COUNTY TEAMS
Junior Teams 2023
18U Girls County Cup Team 2023
Artina, Chloe, Daisy C, Daisy R, Daniella, Elina, Eloise, Leticia, Lois, Rebecca
Captain: Pippa Lane
Vice Captain: Holly Richards
Result - Div.2 Champions
beat Sussex 8-1, beat S. Wales 9-0, beat Lancashire 5-3
18U Boys County Cup Team 2023
Adrian, Angus, Ben, Ewan, Isaac, Jack, Martino, Matthew, Timothy
Captain: Max Robinson
Vice Captain: Tom Jarvis
Result - Div.1 Champions
beat Surrey 6-3, beat Middlesex 5-4, beat Cheshire 5-2
After winning the national title last year, the Boys 18U, knew they now had a shot at back to back wins. These opportunities don’t come along too often, but despite facing stiff opposition from Surrey, Middlesex and Cheshire, the boys were up for the challenge.
They opened their title campaign with a hard-fought 6-3 win against Surrey. Whilst there were good performances throughout, it is worth mentioning that the boys were 2-0 down and a 6-1 set down, before Isaac Forde turned around a potential 3-0 match deficit, to win 1-6 6-1 6-0 and hold Surrey at 2-1. After an even split of the singles, the boys took all 3 doubles matches, displaying the work that had gone into the doubles preparation in county training. Kent then faced Middlesex. Jack Pegden got Kent off to a good start on his county cup debut only to see the next two go the way of Middlesex. However, our top 3 singles players took all matches in straight sets to take a 4-2 lead. After a short rest Kent’s Ben Gusic-Wan teamed up with Martino Colabella to win the match-clinching doubles 6-1 6-1.
On the final day, with everything still in the balance, due to the many tight matches in the group, Kent needed to beat Cheshire. With two hard fought 3 setters, one featuring another county cup debutant, Ewan Grieve, the boys took a 3-0 lead. Cheshire quickly pegged us back to 3-2 before Ben stepped up once more to win his second 3 setter of the weekend and remain undefeated. With only one doubles win needed to take the title, Pranav and Adrian got the job done with little fuss, winning 6-2 6-3. Kent Boys were crowned national champions for the second year running - a tremendous effort by all.
The girls were desperate to join the boys back in Division 1 for 2024, and would do anything to avoid playing yet another year of Division 2b at Bromley Tennis Centre. They faced tough opposition in Sussex, South Wales and Lancashire, but showed their determination and team spirit throughout the weekend.
They kicked off their weekend in style by dispatching Sussex and South Wales 8-1 and 9-0 respectively, with all 10 girls having the opportunity to contribute to the scoreline. This saw Artina and Rebecca winning on their county debuts, with Elina Popescu making her debut for Kent after moving counties. Moving into the last day, the girls needed to beat Lancashire to gain promotion to Division 1. Elina gave the girls the best possible start, before Lancs pegged them back to 1-2. An important 3 set win from Eloise at number 3, saw the match levelled at 2-2, before both Leticia and Lois won in straight sets and with it took a 4-2 lead. Needing just the one doubles for promotion, Eloise and Daisy R sealed the win with a straight sets victory. Kent girls gain promotion back to Division 1 and will join the boys there in 2024. Well done to all.
14U Girls County Cup Team 2023
Bella, Charlotte, Eva, Isabel, Julie, Ruby
Captain: Martin Whitehouse Vice Captain: Ellen Cramer-Todd
Result - Finished 6th
Beat Suffolk 4-2, Lost to Surrey 5-1,
Lost to Essex 3-3, Lost to Dorset 4-2
14U Boys County Cup Team 2023
Advaith, Alex, Conrad, Matthew, Nate, Tommy
Captain: Tom Jarvis Vice Captain: Lewis Whiteley
Result - Div 1 Runner-up
Beat Cheshire 5-1,
Beat Buckinghamshire 6-0 ,
Beat Sussex 6-0, lost to Surrey 3-3
Finals – 12-14 May 2023
This past weekend saw the turn of the 14U County Cup, with both the boys and girls qualifying directly for the national finals in Nottingham.
Both teams set off in their mini buses on Thursday after a team practice, ready for the 3 day event.
BOYS
The boys kicked off with convincing wins against Cheshire and Buckinghamshire, followed by a group topping win against Sussex. This set up a final showdown with Surrey on Sunday, which promised to be a close tie, but no-one could have imagined it would be quite so tight!! With Kent winning the singles at number 4 and 2 and Surrey at 1 and 3, it was evenly poised going into the doubles. The doubles continued to be as tight as the singles with Kent’s first pair losing 4-3 4-3 and our second pair winning 4-2 4-1, so a tie-break shoot-out it was! With each team selecting one player from each pairing, a match tie break was played, but unfortunately despite their best efforts, the boys lost 10-12, finishing runner up by the narrowest of margins. Well done boys.
GIRLS
The girls found themselves in a tough group, alongside Surrey, Essex and Suffolk. Starting off with a 4-2 win against Suffolk, the girls then played a very strong Surrey team and lost 5-1. With an opportunity to play in the 3rd/4th play-off at stake, the girls lost a heart-breaking 3-3 sudden death shoot-out against Essex. It was a real shame to get so close to achieving a good win against a strong county, but the girls came back to play in the 5th/6th play-off match. Losing 4-2 to Dorset on the final day, saw the girls finish 6th overall. A good weekend played with a tremendous team spirit, which on another day, could have seen a 3rd or 4th place finish.
12U County Cup 2023
Final - 29th September - 1st October
12U Girls County Cup Team 2023
12U Boys County Cup Team 2023
11U Girls County Cup Team 2023
Iris, Olivija, Kate, Nora, Rosie
Captain: Mark Ruffle Vice Captain: Katy Taylor
Finals Result -
Finished Runner-up
Beat South Wales 5-1,
Beat Hampshire & IOW 3-3 (shoot out)
Lost to Essex 4-2, Lost to Surrey 4-2 (FINAL)
11U Boys County Cup Team 2023
Darnay, Tony, Eoin, Matyas, Luke
Captain: Dom Cobby Vice Captain: Will Carnegie
Finals Result -
National Champions
Beat Dorset 6-0, Beat Yorkshire 3-3 (shoot-out)
Beat Middlesex 5-1, Beat Surrey 4-2 (FINAL)
Finals – 7-9 July 2023
Our 11U boys and girls’ teams had a tremendous weekend at the recent 11U County Cup. There were some incredible moments throughout the weekend where ties could have gone either way, but our players were able to step up in those moments.
The boys won their group to qualify for the final, but not before beating Yorkshire 15-13 in a shoot-out to claim that spot. Similarly, the girls after beating Hampshire & IOW in a shoot-out, found themselves in a three-way tie with Essex and Hampshire & IOW and at 4-0 down to Essex after the singles, had to win both doubles to win the group by the narrowest of margins!! If you thought that was close, they won both doubles 11-9 in a match tie break to join the boys in the final. I don’t know the last time that two Kent teams of the same age were in the National Final, a superb achievement.
You won’t be surprised to hear that both finals were against Surrey, something both counties can be very proud of.
Both matches were evenly poised after the singles at 2-2, with both ties going down to the doubles. The boys really stepped up and demonstrated the hard work that goes into the doubles preparation in county training, winning both doubles in straight sets and for the 3rd year running becoming national champions. The 2012 year of birth Kent boys won the 9Us in 2021, the 10Us in 2022 and now the 11Us in 2023, a very notable achievement.
The girls despite their best efforts lost both doubles in two close sets, finishing as Runner Up. This was a great achievement for this age group as last year they didn’t reach the 10U national finals.
10U Girls County Cup Team 2023
Milla, Kirsten, Mia, Tilly, Eva
Captain: Dom Cobby Vice Captain: Ania Chwiejczak
Qualifier Result - 2nd
Lost to Middlesex 6-0,
Beat Essex 4-2,
Beat Hertfordshire 3-3 (shoot out)
10U Boys County Cup Team 2023
Emile, Henry, Lewis, Harrison, Matyas, Jake
Captain: Brett Spencer-Stephens Vice Captain: Sam Smith
Qualifier Result - 1st
Beat Middlesex 4-2, Beat Essex 6-0,
Beat Dorset 4-2
Finals Result -
Finished Runner-up
Beat Avon 6-0, Beat Berkshire 6-0, Beat Hertfordshire 5-1, Lost to Surrey 4-2
10U Girls - 2nd place finish in qualifying
The girls had to start their weekend against Middlesex and despite a couple of 3 set losses, they went down 6-0. They quickly responded with a 4-2 win against Essex, before winning a superb shoot-out against Hertfordshire after seeing the tie end at 3-3. The girls finished runners up in their box, which was a great achievement.
10U Boys - National Runners Up
The 10U boys followed up their winning of the national 9U title last year, by winning their way through a tough regional qualifying group. They had to kick off the weekend against their rivals, Middlesex, so there was no time to ease themselves into the weekend. The boys were able to come through that match 4-2 after taking a 3-1 lead after the singles, with Jake Spooner winning a tight 12-10 3rd set!! They followed that up with a 6-0 win over Essex, before winning another tight match, this time with Sussex, 4-2.
The Kent boys have been dominant in the 9U and 10U age groups these past few years, so it was great to see them heading off to the national finals, with another opportunity to lift the trophy.
National Finals
Well they don't come much closer than that! Our Kent 10U Boys missed out on another national title by the narrowest of margins. Surrey edged a three-way tie with Kent and Avon on a % of games won count back. Well done to Brett Spencer-Stephens and Sam Smith for their efforts, in what proved to be a challenging weekend.
9U Girls County Cup Team 2023
Chandni, Georgie, Isabe, Isabella, Madeleine, Vivienne, Zofia
Captain: Tom Samson Vice Captain: Lucy Morice-Jones
Qualifier Result - 1st
Beat Sussex 6-0, Beat Dorset 4-2,
Beat Wiltshire 6-0,
Beat Hampshire & IOW 4-2
Finals
Result - Finished 3rd
Beat Avon 4-2, Beat Hertfordshire 4-2,
Lost to South Wales 4-2,
Lost to Middlesex 6-0
9U Boys County Cup Team 2023
Daniel, Derek, Jason, Oliver, Owen, Oran, Yohann
Captain: Tom Samson Vice Captain: Lucy Morice-Jones
Qualifier Result - 1st
Beat Wiltshire 6-0, Beat Sussex 6-0,
Beat Dorset 6-0, Beat Hampshire & IOW 6-0
Finals Result -
Finished Runner-up
Beat Avon 5-1, Beat Oxfordshire 4-2, Beat Hertfordshire 5-1, Lost to Surrey 4-2
9U Girls – 3rd place finish
After their superb effort of qualifying for the South National Finals, the girls were not done there and made a real impact at the finals. They finally finished 3rd with wins against Avon and Hertfordshire, losing to South Wales and eventual winners, Middlesex. This was a tremendous effort from this group of girls, of which they can be very proud.
9U Boys – National Runners Up
The boys were definitely one of the favourites to contend for the title again, but without one of the players that helped the team qualify, it was going to be even more difficult. The boys recorded 3 straight wins against, Avon, Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire, before coming up against a very strong Surrey side. Despite their best efforts, the boys lost out narrowly 4-2 and finished Runners Up.
8U Girls County Cup Team 2023
Elizaveta, Hannah, Jasmine, Leah, Mia
Captain: Greg McNally Vice Captain: Luke House
Result - Group I Champions
Beat Surrey 7-3, Beat Sussex 10-0,
Beat Middlesex 8-2
8U Boys County Cup Team 2023
Duy, Joseph, Nico, Oliver, Zac
Captain: Greg McNally Vice Captain: Luke House
Result - 2nd place
Beat Surrey 7-3, Beat Sussex 10-0,
Lost to Middlesex 7-3
After the success of the inaugural trial 8U County Cup late year, the event for the South East counties was held at BTC and saw some superb tennis. The Kent boys finished Runners Up to Middlesex, after beating both Surrey and Sussex.
8U Girls – WINNERS
What a performance from this group of girls!! When any Kent junior side beat all their South-East counterparts on the same day, it takes something special. Well done to the 8U girls for winning their regional county cup.
8U Girls County Cup Team 2023
8U Boys County Cup Team 2023
TBC November