On Wednesday, the U12 Fives players begin their campaign for National glory with the Qualifiers at Harrow School.
Cranleigh’s 5 pairs were among a field of 52 pairs from 6 other schools all vying for the chance to qualify for the Finals next Thursday.
Jamie, Avey and George, relative newcomers to the game, found the going tough early on but it was lovely to see them winning games towards the end of the day as their skills and confidence grew. The other 4 pairs made it through their groups and into the final 32.
With a quarter-final place guaranteeing qualification the tension began to mount. Freddie and Fraser made it into the next round but just came up short in the round of 16. Their play improved dramatically over the day and they promise much for the future.
The top 3 pairs of Hattie and Olive, Monty and Fynn and Ollie and Wilbur all made it through to the quarters and therefore qualified for the Nationals next Thursday. With that objective in the bag everything else was a bonus. Hattie and Olive fell in the quarters, Monty and Fynn in the semis and Ollie and Wilbur made it to the finals where they defeated a pair from Belmont. It is only the second time that Cranleigh has won this tournament, the first being in 2019.
It was a great day out and Mr Halstead and Mr Thomas so impressed with their play, their sportsmanship and support of each other.
It was a great day out!
