JUNIOR REGIONAL RANKING TRIALS 2/3 DECEMBER 2006

The London and South East Regional Ranking Trials were held at the Southall Sports Centre over the weekend of 2/3 December for Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15 Boys and Girls. The five Counties involved, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Middlesex could each invite ten players to compete in each age category, but competitors were only eligible to be entered in one event. Six players in each age category would qualify for the National Finals at Bristol on 24/25 March 2007.

On the Saturday Sarah Austin and Bethany Hudgell took part in the U11 and U13 Girls events respectively, this being the first tournament for both players. In the U11 event, originally a round robin group of 9, one girl failed to turn up, one was found to be 11 before the event started and transferred to the U13 event and a third found to be 11 three quarters of the way through the group play, thus leaving the remaining six players all qualified although they did not know this until the group was completed.

Sarah’s first two matches were against the top two seeded players and she lost both of these three straight. In her next match she fought back from two sets down against Leanne Neary (Middlesex) to square the match only to lose the last set 11-4. She the lost three straight to the ineligible Jenny Higham (Surrey) but in a very close match with Katie Wilson, (Kent) she triumphed 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7 but succumbed to the other Kent player Lauren Beaumont in straight sets in the last match in the group.

Bethany’s first match in the U13’s was against the top seed in the Group, Helena Foylan (Surrey) having been transferred from another Group when the Group’s top two seeds failed to turn up. A nervous Bethany started well but lost in straight sets and then had to wait for four other group matches to be played before she returned to the table. A fifth set win 11-7 over Eman Hussein (Middlesex) with alternate sets won was followed by another fifth set win, 11-3, over Ami Rani Shah (also Middlesex). Increasing in confidence Bethany then defeated Sophie Lucas (Surrey) in three close sets. An 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8 win over a third Middlesex girl, Harriot Taylor, secured the runners-up position for Bethany, qualification for Bristol and a very surprised mum. Congatulations, Bethany, in your first tournament.

Sunday’s events included the Under 13 Boys and Under 15 Girls. Brandon Crouchman and Scott Dowsett both found it tough going, Brandon losing all five of his group matches to finish bottom, only three going to four sets, whilst Scott could only win one of his group games to finish fifth of six.

For the girls, Claire, after a string of wins against higher ranked opposition in National Cadet League and Junior County matches could not reproduce this form , losing all four group matches three straight. Stevie Pell started off well with a fourth set win over the higher ranked Anna Driscoll (Surrey), then took a set in defeats against each of the top two ranked girls, Sarah Russo (Sussex) and Sally Hoang (Middlesex). She ended her Group with defeats to Essex County fourth team player Kalyani Nair after being two sets up and Rhea Bhadresha (Surrey) to finish bottom of the Group. Meanwhile in the third Group Hannah Pitt, seeded tio win the Group duly won all five of her matches, only two going to a fourth set, to qualify for the National Finals in Bristol.