Shuttle starlets get taste of court action
NORTHUMBERLAND’S under-13 team competed in the Anglo-Scottish Tournament at the Scottish National Sports Centre in Largs, Ayrshire.
The team comprised Xuehan Zhang, Ryan Cockett, Cameron Twynholm, Sam Best, Lucy Dodd, Eve Beechinor-Collins, Merin Cherian and Anna Craig (borrowed from West of Scotland).
This was a new experience for most of the team, with only one having played in the event before.
The first match was against West of Scotland, North securing a very creditable 5-5 draw against the team which finished third overall.
Unfortunately, the match was lost on points.
The team fought hard from the off with Zhang, Best and Cherian, Zhang and Cockett and Dodd and Craig all winning tough matches in a deciding third end.
The remaining matches on day one were against Clyde (Glasgow and Lanarkshire), Yorkshire and Lothian, North losing 8-2, 9-1 and 8-2 respectively.
All the players battled away against strong opposition - including a number of national players from both England and Scotland.
Clyde had strong boys in their team, North failing to win any of the boys’ singles and doubles.
North’s girls fared better, winning both of the doubles.
Dodd and Craig triumphed 15-4 15-4 and Beechinor-Collins and Cherian registered a hard-fough victory - 7-6 in the third end.
Yorkshire fielded a strong team and North lost all but one of the matches.
Zhang and Craig played well to win their mixed double 15-12, 15-2.
Against Lothian, Cockett and Craig played well in their mixed doubles - winning a close first end 15-14 and securing the victory 15-12 in the second.
Dodd and Craig, now gelling well as a pair, secured the only other victory - battling back to take a closefought match 13-15, 15-14, 7-5.
First up for North on day two were the Scottish Highlands.
Highlands’ boys team proved too strong for North, who lost all of the boys’ singles and doubles.
North’s girls enjoyed better fortunes, Dodd and Craig comfortably winning their singles in two ends and combining to clinch their doubles - again in two ends.
The overall match result turned Highlands’ way after they won two close matches in the third end.
Zhang and Beechinor-Collins sealed the first end of their mixed doubles 15-11 before losing the second 15-14 and the third 7-4.
Beechinor-Collins and Cherian came back from a 15-13 loss in the first end of their girls’ doubles to secure the second 15-5.
However, the Highland team recovered their form to win the deciding end 7-4.
Next up were Scottish Borders, all North’s team members victorious in a 9-1 success.
Highlights were Zhang and Cockett securing singles victories.
Twynholm and Craig claimed their mixed doubles and Best and Cherian battled back from a 15-14 loss in the first end to win the second 15-13 and the third 7-2.
The final match was against Cumbria.
Twynholm and Best fought hard but were both beaten in the opening boys’ singles.
Zhang and Craig played brilliantly to take their mixed doubles clash 7-5 in the third end against a strong Cumbria pair.
Cockett and Beechinor-Collins also triumphed in their mixed doubles to tie the match at 2-2, Dodd and Cherian then securing comfortable wins in the girls’ singles to give Northumberland a 4-2 lead.
Cumbria pulled the match back to 4-4 after winning both of the boys’ doubles, Zhang and Cockett pushing a strong Cumbria first pair hard before losing narrowly.
A 6-4 victory was secured after the pairs of Dodd and Craig and Beechinor-Collins and Cherian both prevailed in their doubles matches in two ends.