Alice’s Olympic hopes lifted

By Aaron Scoones

Alice Loveridge. (0570861)

IN THE week Alice Loveridge won her first adult Grand Prix event, she has also been asked to join the senior Great Britain development squad for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The weekend saw the 14-year-old Sarnian make her senior debut and walk away with the band one title at the Liverpool Grand Prix.
She also reached the quarter-finals of the open event and the final of the under-21 competition.
But prior to the tournament, Grammar School student Loveridge, who won two gold medals at last year’s Island Games in Rhodes, was invited to join the senior GB development squad by top English coach Alan Cooke.
‘I’m really pleased and it’s another step to the Olympics,’ said Loveridge.
She is already part of the Under-18s British Talent ID squad and spends one week every month training with the group in Sheffield.
She was the only player from the five girls in the programme to be asked to train with the senior squad.
The seniors comprise three women aged from 17 years old to 24.
They are all based at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield and train full-time.
The coaches want Loveridge to move to Sheffield within the next three to six months.
According to Loveridge’s mother Tina, they are not sure how the arrangement will work and she will be meeting with Cooke in the next few weeks to discuss it all.
‘They are really keen for her to join these women,’ said Loveridge snr.
‘It’s a huge commitment.’
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Loveridge jnr has been suffering of late with knee injuries and has had to undergo two hours of physiotherapy a day.
But that did not stop her from taking part in her first competition of the season in Liverpool.
Her first event of the weekend was the women’s band one, which is open to those outside the English top 10.
Loveridge was unseeded and in her first match found herself up against third seed Sally Smith from Devon.
Loveridge saw off Smith 3-1 and comfortably won her other two games to qualify as group champion, which also meant she proceeded automatically to the quarter-finals against Canvey Islands’ Kirsty Wilson.
She won that match in three straight sets.
Next up in her semi-final against archrival and fellow Olympic hope Karina Le Fevre, she was made to fight all the way after five close sets.
But she secured her final place by the narrowest of margins, 12-10 in the deciding game.
In the final Loveridge came up against Stephanie Donnelly, who had disposed of the number one seed Hannah Hicks in her semi-final.
It was clear that Loveridge was determined to start her senior Grand Prix career with a win and she did that in dominating fashion, seeing off Donnelly by three sets to one.
‘I was really pleased with that,’ said Loveridge, who also got prize money of £50 for her efforts.
‘I was just pleased to play in it because I was injured the week before.’
The next day Loveridge competed in the women’s senior open.
She progressed to the quarter-final stage where she came up against Welsh number one and second seed Naomi Owen.
Owen is an experienced international player and despite giving her some scares, Loveridge was not quite good enough losing in three tight sets.
In her final event of the weekend, Loveridge competed in the women’s U-21 singles.
After a difficult qualification, she progressed to the quarter-final stage where a win over Scotland’s Natasha Milikin saw her play her Corrina Whitaker in the semi.
Loveridge was extended all the way before running out a 3-2 winner. In the final and her last game of the weekend she came up against Le Fevre again.
Another titanic battle ensued but on this occasion the English player gained revenge to take the title after winning the deciding leg 11-9.
‘I beat her the day before and I think that was more important to win that because it was at a senior level,’ said Loveridge.