A TEAM from Wrexham Lawn Tennis Club are celebrating after reaching the final of the biggest club competition in Britain.
Wrexham’s Under 14s girls will compete at the Lawn Tennis Association National Tennis Centre on Saturday as reward for qualifying for the AEGON National Club League showpiece.
They booked their place at the Roehampton event by winning the West Premier League, in which they overcame fellow rising stars from Gloucester, Bristol, Bromsgrove and Cardiff.
The team, consisting of North Wales county players Amy Khan Ince, Emily Watson, Kathryn Hughes, Alice Scott and Muireann Henderson, then edged a tense semi-final with Tennis World, Middlesbrough.
In the singles, Hughes won 6-4 6-4 and Scott 6-0 6-1 to leave the tie finely balanced at 2-2.
The doubles pairing of Hughes and Henderson started off slowly and found themselves 4-0 down in the first set before eventually falling 6-4.
They fought back to win the second 6-1, however, and in a third-set thriller Henderson saved match point with an overhead smash, which proved the inspiration for an 11-9 tie-break success.
In the deciding rubber, number-one pair Khan Ince and Watson cruised to victory in the first set 6-1, lost the second 6-4 before playing superbly in the third-set tie-break to take the match 4- 2.
“I am really proud of the girls for what they have achieved,” said the team’s coach Lucy Scott. “Having won the junior club league as a player, I am honoured to have helped guide the girls to the finals and hopefully to become the national champions.”
The team are also coached at the Wrexham Tennis Academy by Dan Sanders, Craig Evans and Matt Smith.
Wrexham chairperson Margaret Holdsworth said: “The win shows that a small tennis club can reach a national final in such a prestigious competition and shows that tennis is thriving at Wrexham Lawn Tennis Club.”
Players of all ages are welcome to join the club and for more information contact Holdsworth on 01978 752305.
