Thrapston Played in there first ever Mini Orange match in the Northants Aegon League against a very good Corby team.Despite losing the whole team played very well.

Thrapston team was: Sophie,Hollie,Joshua and Kira.

The first matches were doubles.Sophie and Hollie unfortunately lost 7-0 7-1 but tried very hard against 2 very strong players for Corby.Sophie and Hollie worked hard and were involved in many rallies despite what the score states.Joshua and Kira also played well but lost in a closer match of 7-3 7-2 and showed good determination.

Singles followed next.Sophie then played Corby number 1 and lost 7-0 7-0 in her first ever competitive singles.It wasn’t the easiest match to start off with but Sophie continued to try her best.Hollie then played Corby number 2 and lost 7-2 7-0,Hollie played some great shots but the Corby player was equal to them.Joshua played Corby number 3,This match was alot closer and Josh managed to win the first tie break 7-9 with some great placed shots.The corby player fought back and won the 2nd tie break 7-3 before claiming the 3rd tie break as well 7-5 in a very close match.Kira played Corby number 4 again,Corby didnt have it all there own way.Corby took the first tie break 7-4 but Kira started to play really well and took the 2nd tie break 3-7 before finally losing the 3rd tie break 7-3.Kira made the Corby player work very hard and competed in every rally including some long rallies.

The reverse fixtures were even closer.Hollie took on Corby number 1 and lost 7-1 7-1 ,there were many good shots from Hollie and worked very hard.The corby number 1 player was very good and showed why she was number 1 by coming out on top.Sophie then played Corby number 2 and pushed them all the way in a fine match,both players hitting great shots and fighting for every point.The Corby player just came out on top in both tie breaks 8-6 8-6 .Joshua was up next against Corby number 4 ,Joshua moved the Corby player about resulting in some fine Tennis and took the first tie break 2-7.Corby Number 4 was not going give in and soon both players were playing good tennis.Corby then took the 2nd tie break 8-6 .The final tie break was even closer before finally Joshua won it 8-10 to give Thrapston there first match win which was fully deserved.Kira played in the last match against Corby number 3.Both Tie breaks were very closer but unfortunately it was Corby again that got the win 8-6 11-9.Kira was really unlucky as she played very well.

Head coach Pete Harding said : Im very proud of all my players in there first match.Sophie and Hollie showed they were going to battle for everything no matter what happened.Joshua was determined to get to every ball and try keep it in play and Kira Served really well and made sure her opponents worked hard if they were going to win.Despite the result i couldn’t of asked any more of my team and they should be really pleased with themselves.

For the first time in the club’s history, Thrapston Tennis Club have entered an Under 8s team in the Northants Aegon league.

Thrapston’s first fixture was a tough away match against Northampton County, a large club with an established coaching programme. Thrapston on the other hand have only recently created their Mini Red performance group and they selected their players from this new squad.

The four players in the Thrapston team were Hollie, Kira, Oscar and Andrew.

Each fixture has four rounds of 4 matches. In a very tight first round, Thrapston edged into an early lead 3 – 1.The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds all finished 2 – 2. Therefore Thrapston got the win against Northampton County 9 – 7!

Hollie: won 3 of her matches with some excellent play. Her only defeat was to the Northampton County Number 1.

Kira: in only her 2nd competition showed great improvement and managed two wins. She put in a very determined performance, producing excellent play on the court, including winning a match 10 – 8 after being 6 – 1 down.

Oscar: also won 2 matches, proving to be very adept at keeping the ball in court and forcing his opponent to make errors. Oscar is happy to rally forever and seemed to enjoy watching his opponents tire.

Andrew: won 2 matches by battling for every point, even trying to give his opponents a chance by serving outside the court! He fought hard for every point and his victories were well deserved.

This was a great result for Thrapston. Captain and Head Coach Peter Harding said he was delighted with all aspects of the performance of his players in their first league match and the victory was a bonus. His pre-match team talk was to just go out and enjoy playing no matter what the result.

All 4 players deserve great credit for their performance. Well done team!