September 17, 2024

12U Girls County Cup Report

The Herefordshire & Worcestershire 12U Girls County Team took on teams from Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, and Shropshire in Group 2B of this year’s County Cup event, held at The Manor Park Club, Malvern, on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September 2024.

Captain: Chris Marlow
Assistant Captain: Katy Lewin

Team: Allegra Iovanel, Beth Hopper, Summer Nicol, Ruby Taylor, and Ellie Ballard

Day 1 Arrival

The team arrived bright and ready for action at 11:30, as Staffordshire faced Leicestershire first in our group. The girls got in some warm-up hits under sunny skies – ideal tennis weather.

Match 1: H&W vs. Staffordshire

Ruby and Summer kicked things off. Ruby was on fire, taking a commanding 4-0, 4-1 win against Angelina. Summer showcased her solid game, winning the first set 4-1. Her opponent fought hard to force a second-set tiebreak, but Summer stayed laser-focused, closing it out 7-1 in style. Beth followed with a gritty match, showing fantastic power on serve to secure a 4-3(4), 4-2 victory. Allegra battled against Sonya’s fast-paced game, losing a tight first set 1-4. But she bounced back in the second set, pushing it to a tiebreak where both girls fought for every point. Allegra showed real heart but lost the tiebreak 8-10.

Score after singles: H&W 3-1 up

Beth and Ruby paired up for doubles, executing a smart strategy to target the weaker player and winning comfortably 4-0, 4-2, despite getting a bit too relaxed in the second set. Allegra and Summer faced a tough battle in their match, with both sides hitting powerfully. Staffordshire edged them out in a very close contest, 3-4(4), 3-4(6).

Final Score: H&W win 4-2

Match 2: H&W vs. Leicestershire

Ruby took the court first against Iris, playing confidently to win 4-3(3), 4-0. Summer put up a great effort but couldn’t overcome Deayenna’s strong groundstrokes, losing 1-4, 1-4. Beth had a tight match with Amy, taking the first set 4-1, but Amy’s aggressive play won her the second set 4-7 in a tiebreak, and she carried that momentum into the match tiebreak, winning 5-10. Allegra faced Abigail, whose scrappy style forced Allegra to fight for every point. After losing the first set 2-4, Allegra dug deep to win the second 4-2, only to fall just short in the match tiebreak, 10-12.

Score after singles: H&W 1-3 down

In the doubles, both H&W pairs started strong, winning their first sets with Beth and Ruby dominating 4-0, and Allegra and Summer taking theirs 4-1. But the Leicestershire teams fought back, pushing both pairs into second-set tiebreaks. H&W’s Beth and Ruby won their match tiebreak 10-4, while Allegra and Summer held their nerve in a 10-8 thriller.

This took us into a deciding shootout. Ruby and Allegra played a tense match tiebreak, with both sides fighting for every point. Despite taking an early lead, Leicestershire edged us out 9-11.

Final Score: H&W lose 3-4
It was a long day, wrapping up around 9:30 pm, but the girls and parents kept their spirits high, ready for Day 2.

Day 2 Arrival

The team arrived at 8:30 am on a sunny morning, ready for their playoff match against Northamptonshire. The previous day’s excitement had the girls eager to finish strong. Matches began at 9:00 am.

Playoff: H&W vs. Northamptonshire

Ellie and Ruby opened for H&W. Ellie fought hard, forcing her opponent to chase down balls, but despite a strong effort, she lost 3-4(2), 1-4. Ruby was in her element, playing a near-flawless match to win 4-0, 4-1. Summer faced Lois, whose tricky variety, including a drop shot return, threw her off. After being down 0-3 in the second set, Summer started to find her rhythm, but it was too late, she got back to 2-3 but couldn’t convert the game points to take the match to a tie-break. Allegra had a fierce match with Mya, but Mya’s power and consistency helped her win 1-4, 1-4.

Score after singles: H&W 1-3 down

The doubles matches were critical, and the girls delivered! Summer and Ellie won their first set 4-1, but Northamptonshire adjusted to take the second set 4-2. In a tense match tiebreak, H&W held on to win 13-11. Meanwhile, Allegra and Ruby played with fantastic energy, winning their first set 4-1. Their opponents fought back to take the second 4-2, but H&W responded by winning the match tiebreak 10-7.

Into another shootout! Ruby and Summer saved their best tennis for last, with incredible volleys and cross-court shots leading them to a 10-7 victory in the deciding tiebreak.

Final Score: H&W win 4-3

Summary