The journey began in the first week of June with the regional qualification at Loughborough Tennis Club. The competition was tough with Lincolnshire posing a threat as well as playing against Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. After a rain affected weekend Charley Gregory and Peter Colbourne won the deciding doubles against Lincolnshire 12-10 in the match tie break saving a match point!
We set of to Bolton on Friday 15th June in preparation for the national finals. We got on to court on the Saturday morning for a good practice session before the draw was made. The draw pitched us against Avon in the quarter finals. Charley Gregory got us off to a great start winning comfortably and Peter Colbourne and Zak Sammons both followed suit winning in straight sets. Arran Trainor and Finlay Smith put in an excellent fightback in the doubles coming back from 9-6 down in the match tie break to win 11-9 with some great serving from Arran and net play from Finlay.
After defeating Avon we then had to play Buckinghamshire in the semifinals. This we knew would be a tough match due to their quality at number 1 and 2. Charley again put in a supberb display dictating the whole match winning 5-4 4-0 whilst Peter lost a close battle. Zak then put us into a 2-1 lead with a solid performance at number 3. The doubles therefore was important and Peter and Charley repeated their heroics from qualifying performing excellently as a pair controlling the net in a 4-1 4-2 victory. After a long day of battling we finished at 8.15pm and went for a much deserved meal and wind down.
In the final we had to play the number 1 seeds, Yorkshire. Yorkshire were the reigning national champions and very strong from number 1 to 3. Charley competed in a really long match but unfortunately lost 4-2 4-1. Peter at number 2 lost by the same score and it was left to Zak to rescue the team. Zak started superbly well taking the first set 5-4, however lost the second set 5-3 and lost a close match tie break. Arran Trainor and Charley Gregory got a point for the team in the doubles but we unfortuntely lost the final 3 matches to 1.
Warwickshire boys came second in the UK, which I think is a fantastic achievement. The team bonded superbly well and I was very impressed with the player’s attitude and commitment shown over the weekend. It was great to have the parents with us who provided fantastic support throughout qualifying and the nationals. It was a great experience for the team and I am sure this will make the boys stronger and better players over the coming season.
Well done boys and let’s see if we can go one better next year!
Matt Thomas