The team was:   Harriet Burley, Freya Davies, Scarlett Doman, Lisa Hanley, Isla Hignett, Lottie Howard, Ivana Maynard, Evie Pate

Day 1 v Derbyshire

On court 1 was Harriet who dominated her opponent and this gave the team their first win.  Court 2 was Evie who was playing a very awkward player who disguised her shots well and unfortunately Evie couldn’t turn the match her way.  On court 3 was Scarlett who was playing a fantastic hustler, her opponent ran every ball down and the girl never missed.  2-1 down after the first round so on go Isla, Lottie and Freya. Lottie played some brilliant tennis and smashed her opponent off the court securing another win.  Isla’s opponent hit some absurd winners off of fantastic shots from Isla and after a close match we were now 3-2 down.  Freya decided she wanted to make the most of being back on the tennis court and hit as many balls as possible so went the full 3 sets, but played fantastic and got the win.  3-3 and now it was all to play for in the doubles.  Our 3rd pair Harriet and Ivana went on first and narrowly lost in a tie-break in the second set.  Freya and Lottie showed us exactly why they are the no.1 pair and killed their opponents.  Now it was down to Isla and Evie who were having a tough match.  They were definitely in it but unfortunately couldn’t turn the match around.  Day 1 and a very close 5-4 defeat.

Day 2 v Berkshire

We faced a strong Berkshire team who secured a 9-0 win on day 1.  They were the strongest team on paper so we knew we were in for a tough day.  Evie played at 6 today and pulled off an incredible win after being 5-2 down in the third set.  Some incredible grit and well fought points to come back and win.  Harriet had a very tough match and played some fantastic tennis, but her opponent was just too good on the day.  Ivana was in for singles today and put in a great effort but, unfortunately, lost out against a strong opposition.  2-1 down after the first round but feeling positive about the matches.  We knew the top 3 were extremely tough opponents so on went Isla, Lottie and Freya.  Isla had some great points and played very well but her opponent was very strong and Berkshire got the win.  Lottie’s opponent hit the ball like an absolute rocket but Lottie was winning games and giving her a run for her money.  A tough fought match but Berkshire took another win.  Berkshire brought in a new no.1 for the day and this made their side that much stronger and unfortunately Freya couldn’t convert her points into games.  Berkshire had secured a win after the singles.  5-1 down but we still wanted to get as many rubbers as possible so we made a slight change in the pairings to try and get some more wins.  Harriet and Scarlett played great together and pulled off some incredible tennis, but just not enough to win.  Evie on the other hand was out to get 100% win record today.  Evie and Freya played unreal and won in three sets.  They maximised their time on court with a score of 6-7 7-6 10-7.  Brilliant win from them.  Lottie and Isla faced the no.1 pair and were so close to winning.  Some great tennis all round today but unfortunately a 7-2 defeat.

Day 3 v Gloucestershire

It was the final ever day of Winter County Cup and we faced Gloucestershire.  We desperately wanted a win so the girls were ready to fight hard.  Scarlett had a good match but unfortunately lost at number 6.  Evie, at number 5, played some great tennis and got a win for the team.  Harriet at number 4 had an almighty battle and narrowly lost in a third set.  2-1 down after the first round so on went Isla at number 3. Isla was playing very well and after being a set and 3-0 up her opponent retired.  Lottie stepped on at number 2 and played brilliantly to secure another win.  Freya at number 1 once again maximised her time on court and went to three sets but lost 7-5 in the third.  Her body was now in pieces, but was determined to play doubles to try and get the win.  We were 3-3 so on went Scarlett and Ivana.  They were very relaxed and hitting winners all over the place so we were now 4-3 up.  We just needed one more doubles to win the day.  We were the last in the Tennis Centre again with Derbyshire and Berkshire on their way home after Berkshire winning the division.  Lottie and Isla at number 1 and Evie and Freya at number 2 pair.  Lottie and Isla played brilliantly and their doubles was too good for their opponents so they secured the win we needed.  Freya and Evie had just finished the first set but because Lottie and Isla got the win the teams decided to stop play so we could make the long journey home.

A fantastic weekend was had by all the team.  They put in a valiant effort and every match was very close. Some scores didn’t reflect how close the matches were.  Well done Hampshire & IOW and it was nice to finish with a final day win for the last ever County Cup.  Many thanks to Hampshire & IOW Tennis for always funding a brilliant weekend, which we will all miss playing.”

Lisa Hanley – Team Captain