 8-1.
Day 3
Kent vs Middlesex
Day 3 was a big day for Kent, a must win to stay in division 1 against a strong Middlesex team. The energy from the team was off the scale and Kent's inspired performance from the previous day continued immediately as Matthew summers quickly dispatched his opponent 1&2, giving him a masterclass in the art of serve and volley.
A slow start for milo at trap 6 losing the first set 0-6 but then as the kent's roar grew a sudden change in momentum saw milo take the second set 6-4. Fired up and pumped full of adrenaline, Milo took early breaks in the third set (much to the delight of the roaring supporters). With a steely look in his eyes; exuding tremendous amounts of passion, Milo clinically served out the match for a 0-6 6-4 6-3 win. Making it 2-0 to the big dogs.
Remus showed some wonderful pump, but lost in some tight deuce games to go down in a straight sets loss.
On court 4 Nick was involved in a tough encounter against Middlesex hot shot, Julian Robinson, like a midget at a urinals he was going to have to keep on his toes. WOW! Nick really brought his A game overcoming a tight first set but eventually taking the second set kicking and screaming.
James Davis had a tricky opponent who mixed the points up better then Jamie Oliver's Caesar salad. This match was highlighted with strong serves from Davis and his opponent couldn't handle the spiciness of Davis' returns. Davis took the win after a tight first set. This put Kent within one match from victory at 4-1 as our esteemed number one Alex Juniper took to the court. After Alex toughed out a close first set the number three and two doubles matches went onto court both matches seeing Kent take the ascendancy claiming one set leads in each match. All of a sudden Middlesex made a late resurgence going a set all in Remus Cope and Alex Jochim's match and Matt and James going a break down in the second pair doubles. But with an unreal level and huge support from the balcony Juniper stormed through not conceding another game to take the match 6-3 in the second set. This gave Kent an unassailable lead of 5-1 and second place and division 1 status was secured.
Thanks to all the players this year, with special mention to Remus and Milo who played their last county cup in the under 18s. It was a pleasure to captain such an amazing group lets come back stronger next year and see if we can take the title!