The Northumberland Ladies' County Tennis Team travelled to Bath on the weekend of November 26-28 to take part in Division 1 of the Aegon Winter County Cup. 44 counties take part in the County Cup event and having gained promotion last year, Northumberland, for the first time ever, were in the top division in the country against Surrey, Kent & Warwickshire.
The team played 9 matches each day; 6 singles and 3 doubles. The team had an excellent win on the first day beating Surrey 6-3. On the second day they played a very strong team from Kent and despite playing extremely well, they lost 7-2. This meant that it was all to play for against Warwickshire on the third day for second place. In typical Northumberland fashion, the ladies rose to the occasion and by winning 5/6 singles matches, Northumberland clinched 2nd place.
This achievement for one of Great Britain’s smallest tennis counties is little short of remarkable and is a reflection of the talent, dedication & drive shown by a magnificent team led by captain Margaret Baron.
Margaret said “Many of the players have been playing for the Ladies County Team since I took over the captaincy in 2009 and their commitment in representing Northumberland is second to none”.
The winning squad consisted of Deborah Armstrong, Fran Booth, Stephanie Booth, Grace Dixon, Amy Hoburn, Lauren Jones, Alex Walker and Emma Wilson.
Back row LtoR: Alex Walker, Emma Wilson, Lauren Jones, Grace Dixen. Front row LtoR: Amy Hoburn, Stephanie Booth, Francesca Booth, Deborah Armstrong.