Guernsey almost cause big upset

THE Guernsey Schools' Tennis Club came close to pulling off a major upset in the CI finals of the Under-16 National Club League against Les Ormes (Jersey). The girls' team match ended at 2-2 and was decided by a championship tie-break shoot-out, which the Jersey team won 10-5.

The boys went into the final doubles match trailing 2-1 but they took a deserved 5-1 lead in the second set before the Jersey pair fought back to win 7-5.

Playing at number one for the 16-years-and-under girls, Catriona Rizzuto was made to work hard for her 6-4, 6-1 win over Sarah Jones.

Both players hit the ball aggressively but with good control.

Rizzuto used her spin serve to good effect in the strong wind and having taken the first set narrowly 6-4, her opponent could not change the pattern of the game in the deciding set.

Rizzuto moved Jones around well before finishing the rally off with good passing shots.

Lorraine Koller playing at two for the Guernsey team lost 1-6, 3-6 to Katie Ross.

The Sarnian served well but the movement and variety of strokes from Ross proved too much on this occasion.

Koller improved as the match progressed and showed that more exposure to play at this level would improve her game.

Megan Hearse needed to perform well to put the Guernsey team back in front and once again she did not disappoint.

Playing excellent tennis, Hearse took the first set 6-2 but took her foot off the pedal in the second and lost it on the tie-break at 6-6.

With a championship tie-break to decide the match, Hearse took a 5-1 lead before Eva Moynihan managed to change the play with clever use of the cross-court shot.

At 7-6 for Hearse, the match could have gone either way but the Guernsey player remained calm to take it 10-7.

Unfortunately Rizzuto and Koller could not match the pairing of Jones and Ross so the match was tied at 2-2 and required another championship tie-break which the Jersey girls won.

In the boys' section, David Pickford went down to the classy Les Ormes number one player Jordan Roberts.

However Gareth Grand squared the match with a fine 6-3, 3-6, 10-2 win over Douglas Queree.

Chris Paluch played well at three, but it took him until the second set before he could match his Jersey opponent, Jose Andrade.

However, the Sarnian left it too late and Andrade took the second set 4-6.

With everything hinging on the doubles the Jersey pair took the first set 6-1 but Grand and Paluch fought back and at 5-1 up looked set to take the set but their opponents came back and won the next six games and with them the match.

A young and inexperienced under-12 girls' team were no match for their Jersey counterparts.

Georgina Denton playing at one against Octavia Lamb put in a good display and deserved more from the match.

Denton serves well and can hit strongly on both sides.

As with all the Guernsey players, more exposure at this level would help their game.

Sadie Rigby played at two and found the pace of the game difficult to contend with, but she worked hard and improved as the match progressed.

Rosie Davis managed to take the most games off the Jersey team.

She played with determination and showed flashes of what she is capable of achieving.