Wales had their most successful European tournament ever in the Belgian town of Namur on the 31st October – 1st November 2009.
Charlotte Carey, Lewis Williams, Megan Phillips, Thomas Heyden, Caitlin Williams and Matt Lancey formed the team that finished overall in 10th place. This bettered last year’s 22nd finish. There was a GOLD won by Charlotte and a BRONZE won by Lewis.
Charlotte – she was unbeaten throughout the event with a great display of powerful TT and, on times, a clever ability to change pace and direction. Only a few Welsh players have won tournaments in Europe, Charlotte has won 3 of them already. Well done Charlotte!
Lewis – Had a bad start to the tournament for his high standards but regained himself to qualify through to the top 12. There he reached a better level and made it to the semis where he came up against a good French player and lost 0-3. He did himself proud to win the ¾ place playoff and get onto the podium.
Matt – Always tries hard and that sometimes overspills into nervousness. He had a tough 1st day losing 3 5 set showdowns which would have put him in the top 12, instead he battled in the lower half of the draw and came a credible 19th.
Megan- Always gives me 100% and she is a luxury to coach. She had a good 1st day losing just once which put her in the top 8. On day 2 she regained her momentum and after losing in the Q-Final she won her remaining games to finish 5th overall.
Thomas – This was his first Welsh event and he found the pace hard at first. In fairness, with being away from home etc, he coped very well and got some great experiences from this trip. He finished 24th but will learn a great deal from his serve and return areas of his game where he needs most work.
Caitlin – What a surprise! She played fantastic all weekend and finished in 16th place. After she qualified in 4th place in her initial group she was on for a top 12 placement. That never came off as she lost the 1st game of the Sunday and therefore was put into the 13-18 group.
Well played to everyone and thanks to Nicola Carey and Tim Evans for helping with coaching, driving and chaperoning the players all weekend long....