On the 29th/30th June the 12U Nottinghamshire girls travelled to Corby to compete in the annual Summer County Cup Qualifying Event. 6 Counties managed in 3 x 2 round robin boxes, we were up against Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire in our box. 1st & 2nd place of each box would advance to the semi-finals and have play offs for TOP 4.
Team: Mia Wainwright, Naomi Szczur, Sophie Lager and Henna Quraishi. A link to the results will be left at the end of the report for those wanting specifics!
Day 1 Saturday: All of the singles were played first in the round robin stage and doubles were played last. It was a very hot day on Saturday but the girls showed up prepared, hydrated and stacked with fluids! We beat Northamptonshire 3-1, Mia & Naomi winning in straight sets and Sophie just edging a defeat in the third set 11-9 in the tie-break. Mia/Henna win their doubles in straight sets.
With Cambridgeshire next up, the heat started to affect the all the girls on the day with a high of 33 degrees celsius. Nevertheless, both Mia and Sophie take their singles in straight sets. Naomi loses in 3 with a tough battle 10-8, this followed by Sophie/Naomi losing in straight sets against a dominant pairing. 2-2 at this stage, Mia/Sophie unfortunately lose out 10-6 in the tie-break shootout. We come 2nd in our box, on to the semi-finals the following day.
Day 2 Sunday: Pretty straight forward, we beat our local rivals Leicestershire 4-0 in the semi-finals without dropping a set!!! Mia/Henna making it 2/2 wins in their first ever encounter as doubles partners and Sophie, Naomi and Mia performing brilliantly in their singles. From day 1 the emphasis on the weekend was for the girls to build confidence, commit to every ball and enjoy the time on court. This was definitely accomplished going into day 2, a great feeling.
In the finals we come up against Cambridgeshire… again. Mia wins with ease 4-1 4-0 as top seed. Naomi comes short 4-5(3-7) 1-4, Sophie takes a comfortable 4-1 4-2 win. That takes us 2-1 up, at this stage it seems like were back to Saturday, it’s all down to the doubles. Mia/Sophie pair up to face the exact same opposition they played on Saturday in the tie-break shootout. They come out with resilience and take the first set 5-4(7-5), once that happened the rest was history, they take the 2nd set 4-0 by showing determination to not let one point slip regardless of the lead they had. Lesson learnt through the weekend for all the girls.
So Nottinghamshire took 1st Place and now have qualified into the National Finals in Bolton on the 12th – 14th July. As their captain I’m more than proud of their performances, their ability to overcome and stick as a team. Both on court and off court.
A special mention to both Sophie & Henna, both 10 years of age playing in their first 12U County Cup, both showing great courage. Thank you to the parents who showed up with tremendous support. #TEAMNOTTS
Zef – Captain
Link to results: https://lta.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/draws.aspx?id=19C7E9C5-456D-4DEF-830D-593AD8541816