Cheshire County Junior Championships 2026

Cheshire Tennis

20 hours ago

4 min read

As the newly appointed Competition Coordinator for Cheshire Tennis, one of my key responsibilities is to act as Tournament Director for the Cheshire Junior County Championships. It was therefore a real privilege to oversee this year's championships and to see first hand the talent, commitment and enthusiasm that exists across junior tennis in Cheshire.

The 2026 Cheshire Junior County Championships took place from Saturday 22 August to Saturday 29 August, attracting an outstanding 220 entries across 33 events.

The tournament was staged across two venues. The 8U and 9U singles and doubles events took place at Bidston Tennis Centre from Tuesday 25 August to Thursday 27 August. All other events, covering the 10U through to 18U age groups, took place at Hoole Lawn Tennis Club.

The split venue format allows us to accommodate a large number of competitors while providing a good playing environment for players across all age groups. It was fantastic to see so many young players competing for county honours and enjoying the experience of playing in a major county competition.

The first half of the week brought fantastic weather and excellent playing conditions, which allowed the tournament to progress smoothly and created a great atmosphere. The second half of the week was, to say the least, considerably more challenging from a weather perspective! The conditions tested everyone involved and required flexibility from players, parents, officials, volunteers and the tournament team. Despite the difficult weather, we were able to work through the challenges and successfully complete the tournament.

Looking ahead, as this was my first year overseeing the tournament in my new role, it has also been an important opportunity to look at how we can improve the event.

Following the tournament, we will be sending feedback emails to all parents and players. This will give everyone involved an opportunity to share their experiences and provide constructive feedback on what worked well and where improvements could be made. It is particularly important that we use this feedback to address any issues that have been raised. Our ambition is clear: to continue improving the Cheshire Junior County Championships and make it one of the best Junior County Championships in the country from next year onwards.

I am very keen that the championships continue to develop not just from a competitive perspective, but also in terms of the overall experience for players and their families. This tournament should be something that young players look forward to competing in and remember positively for many years to come. It should also be an event which attracts the top players in all age groups along with players who may be slightly newer to competition.

An event of this size simply could not take place without the support of a large number of people working behind the scenes and at the venues throughout the week.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the tournament such a success.

Special thanks to:

Tom Brown for refereeing the event.

David Patterson, Ray Lovell and Tony Dillon for their work as Court Supervisors at Hoole. A special thanks to David Patterson for refereeing the events at Bidston also.
Martin Gleave for providing support at Bidston.
Cheshire Tennis President Liz Sweeting for presenting the prizes to our winners and helping to welcome players.
Barbara Bloor, Debbie McKeever and Jane Huxley Grantham for providing such a warm welcome at both venues.
Callum Atkinson from Hoole for making sure the venue was prepared and ready every day from start to finish.
The army of volunteers led by Anthony Wilding at Hoole Tennis Club for their work as car park attendants and for keeping everyone supplied with food and drink throughout the championships.
The 13 young umpires who did a fantastic job assisting at Bidston.
Angus from Hoole for acting as the events official photographer

WINNERS:

8U Boys Singles - Gabriel Taylor

8U Boys Doubles - Edward Campbell & Quincy Clarke

8U Girls Singles - Lilianna Karmanska

8U Girls Doubles - Ruhi Gill & Isabelle Scott

9U Boys Singles - Remi Annable

9U Boys Doubles - Remi Annable & Albert Burgin

9U Girls Singles - Avian Gill

9U Girls Doubles - Avian Gill & Ruhi Gill

10U Boys Singles - George Christodoulou

10U Boys Doubles - George Christodoulou & Nithin Sailesh

10U Girls Singles - Isla Mayers

10U Girls Doubles - Indy Cassidy & Carmelita Oyang Awah

11U Boys Singles - Jude Pastor

11U Girls Singles - Poppy Mucha

12U Boys Singles - Oscar Carroll

12U Boys Doubles - Teddy Arthur Lynch & William Paramore

12U Girls Singles - Maisie Greenall

12U Mixed Doubles - Gwynne Brown & Ayaan Majeed

14U Boys Singles - Ollie Hussey

14U Boys Doubles - Joseph Knightley & George Atherfold

14U Girls Singles - Lois Roberts

14U Mixed Doubles - Amelie WHelan & George Atherfold

16U Boys Singles - Cruz Arnold

16U Boys Doubles - James Horton & Joseph Knightley

16U Girls Singles - Millie Ryder

16U Girls Doubles - Lois Roberts & Aurelia Unsworth

18U Boys Singles - Regan O’Brien

18U Boys Doubles - Max Arnold & Charlie Knight

18U Girls Singles - Millie Ryder

18U Girls Doubles - Millie Ryder & Tabitha Coppock

18U Mixed Doubles - Millie Ryder & Charlie Knight

I would also like to say a big thank you to all the coaches who came along to support their players throughout the week. Their encouragement and involvement make a huge difference to the juniors competing. A further thank you goes to all the parents and families who gave up so much of their week to get their children to matches, support them through the highs and lows of competition and cheer them on from the sidelines. Junior tennis simply could not happen without that support.

Finally, a massive well done to every single player who competed in this year's Cheshire Junior County Championships. Whether you went home with a trophy or simply gained valuable experience from competing against some of the best junior players in the county, every competitor should be proud of their efforts.

The future of Cheshire Tennis is definitely in safe hands!