Juniors Wow Coaches and Families at Tennis Club Championships – 2025

The courts were buzzing last Saturday with excitement, skill and determination in  our annual Junior Tennis Club Championships.  Seven events were played in age groups from 4 to 16.  There was some fantastic tennis on show and also great sportsmanship and respect towards each other as competitors. Here is a round-up of each age group:

6U

Our age 6 and Under players kicked off the event with a fun set of skills tests with coach Paul. It won’t be long now until they consistently hit balls over a mini-net. All the children glowed as they lined up for their medals at the end.  Well done Ayla, Joshan, Molly, Rosie, and Tobias.

8U

This was the first tournament for a number of the younger players, and some of the rallies in this sponge ball event were amazing! Fourteen age 8 and under players were split into two groups of seven players – each player playing everyone else in their group in games up to seven points. Toby, Freddie W and Ruby took the top three places in group A , while Arthur, Devan and Freddie Y took the top three places in group B.  There was barely a whisker between these three as they each won 5 games  and had almost identical points tallies too. Toby beat Devan in the first semi-final and Freddie beat Arthur in the other semi-final. Toby then won the final 7-5 in a nail-biting match to clinch the 8U crown, while all the other players then played one more match to decide their finishing position in the event. Everyone tried their hardest and supported each other along the way, so a big well done to all fourteen players. A special mention goes to Kit Kennedy, who at just 5 years old won three of his group matches – and so very nearly a fourth!

Toby – Champion

Freddie W – Runner-up

Devan – 3^rd

Arthur – 4^th

Ruby – 5^th

Freddie Y – 6^th

9U

We had a record 13 players in the Orange ball event, split into three groups of round robin matches. All the players then advanced to play two more matches to determine their final finishing positions in the event. Siena won all her matches in group A and Solomon came 2^nd, while Sophia won group B and Josie won group C. These players then competed for the top four places in the second round. The girls gained the upper hand in this by winning 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd  place overall, with Siena defeating last year’s champion Sophia in the final. The top six places were ….

Siena – Champion

Sophia – Runner-up

Josie – 3^rd

Soloman – 4^th

Jack – 5^th

Finley – 6^th

10U Boys and 10U Girls

Six players in this Green ball event played against each other in a single group.  There were some close matches in this event, with Nathan in particular narrowly losing to Matilda and Rosie, but Matilda and Finley were the most consistent overall. Anna and Aarnav played valiantly and won some good rallies too, but the highlight of the day was from Matilda winning all five of her matches. An exceptional performance Matilda following your 2^nd place in last year’s 9U event!

Matilda – Girls Champion

Rosie – Girls Runner- up

Finley S – Boys Champion

Nathan – Boys Runner-up

Yellow Ball Age Groups

Unfortunately there were unexpected withdrawals on the day in the yellow ball age groups, which meant the pre-planned draws had to be changed on the spot. It is normal for 12 year olds to compete in a 12U event and a 14U event, thus enabling the competitors to play more matches, but on this occasion the envisaged plan did not work out.  Similarly, it is normal for 14U and 16U to double-up too. To adapt to the lower numbers on the day the 12U and 16U events had to be combined, which had a limiting effect on some players. Nonetheless we still concluded with champions in each age group.

14U Boys and Girls

In this age category four boys and two girls competed in a knockout compass draw, with each match played as “first-to-four” games. The standard of play from all the players has markedly improved since last year. Olivia pipped Saniya to the girls’ title, whilst Riddha beat younger brother Arka in the final boys match. The finishing positions were …

Olivia – Girls 14U Champion

Saniya – Girls 14U Runner-up

Riddha – Boys 14U Champion

Arka – Boys 14U Runner-up

12U and 16U Boys and Girls

Five competitors were placed into a round robin group, also playing matches of “first to four” games. There were some great rallies from all the players and a very close match between Oliver and Riddha – which Riddha clinched in a tie-break. This took its toll on Riddha as his brother Arka then reversed their earlier 14U event result, winning 4-2 in this final ….

Olivia – Girls 12U Champion

Arka – Boys 12U and 16U Champion

Riddha – Boys 16U Runner-up

And so our full set of 2025 champions are ….

Toby – 8U

Siena – 9U

Matilda  – 10U Girls

Finley S – 10U Boys

Arka – 12U Boys

Olivia – 12U Girls

Riddha – 14U Boys

Arka – 16U Boys

Olivia – 16U Girls

Congratulations to all winners and to all our dedicated juniors for taking part. We are heartened by your commitment and hope you are all proud of your tennis achievements. Next term we plan an inter-club junior match against other county clubs.