16U Teams at 12 Counties Championships

16U Boys Report

Captain: Mike Langston
Team: Callum, Oliver S, Tom G, Jacob D

Round 1 v Leicestershire

Callum at no 1 for the boys got off to a steady start keeping on serve in the first set against Leicester no 1 player. The boys had similar styles, looking to use their forehands & variety to get into the net . Callum played a great game at 3-3 in the first set to go a break up, his opponent then went on to play a great game to break back. Callum eventually sealed the set in a tie break 7-4.

Building on his form from the first set, Callum was able to play 10% better in all areas and was ultimately too much for the Leicester player, taking the set 4-0 and the match.

Ollie at no.2 also started solid against the Leicester no.2 player. This was a good match up for Ollie with his steady, counter punching styling, playing against a more aggressive style, but with more errors in his game.

Ollie took the first set 5-3 with a break at 4-3. Losing a little focus at the start of the second set went down an early break. Found some form as he went, but couldn’t get the break back to loose the second. Ollie went on to play a solid third set championship tiebreak to seal the rubber 10-6.

Tom was up next at no.3. Tom got off to a flying start playing some aggressive tennis against the Leicester number 3, virtually taking the racket out of his opponents hand!

A couple of errors from Tom in the middle and end of the first set led to his opponent gaining confidence and momentum, enough to take the first set for team Leicestershire.

Tom started off again steady at the start of the second set, but the Leicester player was able to capitalise early on the momentum gained from the first set and was a little too consistent in the end, taking Leicestershire’s first rubber of the tie.

Jacob played at no.4. Jacobs first set against the Leicester number 4 was a very well contested one. Jacob played some great strategic tennis with the score on serve going into the first set tiebreak. The Leicester player was able to take the initiative in the tie break to take the first set.

After winning the first set, the Leicester player continued his form and after a great battle from Jacob, in the end, the Leicester player took the second set and match to take the tie to a 2-2 draw.

Round 2 v Northants

The second round of matches against Northants was a slightly different prospect in that the team were missing their top 2 county players and so each of their team were playing up a couple of spots & only fielding 3 out of 4 players in total - meaning that our number 4 play Jacob got a well deserved rest!

Callum playing the Northants no.1, was still in fine form from his first match. He got off to an early lead taking a break in the first set & went on to take it 4-0. Callum showed his class, remained focused and cruised to a second set 4-1 taking the match.

Ollie was also in similar spirits against his second opponent. He managed to keep his focus and consistency throughout the match against the energetic Northants player and was able to close out a comfortable 2 set victory, taking H&W to a 2 rubber lead in the tie.

After some disappointment in Tom’s first match he was eager to chalk up a point for the team in his next match. After a tentative start, Tom found the fire! (helped on in part by a couple of interesting line calls from his opponent). He played some great aggressive, but patient, tennis and was able to out do his opponent with his weight of ball. After winning the first set 4-0, Tom did well to keep his focus to take the second set without too much bother.

Round 3 v Berkshire

After any already long day, the teams were all tired going into round 3. Callum stepped in to play his final match of the day & arguably the strongest of the three opponents.

After some ups and downs Callum was able to stay steady enough in a very competitive match to overcome the Berks number 1, who put up a great fight until the end.

Ollie’s match was another well contested set of exchanges, playing a slightly younger, but very skilled player. Ollie managed to come away with a reasonably comfortable win, but not before hitting arguably the shot of the day with an off the side and back of the court, on the run ‘no look’ forehand short angle pass off a great approach from the opponent.

The Berks player glanced across to the coach with a ‘what have I got to do to beat this guy’ look, whilst Ollie gave a characteristic nonchalant walk back to position.

This win took us to a 2-0 head start.

Next Tom was up, playing the Berks no.3. Tom got off to a great start in this match, with great energy and conviction in his tennis, whilst the Berks player seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else. Tom took the first set 4-0.

The Berks player continued his casual ball striking, whilst still making plenty of balls. This was a real distraction for Tom, with his opponent putting no energy into the match. A few errors crept into Tom’s game and the Berks player was able to take the second set. With mental and physical energy low going into the tie break for Tom, he gave it everything he had left, but the fresher Berks player was able to close out the match for his team in the end.

Jacobs final match of the day was a great match up against Berks no.4. Both with similar styles of play, this match was all about who could stay the most consistent. Jacob managed to come out on top of the first set with some solid tennis & then was able to build on his performance by leaning on his opponent with a more aggressive, yet consistent approach in the second set. Taking the match in 2 sets and sealing the 3-1 final round win for team H&W.

The results were still being calculated upon our departure, however, by my calculations the team came a close second in the event.

The boys all did themselves and the county proud at this year’s 16U Corby event with a number of them gaining some valuable experience to take forward.  As always it was a pleasure to captain the team and build on the on and off court relationships with the players. Very much looking forward to the next event!

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16U Girls Report

Captain: Katy Lewin
Team: Gina, Maddie, Sofie, Kiah

The Herefordshire & Worcestershire 12U Girls’ team brought enthusiasm, determination, and exceptional skill to the courts during an exciting day of tennis. Competing against Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, and Berkshire, the team highlighted their talent in a dynamic tournament filled with success, challenges, and inspiring performances.

Arrival & Preparation:

All the girls arrived nice and early at 9:30, eager to start the day. Following a warm up, the girls practiced their groundstrokes, serves and volleys, finishing up with some competitive points, allowing them to prepare for their matches which started at 10:30. A huge thank you to all the parents for their timely arrival and support throughout the day.

Round 1 vs Leicestershire

Our team started strong against Leicestershire, with all 4 girls winning their matches.

• Gina – Confident and aggressive, Gina built the points, pushing her opponent deep in the court and then targeted their weaknesses to secure a 4-1 4-1 win.
• Maddie – Fought a tough match that tested her resilience. After being 1-3 down, Maddie battled hard and played some outstanding backhands to secure a 5-4 5-3 win.
• Sofie – Being too consistent for her opponent, while also taking advantage of shorter balls Sofie had a great 4-1 4-0 win.
• Kiah – Hitting aggressive returns and keeping her opponent deep behind the baseline, Kiah took control, to win 4-0 4-0.

Result: H&W 4-0 Leicestershire

Round 2 vs Northamptonshire

This round required our team to dig deep, resulting in a 2-2 draw

• Gina – Faced a formidable opponent, however Gina was not fazed by her hard – hitting and although fought valiantly, resulted in a 4-5 2-4 loss.
• Maddie – Showed great variation of play by approaching and dominating points from the net, leading to a 4-1 4-1 win.
• Sofie – Battled hard against her opponent who was a strong attacking player. Sofie did well to show variety in her shots and stayed positive despite a 0-4 2-4 loss.
• Kiah – Controlled the match from the start, moving her opposition around to force errors to have a 4-1 4-2 win.

Result: H&W 2-2 Northamptonshire

Round 3 vs Berkshire

During this 3rd round, our team battled hard in some nail-biting matches!

• Gina – Played a tough opponent who took opportunities to attack. Was a closer match than the scoreline showed, with Gina not giving up and played very well, however had a 0-4 1-4 loss.
• Maddie – Strong serving from Maddie to take the 1st set, her opponent stepped up and took the 2nd, however Maddie stayed composed and dominated the tiebreak winning 4-2 3-5 10-4
• Sofie – Great backhands and serving allowed Sofie to take the 1st set, her opponent then fought back hard winning the 2nd set, however Sofie maintained her consistency and played some aggressive winners to take a 5-4 1-4 10-4 victory.
• Kiah – Another confident match for Kiah. Showed great variety through her use of dropshots which helped her with a 4-0 4-1 win.

Result: H&W 3-1 Berkshire

The Final Result – 1st Place!
The H&W girls triumphed overall, securing 1st place with an outstanding display of talent, resilience and teamwork.

Highlights of the Day:

• Team Sprit – Throughout the day, all the girls and parents had fantastic support for each other.
• Resilience – Despite some tough oppositions, the girls fought their hardest for every point, resulting in some great wins for the team.
• Commitment – Even at the end of a long day, the girls delivered high-energy performances and continued to support each other.

A massive congratulations to Gina, Maddie, Sofie and Kiah for an outstanding effort resulting in well-deserved success. Thank you to all the parents for their commitment and support throughout the day.