A brilliant weekend was had by Dorset’s 14U County Cup Team at the National Finals in Nottingham following their superb efforts under the captaincy of Piers Farhang in the qualifying event at Sherborne two weeks previously.
The team consisted of Verity, Daniella, Sophia, Iraja and Lola. The format was two boxes of 4 teams, with the final play off matches on the Sunday.
Day 1
Dorset came up against Derbyshire first and couldn’t have asked for a better start. Iraja and Sophia playing superbly in tricky windy conditions put Dorset 2-0 up and in pole position to get off to a winning start. Daniella faced a strong hitter at number 2 and couldn’t quite overcome her opponent and with Verity struggling in the first set at 1-3 0-40, it looked like the doubles was going to be crucial. From nowhere, Verity was unplayable, and after turning the first set around to win it 4-3, there was no stopping her and she put Dorset 3-1 up going in to the doubles.
Two solid pairings of Verity/Iraja and Daniella/Sophia were nominated for Dorset. While the number 2 pair of Daniella and Sophia sealed the win for Dorset, it ended up at 4-2 with Verity and Iraja coming up short.
Day 2
On the Saturday, there were 2 matches scheduled and Dorset had to face Essex and Cheshire the number 2 seeds.
An un-named line up for Dorset were ready to go, but the format of Fast 4 with a 10 point tie-break seemed to go against us. Countless sudden death deuces lost and two 10 point tie breaks later and Dorset were 3-0 down yet not feeling that it was altogether deserved. Again, Verity stepped up to the plate after a slow start and turned the match completely around in just as quick a time, as it was going against her. Another big comeback and another win for Dorset’s number 1 and hope was restored as we went in to the Doubles at 1-3.
It was up to both pairs to get the wins to take it to a shoot-out, and while Iraja and Verity stormed through the number 1 pair doubles, Sophia and Daniella came unstuck and fell short in their battle and the tie was won 4-2 by Essex.
Straight after the match v Essex, there was no time to rest and it was a straight turnaround to face the number 2 seeds Cheshire. It was a similar story for Iraja who played some excellent tennis against the highly rated Cheshire number 4, but couldn’t take her chances and eventually lost. Sophia at 3 then suffered all the highs and lows you can in a tennis match and after looking like the match had been thrown away, found one last ounce of effort to dig in and from nowhere, pulled through to bring Dorset level at 1-1. Daniella at number 2 was getting better with each match but like the rest of the players on the day, was feeling the heat of the sun and the length of the day and just couldn’t get over the finish line in a 10 point tie break. And while Verity did her absolute best to turn things around from a losing position, Cheshire’s top order just proved to be too strong and it was down to needing both doubles again.
Day 3
Following the length of the second day, day three started with finishing the previous matches doubles and due to the delay, it was restricted to just one Fast 4 set! It was a tough ask for any pairs, but it saw the introduction of Lola who partnered up with Sophia at number 2 pair, while Iraja and Verity stayed at number 1 pair.
Unfortunately, in the blink of an eye, and 2 sudden death deuces later, Dorset were 2-0 down and before we know it, the set and match had gone 4-0. Almost in identical fashion, the number 1 pair suffered the same fate and in a brutal scoring system, Dorset had lost the tie 5-1.
Following the group stages, Dorset finished 3rd which meant that they were up against the local favourites Nottinghamshire for 5th/6th place.
A rejuvenated Iraja got Dorset off to another great start with a convincing win and while Sophia had done so well to claw back the previous day’s match, she couldn’t keep hold of this one, and let a winning opportunity slip away just at the end to make the tie 1-1. Daniella had now found her best form and although it was another 10 point tie break, this time she prevailed in tremendous fashion showing the Dorset grit which was fantastic to see especially from the youngest member of the team. 2-1 Dorset and down to the number 1 Verity who absolutely blew her opponent away in double quick time. 3-1 Dorset, 2 doubles to go, both 1 Fast 4 set.
A new pairing of Verity/Lola played at 2, while Sophia/Daniella teamed up again this time at number 1 pair. Both pairs excelled and showed no signs of the nerves that had been displayed earlier in the day and with a 4-0 and 4-1 win respectively, Dorset claimed the tie 5-1 and with it 5th place in the country.
A phenomenal effort from all who were involved and asides from Lola, the same 4 players have another 1 or 2 years to represent the county at this age so it looks like an exciting time for Dorset girls tennis.