Southwest Team
Challenge Qualifiers
Bath University
24/11/07
Team:
Luke Bovey, Sam
Oldershaw, Simon Brassington, George Joannou.
Rowan Despard,
Rachel Perkins, Laura Anson.
The team
challenge qualifiers is always a fantastic day, as you get to see all
the counties in the Southwest region putting forward their best teams,
so it is always a good guide to how Devon is doing in comparison to
the others. In my years with the U13s we only had limited success,
last year we only won one match and finished 4th out of 5.
This year I would be taking the same team with the exception of Luke
and Sam, to try and qualify in the U15 age group. With this in mind, I
started the day aiming to finish 4th at worst but would
like to finish 3rd out of 7.
My players
however arrived thinking only of winning and getting through to the
National Finals at Luton. They were really up for it. I have never
seen them so pumped up before.
Our first match
was against Cornwall, who we beat in a match only the week before, so
we were confident of a win. We dominated the match winning all three
mixed doubles, the boys singles and both girls and boys doubles. Only
Jo Philp of Cornwall managed to take a game from us in the girls
singles. First result was 6-1 to Devon.
Next up was
Guernsey. This is a team no one really knows much about as we don’t
get to play them in the league. But during the summer I coached two of
their girls, so had a little inside knowledge. I knew it would be a
tough match. However we won all three of the mixed doubles once again,
and Sam Oldershaw sealed the victory with his win in the boys singles.
Despite having lost the match Guernsey fought back in the girls
singles with Rachel Perkins losing 14-21 to Emily Trebert, and Luke
Bovey and George Joannou just losing out in the boys doubles. Rowan
Despard and Laura Anson won the last game of the match making it a 5-2
victory for Devon.
I have to admit
at this stage I was starting to think that a 3rd place
finish was on the cards, and I would be very happy with that. The team
were playing really well, and considering we are a very young team
playing against older and bigger opponents we were doing very well.
Next up was
Dorset. Dorset were the favourites to win the Team Challenge, and up
until they played us they had only dropped one game in all there
matches so far.
The first mixed
doubles game was a real spectacle. Luke Bovey and Rowan Despard had to
face Oliver Baczarla and Eleanor Spawton. Luke and Rowan played an
absolute stunner against the Dorset pair, who were probably the
strongest in the tournament. But Luke and Rowan pulled out all the
stops to win 21-16. For me this was the game of the day, and a very
good win.
Dorset won the
remaining two mixed and the boys singles, but Laura Anson pulled one
back in the girls singles winning 21-11. Dorset won the boys doubles
which meant they won the match, but Rowan and Rachel hit back by
winning the girls doubles. I was over the moon to have taken 3 games
off of Dorset, and the way our players were playing I was feeling
really confident.
Next up was
Wiltshire, again I had recently coached some of their players so was
able to arrange my team accordingly. The extra knowledge paid off as
we won 7-0.
The next match
against Avon looked as though it would be the match that decided
whether we qualified or finished 3rd. We went 2-1 down
after the mixed and my head started to drop, this was going to be the
match that our hopes of qualifying were going to end. After the
singles we were 3-2 down. We needed to win both doubles to still be in
it. However Sam and Simon just lost out to lose 17-21 which meant Avon
won the match. The last game Rowan and Rachel’s doubles proved to be
very heated after a disagreement with the score. It resulted in a
heated exchange between the two pairs, with shouting posturing and
tears. The final decision didn’t go the way it should of done but
that’s history now. Rowan and Rachel did really well to carry on
playing and won 21-15, making the result 4-3 to Avon. By this time my
nerves were completely shot because after thinking we were out of it
by losing to Avon, Avon lost to Guernsey which put us right back in
it. With one match to go, we had to play Somerset who are a strong
team, but Avon had to play Dorset! We just needed to beat Somerset and
hope Avon lose to Dorset.
We started well,
winning all three mixed doubles games, it was looking good. Then we
lost both singles! More finger nails gone! But Luke and Sam secured
victory with their doubles and Rachel and Laura capped it off with
another win. So we won that match 5-2.
We all ran to the
other side of the hall to watch the final games between Avon and
Dorset. Dorset beat Avon 7-0! So that meant Dorset had won the
qualifiers with Devon and Avon tied for second place, which meant a
count back of games won over all the matches would have to be done to
decide who will be going to the National Finals at Luton. After a few
agonising minutes the results came in. Avon had won 24 games. Devon
had won 29!
We’d done it! It
was the end of a very hard and emotional day, and although I wasn’t
the one playing, I was absolutely drained. I still can’t believe that
we did it, considering we were pretty much the same team that finished
2nd from bottom last year in the U13 age group. It just
goes to show how hard all the players have worked over the past
season. The level of improvement is staggering. I can’t find the words
to describe how proud I am of Luke, Sam, Simon, George, Rowan, Rachel
and Laura. They have done Devon proud.
I can’t wait to
the finals in February where we will face the best in England.
At this point I
usually name my player of the day, but this time I really can’t choose
between them, they all put everything and more into it. I’m just so
proud of them all.
Steve Duggan.
Devon U15 Lead
Coach.
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