Abingdonian 2017

58 The Abingdonian Tennis This year was an outstanding season for the Abingdon Tennis Club, with three very significant highlights: reaching the Tennis National Championships Final 2017; getting through to the Quarter Finals of the Independent Schools’ Tennis Association (ISTA) Championships 2017 and winning the Phillips Plate at ISTA. Our top five tennis players, Tom Buckle, Sam Christie, Max Hall, Lafite Lo and William Pearson, managed to beat Radley, MCS, Warwick School and Wolverhampton Grammar School in the National Championships 2017. This meant that the School got through to the National Finals as one of the top 16 tennis schools in the country. Sam Christie, Max Hall, Lafite Lo and William Pearson reached the quarter- finals of the ISTA Championships 2017 (Youll Cup - U19 Boys), a prestigious event, being in the same company as many tennis academies and fine schools that attract talent from around the world: Millfield, Reed’s, Culford, Eton, Repton, New Hall and Ewell Castle. We were very close to making it to the semi-finals, losing narrowly to New Hall. In the end, we were placed sixth in the championships, which is very respectable. Jimmy Strainge and Ethan McLellan won the Phillips Plate, having beaten UCS, Culford, Whitgift and Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School. This is the first time this plate has been won by Abingdon. Credit to both of the boys as they both played incredibly well throughout the championships. These results would not have been achievable were it not for the players and their commitment to training throughout the year as well as the parents’ continuous support. Many thanks also to the devoted staff and our fantastic tennis professional Martin Butler. Martin is a great coach whose eye for detail enables him to add significant value to players of all abilities. Pre-season Tennis Camps The juniors trained between Monday 10 April and Wednesday 12 April during the Easter holidays in preparation for the season. This was 12 hours in total and the boys showed determination and grit to push beyond their respective comfort zones. The 1st team camp took place on Saturday 22 April. The boys all worked hard to improve in preparation for the forthcoming season with Martin. There was a healthy balance between work on the technical, tactical and mental details of the game with plenty of match practice to test all of these elements. Independent Schools’ League The 1st VIII managed to win their group, comprehensively, beating Wellington, Marlborough and Epsom. ‘Radlingdon’ Open The top 16 pairs from Abingdon and Radley battled it out at the second ‘Radlingdon’ Open Tennis Tournament hosted by Radley. This competition saw boys from all years playing against each other. There were some excellent contests, such as Will Taylor and Felix Breach, who were in the third year, very nearly beating an Upper Sixth Radley pairing in a thoroughly entertaining match that went to a tiebreak. William Pearson and Lafite Lo reached the semi-final of the main draw. Sam Christie and Max Hall reached the final. However, it was a very hot day and William Pearson bravely stepped in to play in the final. Unfortunately, Radley proved to be too strong on this occasion. Huge congratulations must go to Charlie Atkinson and Huba Varady, who