Historic success for junior island tennis team

An Isle of Man boys' team made history by winning the LTA Under-11 County Cup Boys Division 2B title recently.

In doing so, they became the island's first County Cup winners in yellow-ball junior tennis, marking a landmark moment.

The LTA's national inter-county competition features counties and regions from across Britain competing in divisions based on standard.

Boys Division 2B was held at Chatsworth Tennis Club in Carlisle where the Isle of Man team took on Cumbria, Durham & Cleveland, Northumberland, East Scotland and South Scotland

The five-player squad was captained by coach Neri Gricevicius. Jasper Hill played at number one, Ivan Yordanov at two, Albert Orton at three, Martin Petrov at four and Arthur Orton five.

The Isle of Man opened with a 4-2 victory over South of Scotland. On his under-11 debut, Albert put the island ahead with a 4-0, 4-1 win in only 24 minutes.

Ivan followed with a 4-0, 4-0 win, while Jasper battled through the longest singles match 4-3(9), 1-4, 10-5 after one hour 22 minutes.

Jasper and Ivan then won the first doubles 4-1, 4-0 to clinch the tie. South of Scotland took the remaining singles and doubles rubbers, leaving the final score at 4-2.

The Isle of Man's second tie against Cumbria finished 3-3, forcing a championship tie-break.

Jasper took victory from a 4-1, 4-1 win, while Ivan won comfortably 4-2, 4-0. Cumbria took the remaining two singles and the first doubles to lead.

Albert and Ivan levelled the tie by beating Cumbria 4-2, 2-4, 10-7 after an intense hour on court.

With a place in the final at stake, Jasper and Ivan won the championship tie-break 10-3 securing the final against Durham & Cleveland.

The Sunday final against Durham & Cleveland ended in dramatic fashion.

Jasper set the tone with a flawless 4-0, 4-0 victory over the highest-ranked player in the event, while Ivan fought from a set down to win 2-4, 4-0, 10-6.

D&C took both lower-order singles leaving the tie at 2-2.

In the crucial first doubles, Jasper and Ivan recovered from a set down to win 0-4, 4-3(3), 10-7. The English side won the second doubles making it 3-3.

The title was decided by a championship tie-break, where Jasper and Arthur defeated D&C's top seeds 10-7 securing the win and completing a historic victory for the Isle of Man.

Jasper and Ivan delivered crucial victories at the top of the order throughout the competition.

The youngest players carried a story of their own, making significant contributions. Brothers Albert and Arthur, both aged just nine, competed in the under-11 event against older, higher-ranked opponents.

Both boys had been playing with the full adult yellow ball for only seven weeks. Albert secured an important singles victory and played a key role in the doubles victory over Cumbria, while Arthur showed remarkable composure partnering Jasper in the championship tie-break that ultimately delivered the title.

The triumph is a milestone for Tennis Isle of Man and its emerging juniors.

The players thanked their coaches, parents and Tennis Isle of Man for their support, paying tribute to vice-captain Richard Hill, whose intensive team training programme before the event helped prepare the squad for its historic success.

RICHARD HILL