JERSEY’S junior tennis players enjoyed another memorable Inter-Insular weekend, retaining the Under-14 trophy after a dramatic and high-quality contest with Guernsey, while the Under-18s were left to rue a combination of fine margins and disrupted travel in a hard-fought defeat.
Vice-chair of the Jersey Tennis Association Sonia Smith described the weekend as “a game of two halves”, with contrasting fortunes across the two age groups but plenty of positives to take from both encounters.
“The Under-18s lost again and the Under-14s retained the trophy,” Smith explained. “It finished six-all overall, but because we won the Under-14s last year, we retained the trophy. It was really exciting.”
The Under-14s delivered a performance full of resilience, particularly in the decisive doubles matches that ultimately secured the silverware. Playing in Jersey, the home side made a fast start, with strong early singles wins setting the tone.
Moley Carnegie-Bedlow and Bailey Gleeson both claimed convincing victories to put Jersey on the front foot, while the girls’ matches proved far tighter, with several contests going the distance against a talented Guernsey lineup.
Smith highlighted the depth and character shown throughout the squad, particularly as the tie edged towards a tense finale. “We knew it was going to come down to the doubles,” she said. “There was a lot of pressure, but the boys absolutely nailed it when it mattered.”
Bailey Gleeson and Jayden De Abreu produced a composed straight-sets win to keep Jersey firmly in contention, before the number-one pairing of Jonty Porter and Moley Carnegie-Bedlow delivered the decisive blow. In a match Smith described as “proper doubles tennis”, the Jersey pair held their nerve to claim a championship tie-break victory against Guernsey’s leading duo.
“The standard was really high – volleys flying, great movement, real quality,” Smith said. “Jonty and Moley played a really solid tie-break and that was the moment that secured the trophy. It was a fantastic result.”
There were also encouraging performances from Jersey’s younger players, with 11-year-old Gemma Bailey making her Inter-Insular debut and pushing her opponents hard alongside Imogen Forbes. “Gemma did really well on debut,” Smith noted. “That experience will be huge for her development.”
The weekend was also supported off the court, with the newly launched Essentia café hosting a soft opening to provide team lunches during the event.
The JTA expressed its gratitude to the new operators, who ensured players, coaches and officials were well looked after across the day. Essentia is set to open fully to the public in the coming weeks at the Caesarean Tennis Club.
While the Under-14s celebrated, the Under-18s faced a far tougher challenge away in Guernsey, compounded by significant travel disruption. A late change to flights resulted in a compressed schedule and a shortened ‘Fast4’ match format, something Smith felt played into the hosts’ hands.
“Our kids were basically running off the plane and straight onto the court,” she said. “They had about ten minutes to warm up. That’s not ideal, especially against a strong home side.”
Despite the circumstances, Jersey competed admirably, with Max Forbes and Ben Carnegie both securing singles wins via championship tie-breaks. However, the tie ultimately swung Guernsey’s way after Jersey won just one of their doubles matches through captain Nile Hannah and Sam Carnegie.
“It was really close,” Smith added. “The scoreline doesn’t tell the full story. On another day, in a full format, it could have gone very differently.”
Smith was keen to praise the spirit, behaviour and quality shown by players across both age groups. “There was a fantastic atmosphere, real fist-pumping, competitive tennis,” she said. “Even if you weren’t a parent, it was exciting to watch.”
With strong sponsorship support once again from SaSo Strategic Advisers and a clear pathway of talent emerging, Smith believes the future of junior tennis in Jersey remains bright.
“There’s a lot of depth, a lot of spirit, and a lot of enjoyment,” she said. “Weekends like this show just how much these fixtures mean – and how much potential there is coming through.”
