KENT COUNTY TEAMS – SELECTION PROCESS
We are sometimes asked about how teams are selected. Players want to know what they have to do, or have to achieve, in order to be considered. As a county we are committed to making the process as far and as transparent as we can.
We have both a men’s and ladies’ Kent Open team. These teams are for players of any age but in reality most players fall into a range between 19 and 34 years old. The events they play are the Summer County Cup – which is just doubles - and Winter County Cup, which is both singles and doubles.
Ratings and ranking are used as a guideline, but are a totally ineffective method for selecting doubles partnerships. So for the summer events the captain and the vice-captain work together, basing selection on their broad knowledge of the players all over the county. Our captains are experienced players themselves and know all their fellow players who should be considered. They also liaise with the captains of the under 18 teams, and the coaches at our high performance centre, Bromley Tennis Centre to maintain an in-depth knowledge of up-and-coming players. Juniors are more likely to start in the winter event and, if successful, maintain their place through to the summer.
Next the county has men’s and ladies’ over 35s teams. The men’s & women's 35 Inter-County Championships are held at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne. Forty-four counties, divided into eleven groups of four teams, take part over three days in August each year. The 35’s play both singles and doubles during the competition.
Team selection largely follows from earlier performance in the county’s open team, so is based on player rating & ranking, the captains’ knowledge of existing players, team trials and practice sessions, and in reality player availability is often a factor too.
Throughout the summer, the county has senior teams for both men and ladies. The ladies teams run from over 40s, over 45s etc. up to over 75s. The men’s teams start at over 45s and continue through to over 75s. Each team plays 4 or 5 matches against other counties in a divisional competition which runs throughout the summer months.
Given family and work pressures, players may not wish to play for their county for many years, but later decide to return to top level competition. That means selection cannot be based on ranking and rating alone, but involves a greater consideration of results in league and other competitive matches. And it is fair to say that the element of personal knowledge required of captains increases incrementally from the younger teams to the older ones. For men who would like to be considered for these senior teams there is the winter seniors singles and doubles event which can help a player get noticed and prove their ability should their current rating not truly reflect that. However, the equivalent ladies seniors’ events no longer run through a lack of interest – which is a shame. All the captains are happy to hear from players interested in being considered.
Last but by no means least – our junior teams. The county runs teams for juniors at 9 & under (which is a mixed boys and girls team), and then separately for boys and girls teams at 10 & under, 12s, 14s, and 18 & under.
The process is broadly similar across the junior age brackets but there are some differences. Team selection is an impartial process led by the team captain and vice-captain and/or team manager. Selection is mainly based on ranking, rating and results. However a number of factors such as recent form and knowledge of players - reliability, foreseeable physical fitness, conduct, and a player’s ability to work within the team are also taken into consideration.
In the 9&U age group 8 players (4 boys and 4 girls) will be invited to attend selection squads. In the 10&U age group, up to 6 boys and 6 girls will be invited to attend selection squads with 4–5 girls and 4-5 boys being selected.
These teams are selected based on the information above with a focus on how players competed over the current and previous season.
In the 12&U, 14&U and 18&U age groups, 4 players are given direct acceptance based on their ranking on the date of selection. In the 12&U age group a squad of 4-5 players can be selected. In the 14&U age group a squad of 5-6 players can be selected, and in the 18&U age group a squad of 6-10 players can be selected. The remaining places in these 3 teams can be wildcard selection or the next player(s) on the rankings list.
Wildcard selections may be invited to attend training sessions, asked to participate in a play-off match or be selected as a result of training sessions. The team captain will make final decision on the team and the number of players they take.
Captains List 2016