16U 12 Counties Report
It was a bit of an awkward date between Christmas and new year, which contributed to us missing our top two ranked girls and our top 3 ranked boys, which meant those that turned out were all playing up a few notches, often out of age group too…..it promised to be a very tough assignment, especially for the boys.
The 3 boys in the team (we would have had to involve 12U’s to get a fourth player after a number of players in the 14U and 16U cohorts were unavailable for the date), really did themselves proud and wore their county colours with pride.
Daniel played at number one, turned out despite clearly being ill, having missed the night prior’s sleep due to a fever. He was struggling in the warm-up and I feared for him from the outset. However, medication, hydration, lots of snacks and a great attitude got him through the day. He managed the challenge of playing against the top players from Berkshire, Leicestershire and Hereford & Worcs really well. He undoubtedly learnt a lot from the day, playing without nerves and enjoying the test.
Rory played at number 2, which again was a huge ask for a player used to providing a stern test to opponents with his never say die attitude at the bottom of the order. The guys he came up against in this age group just a had too much firepower ultimately for him, but he played some smart tennis and improved in the second set of all his matches following some tactical adjustments.
Jack W at number 3 was asked to play up from the 14U age group and was a little tight in his first match resulting in a few too many errors to be competitive. Once he’d come to terms with the level in match 2 and 3 he acquitted himself really well and has begun to manage the emotional challenges the ebb and flow of tennis matches present.
Although the boys did not win any sets they were far from disgraced and stepped up to a very tough challenge well.
The girls, demonstrated the strength in depth we currently enjoy across all the yellow ball age groups when, in spite of the aforementioned absence of our two top ranked players, they managed to win the group with a 3-1 win against Berks, 2-2 draw with H&W AND 3-1 win against Leics.
Evie lead the team well. She played ok, but was a little impatient in her first match against a very athletic Berks girl who made her play lots of balls. The loss seemed to inspire her. She played a strong 16U girl next up and played absolutely fantastic tennis throughout to get a superb straight sets win. In match 3 she wasn’t required to hit those heights and played a very professional solid game for a comfortable second win.
Sophia A – who is only just 12! Showed some fantastic competing skills, though emotional at times, she didn’t give a single point away cheaply all day. She covered the court side to side with great determination and stretched every single one of her much older opponents. She got a deserved win against Berks and nearly made it two in a really tight contest against a strong Leics girl.
Natalia Luca was unbeaten at 3. She always hits the ball cleanly and the others ultimately couldn’t handle her high tempo ball striking. She did get herself into a pickle at times, just managing her margins and needing to not over-press but despite two matches going to 3 sets, she demonstrated her improved competing skills in getting over the line to maintain a 100% record.
Mya came in as a late replacement (another 12-year-old playing girls up to 3 years her senior). Mya has come on loads over the last 12 months and did not look out of place at all. She was able to match the pace of her opponents. Competed solidly throughout and produced some stunning winners off the forehand wing. Her two wins a key contribution to the team’s success.
All in all, a great day’s tennis and good prep as we work towards the 18U event in January and county cup in March.
Justin Chacksfield, Captain
