LAURA EALES, from Somerford Keynes, and Alicia Barnett, from Painswick, have won the U18 Girls Doubles title at the AEGON British Junior National Championships held in Nottingham.

Playing with increasing confidence throughout the week, the Stroud High duo took the championship, previously won by Sue Barker, with some breathtaking tennis, defeating the number one seeds Dominique Covington and Kyria Dunford in an exciting final 7-6, 6-2.

Saving two set points when 5-2 down in the first set, Laura and Alicia fought back to win the first set on the tie-break and then stormed through the second set, winning it comfortably.

It was a great performance by the girls who train regularly together at the Virgin Active Club in Gloucester and who have been a regular doubles pair in their successful Stroud High School team.

The partnership will be broken now as Alicia is about to take up a four-year tennis scholarship at a university in Chicago, although Laura is intending to follow a similar path to an American university when she leaves school next summer.