The Team was: Diana Florence, Connie Soon, Abbygail Lu, Sophia Rutorova

Team Captains: Lottie Howard and Sarah Rutherford

Other Counties: Middlesex, Surrey, Lancashire, Berkshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire

The eight counties were split into two boxes, and we were in Group A with Middlesex, Berkshire and Warwickshire

Day 1 vs Middlesex
Going into the weekend we were missing Isla and Annabelle and were due to face Middlesex in our first match, so odds were stacked against us.  The girls got off to a challenging start losing all their singles matches.  Despite playing some of the best girls in the country, the girls competed hard and kept their effort and commitment level high throughout.  The doubles pairings chosen for this match were: Diana/Connie and Abbygail/Sophia.  Diana and Connie had a really close first set but ,unfortunately, just couldn’t get over the line.  We went on to lose both of those doubles, leaving the final score as 0-6.

Day 1 & 2 vs Berkshire
I was really proud of how the girls picked themselves back up and looked raring to go after the loss to Middlesex.  Berkshire singles awaited.  Sophia had a close battle, just missing out 2-4, 2-4.  Abbygail had a great win at  3, winning 4-0 4-3, securing us the first rubber of the day and taking us 1-1 into the next round of singles.  Connie faced a tough opponent and fought well but, unfortunately, lost 0-4 2-4.  Diana kept cool and composed and managed to see off her opponent 4-2 4-2, totalling the singles score at 2-2.

The girls played their doubles the following morning.  The doubles pairings chosen for this match were: Diana/Sophia and Connie/Abbygail.  There was some great tennis from both pairs and some marathon long rallies in Diana & Sophia’s doubles, but the girls lost both matches, making the final score vs Berkshire 2-4.

Day 2 vs Warwickshire

After a close defeat, the girls yet again picked themselves up and were fighting fit and ready to play Warwickshire.  Abbygail had an epic 3 set match, competing hard and being tough to beat.  Unfortunately, the 3rd set tie-break didn’t go her way, but it was a great watch for all.  Sophia lost her singles to a respectful opponent.  Connie lost her singles, again, against a tough opponent.  Diana had another thrilling 3 set battle, winning 3-4 4-2 10-8, and displayed some excellent tennis and competitiveness.  This left us level, once again, at 2-2 after the singles.  The doubles pairings chosen for this match were: Diana/Sophia and Connie/Abbygail.  The Warwickshire girls proved too strong and we ended up losing both doubles and 2-4 overall.

Day 3 vs Derbyshire
Day 3, the first day of a rain, which is rare for Nottingham!  However, we counted ourselves very lucky as we were scheduled to play in the air hall, so were able to play as normal.  So, Sophia, Abbygail and Connie all took to the singles court.  All the girls were deep into some really tough matches, playing well and fighting hard.  Sophia narrowly lost to her opponent; however, it was a competitive match and she played some great tennis. Abbygail fought her way into another 3-set battle, to which she positively came out the other side of this time.  She kept calm and collected, winning 4-2 1-4 10-5.  Connie played a talent younger player, to which had answers to everything Connie threw at her.  Again, some high-level points played but just not quite enough to come out on top.  Diana was up against a tough Derbyshire #1, who in the end proved too strong.  However, it was a great watch, and I can’t fault her attitude and application on court.  We finished the singles at 1-3.  The doubles pairings chosen for the last matches were: Diana/Abbygail and Connie/Sophia.  Both pairs really tried their best and exhausted all options but, unfortunately, the Derbyshire pairings got the edge and took both doubles wins, leaving the final score 1-5.

The girls finished 8th place overall.  We knew we would have a tough weekend and face some strong opponents, but the girls battled and fought till the end, which is all Sarah and I, as captains, could’ve asked for.  I must  credit and shout out the parents for being so supportive and constantly offering words of encouragement, it made for a lovely team environment all weekend. Well done all!

Lottie Howard – Team Captain