Belfast and District Juvenile Leagues - Week 1

This weekend began the start of the Belfast and District Juvenile Leagues.

We have 2 U18 Boys teams, an U18 Girls team, an U14 Boys and an U14 Girls team:

The U18 girls team was made up of Sofia, Jessica, Eleanor and Catherine.

The girls were away to Newcastle on Saturday.

Newcastle put up a strong showing winning 5 of the 6 matches, however the girls enjoyed their matches.

Jessica applauded her opponents flat groundstrokes and overall hard hitting. She was happy with the way she looked to try and combat the power, while changing her play style up, by trying to come into the net. On the day she was simply the stronger player.

Sofia was pleased with her performance in her singles, highlighting her strong return of serve on the day. Moving forwards she hopes to improve on her rally ball consistency, and serving smarter during crucial moments in the match.

Girls Captain, Eleanor Ireland lost her singles match in a three set tussle, which finished 10-8 in third set championship tiebreak.

She explained it took her time to find her rhythm, especially in the first set but settled more as the match went on.

Eleanor was most proud of how she began to play better tactically throughout the match, which led to it being a much closer tie.

A massive well done to Eleanor and Catherine who recorded a convincing straight sets win in their doubles match. This helped to give us a match win on the day. This was the first time the girls played a doubles match together, so well done to both of them on their teamwork and how they managed the match tactically.

The U18 boys B Team were away to Belfast Boat Club on Sunday.

The team consisted of Lewis, Finlay, Seb and Jamie.

The boys came up against a very strong team, who recorded a 5:1 win against the Ballymena players.

Ballymena number 1 for the B Team, Lewis Millar highlighted how close his singles match was. With 4-5 of the games he lost going to deuce.

The fast 4 format in this occasion worked against him, with the Belfast Boat Club player winning the crucial points in the match.

3rd seed Jamie Sims reiterated Lewis’s statement, as he to, had many games going to deuce, but as with Lewis he struggled to convert those important points.

Finlay McCarroll helped to give Ballymena a match win on the day, with a terrific three set victory.

When analysing the match Finlay talked about the various momentum swings between the first and second sets. He believes he gained the win through his clutch and smart play throughout the tiebreak, which pushed his opponent into making more unforced errors.

Throughout the match he was most happy with his backhand and serve, two areas he is working hard on in training. At times he ventured to the net and was awarded with a smash winner followed by a volley winner. His net game is one area he wishes to add more to over the coming weeks and months.

All four boys alluded to they need to work more on their doubles games moving forward, especially trying to improve their return of serve during doubles and limiting the unforced errors. Improvement in the net game is also needed so they can finish points at the net quicker.

On the teams performance, director of coaching Barry Clarke stated,

“The first match of the league is never easy, the players will use this weeks matches to go out on the practice court over the coming days and look to continue evolving and growing. These matches whether they win or learn is important in their development as tennis players.

I’m proud of them all, this is the first we have had a Ballymena juvenile girls team in many years. The girls are dedicated and just love the chance to compete with their fellow peers. It’s all new experiences for them, and as players the improvements they have made over the last 12 months is great.

The U18 B team were promoted after winning division 3 last year. They earned their promotion, and will only get better by having the opportunity to play against the strong players that are in division 2. The more matches they play the better they will be at dealing with the pressure and understanding the correct shot to play at the right moment.

Our players are eager to add to their games, always reviewing their performances and wishing to be a better version of themselves the next time they step out on the court.

Training over the last 3 months has been tough due to the poor weather and no indoor facilities close by. Each of our players have worked so hard when they were able to get onto the court.

I never believe a defeat on the court is a loss, it’s a chance to learn and improve. Whether that’s the next match or a match in 6 months time, the players are giving themselves a chance to get better and gain vital on court experiences with every match they play.”

Next week the following matches will take place -

• U18 Girls 27/04/24 - (Home) 4pm @ Ballymena Academy Against Downshire Tennis Club
• U18 Boys (B Team) 27/04/24 - (Home) 11am @ The People’s Park, Ballymena - Against Downshire Tennis Club
• U18 Boys (A Team) 28/04/24 - (Home) 12pm @ The People’s Park, Ballymena- Against Portadown Tennis Club

All club support is most welcome!