NEW

Junior Leagues now on the web site Click on leagues in the left menu or click here

What a result!

The idea is that children who are new to a sport are encouraged to learn a new sport and compete at a tournament against the other Surrey boroughs. Previously R&B have within the spirit put in a team of new comers and done well but been beaten by more experienced players who were clearly not new to the game.

 Not wanting to be outdone our attitude this year was to beat other boroughs at their own game and submit a strong team but none of which had represented the county which would have invalidated them.

 On Saturday the mini players which are year 6 or less which equates to 11 and under in old money competed in a round robin against 5 other Surrey boroughs, beating all and beating Spelthorne for a second time on the day, in the final. 

 All teams must consist of at least 2 boys and 2 girls.

 The R&B team was

Mike Pingerra

Mariella  Mackinlay

Douglas Brown

Alex Fredricks

Jessica

Libby 

Giselle Mackinlay

 Only Libby being a non Reigate Member.

 On Sunday an older age group of year 7 and age 12 or less competed. In this event there were 8 boroughs divided into 2 groups that each played a round robin. This was followed by a semi final and final. The same rule of 2 or more girls and boys playing in each team applied.

As Libby was scheduled to play Cricket in another part of the competition she wasn't available, which left Mariella and Giselle to play all the matches as the only 2 girls. This was a bit tough for Giselle, still only 8 and put pressure on the rest of the team to come up trumps. 

The team consisted of

Tom 

Ben Kuhler capt

Matt Walsh

Michael george

Michael newman

Mike Pingerra

Mariella &

Giselle Mackinlay

With Tom (Libbys brother ) the only non Reigate player

The 3 Michaels and Matt rotating in the 3rd slot with the stronger Tom and Ben playing at 1 and 2. R&B won through to the final against Spelthorne for the 2nd day on the trot. Each of 5 strings played 3 games irrespective of outcome to give a total of 15 games with the winner gaining 8 or more. With 4 of the strings complete Matt Walsh playing no 3 was a game a piece. This meant that overall games were 7all with everything to play for on his final game.

The pressure of all the teams, parents and officials who filled the viewing area must have been overwhelming for the young players who I doubt would ever have experienced such an atmosphere. Matt brought it home to rapturous applause in his 3rd and final game giving R&B a well deserved win.

It was in no small part a successful result due to the tireless efforts of Alison Malynn. She had some tough selection decisions to make which weren't always popular, but managed to play all her subs on the day to give them a hand in the teams success. To that end they all experienced tremendously from playing and competing for themselves, their team, club and borough. A mention should also go to Arthur who is seldom far behind usually with his camera giving us a pictorial memory of a great result. I believe that this has all been done for love and some recognition would be well deserved.

Junior Tournament 2007

On Finals’ Night 9 Junior titles were contested. The evening began with the Mixed Under 10 in which Mike Pingerra overcame Douglas Brown. These are surely the stars of the future and both showed gritty determination. Clare Wright, a Surrey U17 player, took the court for her first event of the evening in the Girls’ U14. Rebecca Malynn played with supreme athleticism but in the end it was Clare’s powerplay which helped her to retain the title. In the Boys’ U14 Olly Ramagge powered his way to victory over his younger opponent Ben Kuhler although Ben is the writer’s tip to win this title next year. In a re-run of last year’s Girls’ U19 Final, Maddie Kuhler was pitched against Clare Wright. Clare raced to a 2 games lead but Maddie clawed her way back eventually taking the title for the second year in a row. The Boys’ U19 Final featured last year’s runner-up Simon Rivers against Lewis Kuhler. Simon got off to a speedy start taking the first game easily at 9-2. Undeterred, Lewis came back and in a thrilling 5 game match, which could have gone either way, Lewis came out on top. In the Plate events, Nicola Wright retained the Girls’ U14 title against Caroline Ringsing. The Boys’ U14 Plate title went to Matt Weekes who beat Jack Fenton 3-0. The Girls’ U19 Plate was won by Sam Nordland who beat Jemma Boon 3-1, Jemma having won the first game and in the Boys’ U19 Plate, Oli Walsh ran out the surprise winner against Alex Phillips in a match that was much closer than the 3-0 scoreline suggests.

During the interval between the Junior and Senior Finals, the Junior cups were awarded. As a lasting memorial to Scott Belch, the Club has instituted an award for the most committed Junior player. Club Trustee Jonathan Huggett, who knew Scott from when he was a boy, paid tribute to Scott’s many years of loyal support for the Club. The Scott Belch Cup went to Clare Wright.

Site design by: Last updated: