Mixed Results for U14 County Cup Qualifiers

Our 14U County Cup squads were back on the road this past weekend, with the Girls heading to Boston and the Boys traveling to Corby. From gritty wins in the rain to clinching spots in the National Finals, it was a weekend that truly tested the spirit of our young players. Here is the full breakdown of the action:

Girls – Finished 4th in Group 1B

Coaches: Jordan Young and Alex Day

Team: Lois Roberts, Sophie Jones, Laura Karmanska, Maisie Greenall and Aurelia Unsworth

The girls competed in Boston against Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Warwickshire.

On day one, they faced a good Derbyshire side but showed resilience throughout the team by winning 3 out of 4 singles rubbers with a win and a loss at doubles. Cheshire win 4-2.

Surprisingly, as bad weather was forecast, our second matches against Yorkshire were also played on the Saturday rather than the original scheduled Sunday. This was a big ask for the girls, doubling the matches they were expected to play, but they took it in their stride and carried on! The Yorkshire girls were a strong team with a high intensity of play and despite our girls battling hard, we fell behind with a 1–5 defeat.

On day two, facing Warwickshire, a number of the girls were feeling unwell and struggled to play to their best. Coming up against a top strength Warwickshire team proved too difficult with a 0-6 defeat - tough to take after such a brilliant start!

The team spirit was brilliant during this event with all the girls really getting behind each other on court and keeping spirits high all the time.

Boys – Finished 1st in Group 1B and are off to the National Finals!

Coaches: Stuart Murray and Allan Moreton

Team: Joe Knightley, Thomas Horton, Sennan Ramanah-Beck, Matthew Owens, George Keys and Isaac Bond

The boys competed in Corby against Nottinghamshire, West of Scotland and East of Scotland.

There was a great, but tight, start for the lads against Notts, resulting in a Cheshire win 4-2. Encouraged by their performances, each player battled through singles and doubles rubbers against West of Scotland resulting in a well-deserved 6-0 victory.

The final day! East of Scotland stood between Cheshire and a place in the finals. The first singles set the scene with a true battle, won by Cheshire after a resilient display. Singles matches ended 2-2 but strong doubles performances meant that Cheshire had earned a 4-2 victory and topped the group. The boys are through to the National Finals in Nottingham on 15th and 16th May where we wish them the best of luck!

A huge congratulations to every single player who represented the county this weekend. Boys, we are all behind you as you head to the National Finals in Nottingham on May 15th! Go Cheshire!