ICT Round Up

It was a tired but, nonetheless, happy Under 17s squad who returned to Norfolk after four days of gruelling and intense competition in the prestigious Inter County Tournament held at Nottingham University. The predicted tough first round draw became a reality with the team losing to Essex and Ulster (who eventually finished in 5th and 6th place) and Devon 7-3, 9-1 and 6-4 respectively, but beating Worcestershire 8-2.

The second round had winners grouped with other winners and losers with losers, so Norfolk were hoping for a change in fortune, knowing that the opposition would not be as strong as the first round. But luck was not on their side, with the matches against Dorset and Kent drawn five all on games, but lost on points. Ed Leng had to pull out of the Kent match with migraine, so Under 15 squad member, Chris Piff, changed from spectator to player and partnered his elder brother, Andrew, to a doubles victory. A final 6-4 defeat at the hands of Shropshire put the team at the bottom of their group and into the third round to play-off for places 29-32.

A victory over Guernsey 6-4, was followed by a 4-6 defeat by Oxford, but the smiles returned to the teams faces when they finished the tournament in 30th position, by beating Suffolk 9-1.

"It was always going to be a difficult tournament for us, bearing in mind the quality of some of the opposition" said team manager, Maureen Lincoln, "but all the squad members played to the best of their ability and thats all I can ask for. Jonathan Cooper and Daniel Evans were particularly outstanding and the vocal support of the parents who travelled with us was much appreciated. Lets hope we will finish higher next season."

Team: Daniel Evans, Andrew Piff, Ed Leng, Jonathan Cooper, Stephanie Buttle, Kirstie Spinks, Lydia Pickering, Pavitra Chotai and Sarah Lewin.