12U Boys County Cup Report

The boys were in group 2a hosted by The Shrewsbury Club. The group of five counties included Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, Shropshire & Lincolnshire.

Captain: Tony Ravenscroft       
Assistant: Harvey Ravenscroft

Team:

• Eshaan
• Ruben
• Austin
• Daniel
• Benjamin

It was Gloucestershire for our first match. We went 0-2 down after two tough singles for Dan & Ben. Austin went a set down against the Gloucestershire number two then fought back keeping a good level and controlling points with his forehand to win the 2nd set 4-2. Austin showed great composure under pressure to win the match tie break 10-8 and win a much-needed rubber. Eshaan was hard to beat at number 1 and showed great determination to win his singles 4-2, 4-1. 2-2 in rubbers and it was down to the doubles. Our boys took the edge in both matches showing mental toughness in tie breaks. Ruben & Dan winning 4-3, 4-2 and Austin & Eshaan coming back from a set down to win 2-4, 4-1, 10-7.

4-2 victory against Glos!!

The 2nd tie against Lincolnshire saw some very close singles matches. Ben battled against their number 4 and lost out 4-2, 4-1. Dan had a comfortable win against their number 3 winning 4-1, 4-0. After winning the 1st set and maintaining a good level, Austin dropped the 2nd set but once again showed good focus and composure to win the match tie break 11-9. Eshaan went a set down, but this didn’t faze him. He defended well and took his opportunities to attack to gain our 3rd singles rubber 1-4, 4-0, 10-3. It was an amazing effort to get a 3-1 lead. The boys continued the momentum in the doubles with straight set wins with the same pairings of Austin/Eshaan & Dan/Ruben to take the tie 5-1.

5-1 victory against Lincs!!

We finished day 1 top of the group with two matches to play. The team enjoyed a game of bowling and a bite to eat after a successful first day.

We knew the 2nd day was going to be tough. First up was Staffordshire and we got off to a great start with both Dan & Austin winning their singles in straight sets against their number 4 & 3 respectively. Ruben was up next and put up a brick wall against an attacking player and took the first set 4-2. With a slight dip in level, a couple of cracks appeared in the Ruben wall, and Ruben lost the 2nd set 2-4. Ruben reset and once again with great defending, taking his chances and winning the mental battle won the tie break 10-3 after going 1-3 down. Eshaan played a strong number 1 and showed a good aptitude to make some tactical changes which were out of his comfort zone. This wasn’t enough this time to take the win but will help him in future matches. 3-1 up in the singles and the doubles was all to play for, needing one win to secure the victory. Sticking with the same pairs the boys took to the court and both were evenly matched. They found themselves once again in match tie breaks. We were currently 5 from 5 in match tie break wins and all 4 boys showed that teamwork, togetherness and positive mental attitude can get you through tight situations. Austin & Eshaan won 10-8 and Dan & Ruben won 10-4.

5-1 victory against Staffs!!

The final tie was against Shropshire, who hadn’t been beaten so far this weekend.

The rain had started, and conditions were different. Austin lost out to their number 3. Dan went 2-1 down when the rain delay came. This was a good time for a break for Dan, who improved his level once back on court and battled through the first set to win 4-3. Dan kept the momentum going to win the second set 4-1, levelling the tie at 1-1 in rubbers Eshaan had a tough 1st set and used his consistency and tactical awareness to battle through in a first set tiebreak. He continued the good form into the 2nd set, maintaining his poker face and winning 4-0. The Ruben brick wall was staying strong, and he won his singles 4-0, 4-2 to give us another 3-1 lead. Once again, it was down to the doubles to decide the tie and if H&W could finish as group champions. Our solid doubles pairings of Austin & Eshaan and Dan & Ruben didn’t show any signs of folding. They performed well and worked together to win both doubles. Another match tie break win for Austin & Eshaan winning 4-2, 1-4, 10-6 and another tie break win for Dan & Ruben winning 4-3, 4-1 to be crowned champions!!

5-1 victory against Shrops!!

We had an amazing weekend of competitive tennis. Although we won 5-1 three times and 4-2 in the other tie, every tie was close and could quite easily have gone the other way in all the ties. The players showed great resilience, teamwork, mental toughness and the desire to win and the numbers show it with 8 out of 8 match tie break wins and 7 out of 8 set tie break wins.

It’s been a pleasure for myself and Harvey to captain this team. The boys were amazing all weekend. They were very attentive which helped them gain the edge and showed a great team spirit on and off the court, great fun!!

Thanks to all the players and parents for all their support for the team over the weekend!!

Tony Ravenscroft & Harvey Ravenscroft
12U Boys Captains