ALICE LOVERIDGE skipped the chance to win her own age-group title to step up a category and still win the under-16 title at the Secondary Schools International.

Held at the Welsh Institute for Sport in Cardiff, all the home countries were present plus all the top British players.

Having won the under-14 title in 2007, Loveridge (pictured) was seeded one for this year’s under-16s and had a relatively easy qualifying group in which she won her three games in straight sets.

At the quarter-final stage she played England number three Rachel Baker and in the semis England’s second-ranked player Kirsty Wilson. Both were tough propositions, but each time the Island Games singles gold medallist despatched them in straight games with no real alarms.

In the final she beat England’s  top performer Lucy Davidson, who had beaten Loveridge 12-10 in the fifth set of the team event.