Congratulations to our 12U County Girls team who played at Boston last weekend and beat the other 4 counties to secure their place in the National Finals at Bolton. The Notts girls won all their matches apart from the final doubles match – quite an achievement!
The team were (from left to right in photo): Millie Wileman, Eva Shaw, Jess Spencer and Olivia Corfe and they were captained by Steph Barling and Laura Cooper.
Captains’ Report:
Under 12's girls county cup
Boston Tennis Club
1st & 2nd July
The day kicked off with team training, the team being Eva Shaw, Jessica Spencer, Olivia Corfe & Millie Wileman.
We were on the clay for the weekend and first opponents were Lincolnshire. We swiftly took a 2-0 lead with both Eva and Jess winning in under half an hour. Olivia was next on and soon regained control after losing the first set, winning in a third set match tie break. Eva & Jess played the final doubles rubber, yet again barely breaking sweat. Our first match now complete with a convincing 4-0 win.
After lunch we took on Derbyshire for our 2nd match of the day. With the sun shining and confidence from our win the girls worked hard, played clever clay court tennis to win our first two singles matches. Millie played the third singles winning with some impressive play and some beautifully constructed points.
Jess & Eva stepped on again for the final doubles. Off the back of such a confident start they showed off some excellent doubles and impressed me with the doubles experience.
End of day 1 - two 4-0 wins. Day two beckoned with the potential of a Notts v Leicestershire showdown for the finals at Bolton Arena.
Day 2 and another gorgeous sunny day at Boston Tennis Club.
The girls were full of energy after such a successful start to the weekend.
First up, Northamptonshire. We were quickly up 2-0 with Olivia to go on for the third singles. Olivia showed great focus and a solid performance to achieve the third win. Jess and Eva went on for the doubles and rapidly made it another 4-0 win for Notts! All four matches were completed in a very impressive 25minutes each!
With three 4-0 victories under our belt, it was the last match against Leicestershire that would be the test.
Millie was up first and took the first set to love, moving her opponent around the court and waiting for the right ball to attack. After then losing the second set, Millie was into a match tiebreak. Whilst this was happening, Jess was on the next court. Having lost the first set, Jess changed tactics and played some clever tennis to take the second set. Both courts were in match tiebreak’s with our hearts pumping. Millie and Jess went on to win their matches and showed true courage and determination.
After the first round being 2-0 up we were in a strong position with Eva to play. Eva stormed through with confidence against the Leicestershire No1 to seal the win. Her experience and shot selection are incredibly effective.
With a 3-0 lead the girls were delighted to already be at the top of the group. The doubles match was played and Leicestershire took the win, ending the day with a 3-1 victory and winners of the group. The girls will now be off to the finals at Bolton Arena 14-16 July. If you are near the area, all support would be welcomed!
Well Done Girls!
Stephanie Barling & Laura Cooper
Clock here to see the results:- http://lta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draw.aspx?id=13AE9F21-4DCE-44B9-906F-DD0A5EE407F4&draw=1