The girls competed in Group B alongside Avon and Hertfordshire. Group A consisted of Cambridgeshire, Dorset and Berkshire.
Team: Annabelle Sanders (1), Esther Wycherley (2), Sophia Ruturova (3), Elizabeth Nwawudu (4)
Team Captains: Lottie Howard and Isla Hignett
Day 1 vs Avon
The girls got their County Cup campaign underway against Avon on Saturday morning. Elizabeth and Sophia were first on court, both facing tough opponents and battling hard throughout their singles matches. Both fought hard but Avon took both opening matches.
Esther followed with a confident performance at number two, producing some excellent tennis to secure a straight-set victory. Annabelle then took to court at number one and battled hard against a strong opponent, but Avon took the match to leave Hampshire & IOW trailing 3-1 after the singles.
The girls regrouped well for the doubles and showed some great fight to try and bring the tie back into contention. Sophia and Annabelle competed hard in their partnership, dancing and singing along, winning the match in straight sets. Esther and Elizabeth then produced a particularly exciting doubles match, recovering from losing the opening set to force a deciding match tiebreak. Unfortunately, the tiebreak didn’t go our way and Avon ultimately secured the tie 4-2.
Day 1 vs Hertfordshire
After a short turnaround, the girls returned to court to face Hertfordshire. Elizabeth and Sophia again led the team off in the opening two singles matches. Both girls worked hard and competed against strong opposition, but Herts took both matches to put Hampshire & IOW under pressure early in the tie.
Esther produced another competitive performance at number two, pushing her opponent throughout before Herts eventually took the match in straight sets. Annabelle then produced the closest singles battle of the tie, fighting back after narrowly losing the opening set and taking the second set to a tiebreak. She continued to battle in the deciding match tiebreak, but Herts eventually edged the match 3-4(5), 4-2, 10-6.
Trailing 4-0 after the singles, the girls showed good character heading into the doubles and continued to fight for every point. Sophia and Annabelle competed well in their partnership, while Esther and Elizabeth also produced some competitive tennis, including taking their second set before Herts secured the deciding match tiebreak. Hertfordshire ultimately completed a 6-0 victory, but the girls continued to show a positive attitude and good team spirit despite the scoreline. There were several encouraging moments across the day, with the girls gaining valuable experience of competing against strong county opposition and learning how to respond when matches aren’t going their way.
The girls had to regroup and take everything they learned from Saturday into Sunday’s match vs Berkshire.
Day 2 vs Berkshire – 5th / 6th Place Play-Off
The girls returned on Sunday for their final match of the weekend, facing Berkshire in the 5th / 6th place play-off. After a challenging opening day, the team were keen to finish the weekend strongly.
After a 3-hour rain delay, Sophia and Elizabeth were first on court. Sophia produced a solid performance at number three, competing well before Berkshire took the match 4-2, 4-1. Elizabeth played a brilliant match at number four, unfortunately just missing out in the deciding match tiebreak 0-4, 4-2, 10-5.
Annabelle and Esther followed for their singles, with both girls competing hard, and producing some excellent tennis against strong opponents. Annabelle fought through a close three-set battle, ultimately coming out on top with a 1-4, 4-0, 10-8 epic victory. Whilst Esther battled throughout her match also producing a convincing win 4-1, 4-3(1).
With the singles finishing at 2-2, the girls knew they needed a big doubles performance to secure the tie. With the rain and wind causing some trouble for all, Sophia and Annabelle produced an entertaining performance, but narrowly missed out, 3(5)-4, 2-4. Elizabeth and Esther showed great resilience in the tricky conditions and secured a 4-2 4-2 win, bringing tie to 3-3.
That meant the overall tie would be decided by a 10-point shoot-out tiebreak. Esther and Annabelle were nominated to play this. They competed bravely but it just didn’t go our way and Berkshire were able to edge the shoot-out 10-4, securing the overall tie 4-3.
Despite the disappointment of narrowly missing out on 5th place, the girls should be extremely proud of the way they responded after the previous day.
Overall, it was a valuable weekend of learning and experience for the team. While the results were challenging, there were plenty of positives to take from the weekend, particularly the girls’ ability to keep competing when matches were not going their way.
The girls represented Hampshire & IOW with great spirit, determination and togetherness, and there are lots of positives to build on as they continue their development at 12U level.
As always, thank you to the girls’ coaches and parents for your commitment to their development, and for cheering the girls on over the weekend.
Lottie Howard – Team Captain
