The girls, defending their Northern Premier League title from last year, headed to Wearside, where they came up against some talented opposition. But the team, made up of Kim Atkinson, Holly Horsfall, Eilidh MacLean, Laura Hopton and Ella Riddle were ready for the challenge, and took comfortable wins in both doubles matches, and 2 superb singles wins, to take a 4-2 victory. They had some tough matches the following weekend, against a strong Lancashire team, Holcombe Brooke, and remained inseparable after singles and doubles, tied at 3-3. It came down to a “shootout”- a doubles tiebreak to 10, with the Thongsbridge girls losing out by the narrowest of margins, 10-8.

The boys were in action in Sheffield, and were in buoyant mood as they started with the doubles matches. Andrew Atkinson, Edward Lovatt, Harry Simpson, Brad Whitwam and Corey Chan barely dropped a game in the doubles, and displayed the same dominance in the singles, to take an overwhelming 6-0 victory, to win their 1st fixture of the season in this prestigious team tennis league. They then went on to play The Northern Tennis Club, from Manchester, and once again outclassed their opposition, with a resounding 5-1 win.

Finn Murgett, under 10s, competed in a national level event in Nottingham, attracting some of the strongest players in the country. This rising star produced a string of impressive wins to make semis, where he only narrowly lost out on a place in the final.

Ellie Chawner, under 12s, goes from strength to strength, and, competing in a lower grade event in Nottingham, had comfortable wins to the final, where she just missed out on the top spot.

A host of Thongsbridge players were in action in the County Tour under 9s event in Hull, with Luke Wilson’s dominant display seeing him come 2nd, Jacob Chadwick 4th, and George Barton 7th (only narrowly losing 2 of his 6 matches). George also competed in a matchplay event at Thongsbridge, winning a stunning 6 matches of the 8 he played.

Holly Horsfall was in superb form, competing in a high grade event in Nottingham, attracting top National players. She made the semi finals of the under 14s, but impressively took top spot in the under 16s, and will almost certainly have secured enough ranking points to take her comfortably inside the National top 10.

Oliver Vesely also found form on the big stage, and he too produced an array of stunning wins to lift the winner’s trophy at the national level Nottingham event, at his first time of competing in this grade of tournament.

Holly also produced a fine performance in a lower grade event in Northumberland, winning the under 14s event. Georgia Draper, under 9s, was 1st placed girl in Northumberland, coming 4th out of a strong draw of 32. She also made semis in the Wirral Open Tournament.

There was a show of strength from Thongsbridge players on the Wirral, with Dominic Vesely securing the under 8s title, and Barney Fitzpatrick comfortably winning the under 10s event. Oliver Vesely made quarters in the under 9s, with Ben Horner securing a good first round win in the under 12s.

Barney Fitzpatrick was also in action in the National level under 9s event on clay in Sutton where he managed a couple of excellent wins on his debut on this rather challenging surface.

The North of England event in Preston saw Oliver Vesely continue his superb form, securing a well deserved under 9s title in this prestigious event, whilst younger brother, Dominic, came 4th in the under 8s.

Both Vesely boys, along with Jacob Chadwick, achieved County Honours, playing for Yorkshire against the Midlands. The boys played some excellent tennis, but it was to be a narrow loss for Yorkshire this time.

Jacob continued his good run in a matchplay event at Thongsbridge, where some solid wins secured him 3rd place, and managed 12th in a large draw in the Hull Easter Open.

Kim and Andrew Atkinson braved the wintery conditions in Edinburgh, and they too brought home silverware! Kim, returning from a lengthy period of injury, did well to take the girls under 18s title, and was runner up in the doubles (partnered by Jennifer Mair from Scotland). Andrew was looking strong, and made the final of the under 16s, where he narrowly lost out on the top spot, in spite of some inspired tennis. He also managed an impressive 3rd in the under 18s.

Matthew Taylor, competing in a lower grade event in Lincoln, also found winning ways, having a comfortable run to the final. Unfortunately, the dreadful weather prevented the final from being played, so he came joint 1st!

The Chawner sisters were in action in Cambridge, where the field was strong, and Ellie was unlucky not to secure a win this time. Chloe, too faced tough opposition, and did well to reach semis of the under 14s.

Holly Horsfall

Oliver Vesely, Dominic Vesely, Jacob Chadwick

Kim Atkinson & Andrew Atkinson

Thongsbridge talent and experienced Yorkshire player, Andrew Atkinson, was in fine form and put in a superb performance for Yorkshire, securing excellent wins against some high quality opposition. Yorkshire took comfortable wins against Cambridgeshire and favourites Hertfordshire, but ended up in a tight 2-2 draw against Essex. But their strong performance through the day gave them 1st place overall, due to their higher game count than Essex.

With all the age groups from under 10s to under 18s having made their contribution to this event over the last few weeks, the under 16s performance was unfortunately not enough for Yorkshire to retain the 12 Counties title, but with a wealth of up and coming talent in the younger age groups, and solid veteran players like Andrew, Thongsbridge are likely to continue to make a valuable contribution to County tennis, and the top spot is well within reach for Yorkshire again next year.

Ben Horner was in action in an under 12s county tour event in Derbyshire, and secured a comfortable win, and a couple of narrow losses in a challenging draw in Derbyshire. His game is going from strength to strength, and he is in good shape for the summer season.

Matthew Taylor has been training hard, and is reaping the reward for his dedication. He played in an under 14s County tour event in Lancashire, and a match play event in South Ribble, and managed to secure 2 excellent wins, which will secure him a well deserved ratings rise for the forthcoming summer season.

Matthew Taylor

Ben Horner

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This talented nine-year-old beat Charlie Miller from Glasgow 7-4, 7-4 in an entertaining final, to cap an outstanding season.
Following an impressive run of form throughout the Mini Tennis Winter National Tour over the last few months, Barney was invited to compete in the prestigious National Tour Finals by the Lawn Tennis Association.

The invitation-only tournament is the pinnacle of the winter British Tennis season and showcases the talent of some of the best young players in the country.

Barney is part of the Aegon FutureStars programme, and was one of only 16 players to be invited, having earned his place by accumulating enough ranking points from LTA tournaments throughout the winter.

The National Tour 9&U Champion said: “It feels fantastic to win the tournament. I did have a plan going into the match and it was to win the first points of each set.“I was happy with how I played and hopefully I can keep improving and winning matches.”

Meanwhile, Dominic Vesely, playing in an under 8s County event in Goole, was in superb form, and completely dominated the tournament, with series of comfortable wins securing him first place. The wealth of young talent and the superb coaching programme at this thriving valley club continues to keep Thongsbridge well and truly on the map! And as the summer season approaches, the local juniors will be looking to make their mark in the array of upcoming Open tournaments.

Barney Fitzpatrick

Dominic Vesely

Oliver Vesely and Jacob Chadwick were in action in the Hull County Tour under 9s event, where a dominant display from Oliver saw him secure the winner’s medal, after a feisty performance in a very tight final. Jacob too was playing well, with 2 excellent wins in the tournament.

Dominic Vesely competed in the under 8s event in Warrington, and had 3 solid victories to win his box, before narrowly losing his 1st knockout draw match.

Ben Horner, under 12s, was in action in Leicester, where he dismissed his opponents comfortably to make the final. It was to be another tight final, with Ben narrowly losing out on the top spot.

Andrew Atkinson, under 16s, also found winning ways, make the final in a higher grade Regional Tour event in Batley. He too was to fall at the final hurdle, having to make do with the runner’s up medal, in spite of a weekend of high quality tennis.

Ed Lovatt, competing in the same event, made quarters, where he was unlucky to narrowly lose out to the eventual winner.

Jacob Chadwick

Ed Lovatt

Ben Horner

Oliver Vesely, Dominic Vesely

Yorkshire’s under 18s boys’ and girls’ teams were both competing in the top division of this most prestigious of inter-county events, and the 2 teams headed to Bath for 3 days of fierce competition, which attracts all the top National players.

The girls’ team, ably captained by Thongsbridge coach, Georgina Jackson, included experienced County players, Kim Atkinson and Holly Horsfall. The girls secured a stunning 9-0 win over over Lancashire on day 1, followed by a comfortable 6-3 win on day 2 against defending champions, Sussex. But in spite of some superb tennis, they were to fall at the final hurdle, narrowly losing to Middlesex, but leaving with a well deserved runners up medal.

Andrew Atkinson, also a veteran of County competition, made selection for the strong boys’ team, and they too were to face tough opposition. They faced Kent on day 1, and cruised through to a comfortable 7-2 win. Day 2 was tense, against defending champions, Middlesex, but Yorkshire came out on top with a nail biting 5-4 win. The final saw a competitive war of the roses, but after a day of fantastic competition and team spirit, it was to be Lancashire taking gold, with Yorkshire having to make do with silver again.

As always, Thongsbridge players were an integral part of the County squad, and with all three of these talented youngsters still being eligible for the team next year, they will hoping for revenge, and will be aiming to bring home gold!

Holly Horsfall, Andrew Atkinson and Kim Atkinson

14 year old Holly Horsfall travelled to Corby to represent Yorkshire with other top county players, to compete in the prestigious under 18s 12 Counties Event. Holly produced some solid wins, to help the County team secure a 4-0 win against Essex, and 2-2 draws with Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Yorkshire’s final standing in this event will depend on how all the other age groups, from under 12s to seniors do in the coming weeks, but, having won the 1st division last year, Yorkshire will be very much hoping to repeat the feat this year.

Georgia Draper has been in action in Lancashire, in a regional tour under 9s event, and managed a respectable 7th place in a tough field, with Lucy Margetson coming 8th.

Charlotte Margetson, playing in a match play event in Lancashire, was looking strong, and came 6th, losing out to stronger and older opposition.

George Barton has been getting plenty of match practice in, securing wins in Sheffield and Hull match play events, and taking 3 wins against challenging opposition in a Regional Tour Event in Hull.

Barney Fitzpatrick

Holly Horsfall

Georgia Draper and George Barton

Charlotte Margetson and Lucy Margetson

The event is now well established as one of the most prestigious of the junior winter season, and it attracted 345 entries from Scotland to Jersey. The 488 matches, with an amazing 1885 games, produced some superb tennis, giving the crowds that came to watch a real spectacle.

And there was success for local youngsters right through the age groups, from under 18s, all the way through to the club’s rising stars in under 8s.

Andrew Atkinson’s game has gone from strength to strength, and in a strong boys’ draw, the 15 year old impressively made semis in the 16s and under, but made the final of the 18s event. A great effort in the final gave the crowd a match to remember, with Andrew losing by the narrowest of margins in a 3 set thriller.

Andrew, along with long time doubles partner Ed Lovatt, was to take top spot in the 18s doubles event, however, with a convincing win in the final.

Holly Horsfall continues her run of great form, with a solid performance in the 16s girls event to reach semis. But this talented youngster went all the way in the 14s, to lift the winner’s trophy without dropping a set. Holly, too, was to have success in the doubles, with partner Laura Hopton from Hull, where the pair played a great final to take the 18s doubles’ title.

In the under 14s boys, it was Alex Chan who ploughed his way steadily through the challenging field to make the final. He too was to come second, and in spite of some superb play, he lost in another tight 3 setter.

As always, Thongsbridge players featured heavily in the 14s doubles event, with Bronte Murgett and Chloe Chawner coming runners up after a tense and exciting final, and Ben Horner (with Aaron Yang from Leeds) also coming second.

Chloe had some tremendous wins in her under 12s singles to make semis, and Bronte was also in great form, and made quarters.

The 10 and under boys event was to be completely dominated by Thongsbridge players, with 3 of the 4 semi finalists being home grown. Matthis Ross came 4th, Jake Young played some fine tennis to come 2nd, and it was the charismatic Finn Murgett who took top spot.

For the girls in the same age group, Emily Summers was in great form, and came 2nd, with Clara Withers 3rd.

Barney Fitzpatrick continues to show considerable promise, and made light work of several opponents, before coming back from a set down to take the winners’ trophy in the under 9s. Georgia Draper had some solid wins to make semis, and Emily Summers made quarters.

The 8 and under age group saw Thongsbridge dominate again, with a smiling Jacob Chadwick in spectacular form taking first place, and Luke Wilson second. Charlotte Margetson continues to progress, and received a goody bag of prizes for being the highest placed girl in this mixed age group event.

Referees Nick Fitzpatrick and Tom Sanders, and Tournament Director Tim Horsfall, worked tirelessly all week, as did all the staff and volunteers at the club, to make it another truly memorable event. The standard of tennis and sportsmanship from the youngsters was exceptional, and the atmosphere was superb throughout the week. The bar seems to be raised each year, and the club is already looking forward to welcoming talented youngsters and their families back for the 2013 event.

Holly Horsfall, Finn Murgett, Andrew Atkinson, Bronte Murgett, Alex Chan

Jake Young, Luke Wilson, Barney Fitzpatrick, Jacob Chadwick, Emily Summers, Georgia Draper, Ben Horner

Following a superb season, and some excellent wins in the winter national tour events, Thongsbridge star, Holly Horsfall, spent several days at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, competing in the under 14s “invitation only” prestigious Masters tournament. The draw was tough, essentially made up of the top 16 under 14s players in the country, and in spite of a valiant effort, and some superb tennis, Holly narrowly lost her match in the first round. She went on to take an excellent consolation match win, and can be proud of the superb achievement in reaching such a high grade event.

15 year old Andrew Atkinson was in action in an under 18s Regional Tour Event in Lancashire. He was unfazed by older opposition, and gained valuable ranking points, narrowly losing his quarterfinal match.

Ben Horner, under 12s, had a tough draw, also in Lancashire, and was unlucky to lose his first round match. He gathered himself, and produced some solid tennis to win the consolation draw.

Matthis Ross, under 10s, competed in Warrington, and a couple of excellent wins saw him come 7th in a challenging draw.

Lucy Margetson , under 9s, had a slow start in Sheffield, but after losing her first match, she too did well in the consolation draw, coming 3rd.

15/2/12

Holly Horsfall, Ben Horner, Andrew Atkinson