BOYS and girls in the Gloucestershire Under-18 teams enjoyed a successful weekend as both teams won two out of three days at the 2008 UK Junior County Championships.

The annual competition runs throughout the UK when counties come together in divisions of four teams.

Each day one county plays another county in their division and there are six singles and three doubles matches. Gloucestershire tennis is on the rise and, to see both teams edged out of promotion on the last day, was both heartbreaking but also encouraging for both the players and county officials.

Gloucestershire were drawn to play in Jersey and the boys beat South of Scotland and Northamptonshire 6-3 before losing narrowly to the Channel Islands 5-4.

The girls overcame Cumbria 7-2, the Isle of Man 6-3 and were edged out by Somerset by the same score on the final day.

Beckford's Jamie Morrow was part of the boys team that also included Dan Shiner (Stroud), Richard Owen (Cirencester), James Barnett (Painswick), Dan Omnes (Painswick), Oliver Duffy (Gloucester), Edward Williams (Fairford) and Tom Barton (Cheltenham).

The girls' team comprised Elisha Hande (Cheltenham), Victoria Rees (Cheltenham), Alicia Barnett (Painswick), Sarah Thomas (Painswick), Megan Horder (Painswick), Bethany Webb (Lydney), Laura Eales (Cirencester) and Sophie Brazell (Cheltenham).