Boys 10 & Under County Cup Report
On Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th May, the Northumberland County 10 & Under Boys team travelled to Chatsworth Tennis Centre in Carlisle, Cumbria to compete in what was to be a successful weekend at their County Cup Qualifying event. The travelling squad consisted of Alastair McLeod, Olly Cass, Jaiden Khanna and Alex Nice who train at The Northumberland Tennis Academy in Jesmond and were captained by Academy coach, Jordan Simpson.
In the first tie against Cumbria, Jaiden Khanna kicked things off positively with a convincing singles win. This was followed by two solid performances from Alastair McLeod and Olly Cass, both securing wins to put the team 3-0 up after the singles rubbers. Later in the day, Alex Nice and Jaiden Khanna gelled together well to confidently take the doubles rubber, giving Northumberland a 4-0 win over Cumbria.
The next challenge came from East of Scotland, and with both Alastair and Jaiden losing well fought singles matches, Olly Cass’s win managed to keep the tie alive. After a delay and a change of surface to indoor hard due to some bad weather, Alastair and Olly went on for their doubles. The boys played some great doubles and managed to secure the win, bringing the tie back to 2-2. Continuing in the same fashion, the Northumberland pair went on to win the shootout tie break, handing Northumberland their second victory of the day with a 3-2 win over East of Scotland. This result saw the boys finish top of their round robin group, qualifying for the Semi-Finals on the Sunday.
Sunday mornings first match up was contested against neighbours, Durham & Cleveland (D&C). With the goal of winning both Semi Final and Final which would qualify the team for National finals, Alastair and Olly were first to get underway. Alastair came out on top first with a confident performance against his D&C opponent. After an hour-long battle, Olly couldn’t quite finish off his opponent, losing in a well contested three setter. With the boys 1-1 after the first two matches, Alex Nice was next to represent the county. Without letting the ties score line affect him, Alex came off court with a convincing win, finishing the singles rubbers at 2-1 Northumberland. With one more rubber needed to send the team through to the final of qualifying, Alastair and Olly stepped on court for the doubles rubber. Both counties displayed some fantastic doubles, sending the match to a third set tiebreak. After a gruelling one and a half hours on court, the Northumberland representatives came off court with another victory, sending Northumberland past D&C and into the final.
So, it was to be Northumberland vs South of Scotland in the final match of the weekend, the winner securing a place at this year’s 10 & Under National Finals. First onto court were Alastair and Olly. Both matches were clearly going to be tough. After closely contested first sets, Alastair and Olly both started well, going 1-0 up against their opponents. Shortly after, Alastair continued in the same style to come off court with Northumberland’s first rubber. Olly’s South of Scotland opponent went up a gear in the second set, managing to win the set in a tiebreak, making the match one set all. Olly got stuck in to the third set tie break, working hard for every point. After lots of close points, he emerged victorious, putting Northumberland 2-0 up. Next, Jaiden stepped out onto court, knowing that a win would clinch qualification to the National Finals. Playing some top tennis, Jaiden fought hard in a close first set against the South of Scotland representative, with his ‘never give up’ mentality bringing him out on top. Continuing in the same fashion, Jaiden went on to win the second set, finishing the tie off in Northumberland’s favour, 3-0!
The team’s hard work, commitment and good attitudes throughout the weekend payed off, securing Northumberland a place at the 10 & Under Boys National Finals. The boys’ success was further greatened with the news that the 10 & Under Girls had also won their qualifying event, giving both teams a slot at the National Finals on the 9th June in Sunderland.
Girls 10&U County Cup Report
Northumberland's County Ground in Jesmond hosted Group G of the regional qualifiers for 10 and under Girls' County Cup which was also held over the weekend of 27th and 28th May. Group G featured Durham & Cleveland, East of Scotland, South of Scotland and Northumberland. Representing Northumberland were local girls Jess Hart, Sophie Jackson, Abby Kelliher and Teodora Prisadnikova. The girls put on a superb show, going the weekend unbeaten, winning 12 out of 12 matches to top the group and finish the event without even dropping a set.
The girls now join Northumberland Boys team in qualifying for the national finals which will take place from the 9 to 11 June at Sunderland Tennis Centre. The finals will feature the best 8 counties from across Great Britain, competing for the crown of 10U National Champions.
Girls Captain, James Newman said: "We have an incredibly strong group of girls in this age group who have worked incredibly hard over the past couple of years to establish their level. This weekend was their reward. Not only were their performances excellent, they coped with the pressure and expectation with incredible maturity. Just qualifying for national finals is a big feat for a small tennis county like Northumberland, but these girls have a real chance of being competitive in the national finals, which is excellent".