Over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd May, Norfolk teams travelled to compete in the annual Lionel Cox event. This year's U10's and U12's events were at Framlingham College for both days, the U9's were at Hills Road, Cambridge for the Sunday. In recent years the event has moved to an all doubles format, where all 10 of the east region counties send in teams of 4 players battle it out for position.

U9's:

The under 9's girls started on Sunday morning at Hills Road at 9.30am. The squad of Jasmine, Eva, Nihinsa & Hattie had two very tricky matches in Essex & Hertfordshire, but managed to get a draw from each. Up next were Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire. Jasmine and Eva getting key wins at #1, and Nihinsa and Hattie unlucky to lose out in two long 3 set matches. However, these three set losses meant that the team won both fixtures. A group placing of 2nd, and a playoff with Berkshire would decide 3rd & 4th place. In the playoff our luck had run out, Jasmine and Eva able to win their match, requiring 3 sets to get the result over the line. This meant that for the first time our girls had been on the wrong end of a 1-1 draw, losing out on sets. Still an excellent showing from all 4.

The boys followed on in the afternoon, the squad of Zac, George, Joey & Rufus nearly opening with a win. However, after Joey and Rufus saw out a close 3 set match, Zac and George were unfortunate to miss out in their 3 setter and we finished with a draw. Next up were Hertfordshire who proved to be too strong for us in the first pairing, but George and Joey gave them a late scare with another 3 set epic. Herts taking the match 2-0 in the end. After a short break, we completed the group by playing Cambridge first which resulted in another draw! George and Zac taking the vital win at 1. Finally we played Bedfordshire, with some alterations on pairings George & Rufus lost in the 3rd set in the #1 pair, but Joey and Zac saw the fixture home with a win. We finished 3rd in the box and would play off with Suffolk for 5th and 6th. Suffolk proved too strong in this final round winning 2-0. A 6th placed finished for the boys.

U10's:

A beautiful sunny Saturday for all the U10 and U12's teams at Framlingham College. The U10 girls got going against Cambs in the opening round. The team of Ioanna, Esmee, Anastasia and Emily found the opposition too strong and lost out 2-0. Next up were Suffolk, both pairs had great opening sets, really pushing the Suffolk pairings close and going to a tie break at 3-3. It was a familiar story though in both matches, with the tie breaks lost and the Suffolk girls dominating the second sets. But the girls were buoyed by their improved performances. Bedfordshire were next, Esmee & Emily making light work of their opponents, Anastasia and Ioanna coming through a close 3 set match to hand Norfolk the win! On Sunday play resumed with the final group match against Northamptonshire, Esmee and Ioanna teaming up to win at #1 pair, Emily and Anastasia unable to convert a few sudden death deuces to lose their match, 1-1 draw and 4th place in qualification. Two more matches to determine the final position ended with losses to Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to end 8th. Glimmers of a draw against both Herts and Bucks had the captains hopes up of a higher finish, but Emily and Anastasia (Herts match) lost out a tight match, with Ioanna and Esmee also losing out in the Bucks match in 3 sets.

For the boys it was a team of Henry, Aksel, Ben & Oli. Starting the day against a very good Hertfordshire team, we were unlucky not to take a 2-0 lead. Oli & Ben losing out in a third set meant that we won the match on sets after a quick win for Aksel and Henry at #1. For the remainder of the day the boys dominated proceedings with 2-0 wins over Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire to finish qualification as the #1 team. On Sunday they faced Cambs in the semi final, Henry and Oli making short work of the 1st Cambs pairing, with Aksel and Oli being made to work for every game in the 2nd pairing. They were unlucky to lose out in a 3rd set, but that set won for Norfolk was the decider to see them progress to the final. In the biggest match of the weekend Norfolk faced Essex, some outstanding tennis played on both courts and a little second set tightness saw Ben and Aksel get their match over the line, 1-0. In the other match Henry and Oli battled back from a set down to take the second 4-0 and got to a tie break. Already with the knowledge that they had won the event, the boys still worked hard to see the match over the line but lost 11-13. But the boys were Lionel Cox U10 winners! Well done.

U12's:

Due to three teams pulling out of the 12's age group, the Norfolk girls found themselves in one giant group of 7 counties. The team was Bea, Abigail, Olivia and Alsie, and they began with tough encounters against Cambs and Essex. A close first set for Alsie and Bea against Cambs was the highlight of the first two matches. Against Herts it was Abigail and Olivia's turn to nearly convert a win for Norfolk, but this was also lost in a tie break late on. Sundays matches started with a solid win for Alsie and Bea at #1 against Bucks, the end result was a 1-1 draw. Then a close 3rd set loss against Northamptonshire meant a draw also at 1-1 but the set won helping the girls to their first fixture win of the weekend. A final round loss to Suffolk left the girls 6th on the day, but still an admirable effort from all 4 girls who supported each other well.

The boys began with Hertfordshire, a slow start from our team was evident in the first set scorelines. Micah and Lucas getting up to speed in their second set to lose in a tie break, 2-0 Herts. Energetic and ready to go in round two, David and Lucas dominated to win 4-0 4-0 and Micah and Matthew snuck a 3rd set win to defeat Beds 2-0. In the final group match Cambs proved too strong and a 3rd placed finish was confirmed. On Sunday the boys played off for 5th to 8th place, starting with Northamptonshire, Matthew and Lucas getting it done in a 3rd set while David and Micah won comfortably at #2 for a 2-0 win. The 5th/6th playoff was against Suffolk. As it usually is, the match was very competitive and close. The honours were even after the two matches after a very tight #2 match loss in two tie break sets. But on count back of games won, Norfolk were winners on games won! 5th place.

A huge thank you to the organisers, parental support, plus captains Nick Crawley and Josh Weeds who were present over the weekend along with myself.

Chris Stocker

U14 Boys County Cup 2026 Captain’s Report

The U14 boys travelled to Halton for Group 2A, led by captains Ben Croftwood and Alex Watkinson. Representing the team were Noah, Nathanael, Samuel, Albert, and Aaron, facing strong opposition from Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Essex, and Buckinghamshire.

Day 1

Norfolk opened their campaign against Northamptonshire with a hard-fought 2–2 after the singles. Wins came from Noah and debutant Albert, both showing great composure, while Samuel and Nathanael narrowly lost despite battling performances.

In the doubles, Aaron partnered Albert in a closely contested match but were unable to get over the line. Samuel and Noah combined well to take the third rubber in a high-quality contest, sending the tie to a deciding shootout. Noah and Albert paired up but were ultimately beaten 10–5.

Next up was Suffolk, with the same singles line-up. Despite some strong tennis, with a win from Noah in 3 and Albert losing in a good 3 set match.  Norfolk found themselves 3–1 down going into the doubles. Noah and Nathanael produced an excellent performance to win their rubber 10–7 in a third-set tie-break. However, Samuel and Albert, despite a spirited effort, were edged out by a strong Suffolk pairing, resulting in a 4–2 defeat. 

Day 2

Day two began against a very strong Essex side, with the singles line-up unchanged. Albert delivered an outstanding performance at number four, pushing his opponent to a deciding tie-break before narrowly losing 10–8 in a match that could have gone either way. Samuel and Nathanael also fought hard, forcing his opponent to play their best tennis to secure the win. Essex took all four singles, giving Norfolk a tough 4–0 deficit.

In the doubles, Aaron and Albert again showed good chemistry and produced some high-quality play but were unable to convert it into a win. Nathanael and Noah also battled hard against a strong pair, with a few sudden-death points proving decisive in a narrow loss.

The final match was against Buckinghamshire, again with an unchanged singles line-up. Noah delivered an excellent performance at number one, winning 4–3, 4–2 against a tricky opponent in his final U14 singles rubber. The remaining singles were all competitive, with the boys fighting hard and representing the county well.

Going into the doubles at 3–1 down, Albert and Samuel put in a strong performance but were beaten by a solid pairing. The final match of the weekend marked the last U14 County Cup appearance for Noah and Nathanael, they showed great quality in the first set, narrowly losing a tie-break. 

Overall, the boys can hold their heads high. Every player delivered strong performances and represented Norfolk with great attitude and professionalism both on and off the court.

A special mention goes to Noah and Nathanael as they move up to the U18 age group, we wish them the best of luck and look forward to following their continued development.

Looking ahead, the focus now turns to next year, which promises to be an exciting one. We aim to bring younger players into the squad to gain valuable experience, while returning players build on what they’ve learned this year.

Captains Report from Alex Watkinson & Ben Croftwood 

U/14 Girls County Cup Report

The girls travelled to Oxford last weekend for their county cup. The team of Charlotte, Sophia, Amelija, Letitia and Liviya had great team spirit from the off with great fun had on the bus and this continued throughout the whole weekend both on and off court. 

We had a tough first match against the eventual winners Buckinghamshire. However, the girls competed well and we had some close matches with lots of tiebreaks and plenty of sudden death deuces that didn’t quite go our way. Unfortunately a 6-0 loss but the score did not reflect the fight and determination the girls showed. 

Moving into Sunday it was a straight shoot out with Oxfordshire for 2nd place in the group. 
We got off to a slow start with Amelija and Letitia losing at 3&4 respectively. But Sophia and Charlotte put in strong performances to bring us level at 2-2 going into the doubles. 
Liviya and amelija paired up at 2 doubles but unfortunately came up just short meaning Sophia and Charlotte needed to win to take us into a shootout. They played some great, positive doubles and got the win. Sophia and Amelija then paired up for the shootout. They got off to a strong start but couldn’t maintain the momentum and narrowly lost 10-8 meaning a match against Bedfordshire for 5th place. 

This time the girls got off to a flying start with Letitia and Liviya winning at 3&4 respectively. Liviya getting a win on her singles debut for Norfolk. Amelija then lost a tight 10-8 match tiebreak at 2, before Charlotte lost a hard for match at 1. This meant again we were at 2-2 going into doubles. 
A change in doubles pairs saw Sophia and Liviya come up short against a good first pair for beds, before Letitia and amelija teamed up for the 2nd time over the weekend a turned their fortunes with a win this time. Another shootout to come!  Sophia and Letitia teamed up this time but the beds girls played a strong match and won 10-4. 

The girls finished 6th overall but with 2 shootout losses it was a very positive weekend with lots of great tennis, positive attitudes and incredible team spirit. 

Imogen and I were very proud of the girls and look forward to them representing Norfolk in the future.

Captain's Report: Sam Noble