Find out how Avon girls winner Georgina Miles-Hilpern & runner-up Hayley Louise-James got on at this year's Road to Wimbledon Finals.
Georgina Miles-Hilpern / Winner
This year I entered the Road to Wimbledon. It started at my school (Badminton, in Westbury-on-Trym), where my friend and I both got through to play the next round at Kings Tennis Club where I played the other winners from schools and clubs. I ended up in the finals playing against my friend Hayley Louise-James, and after a tough 2 hours, I won. I had never been so excited in my life – I was going to play at Wimbledon!
And it truly did live up to my expectations! The atmosphere was great, and I made lots of new friends from other Counties during a really fun dinner on the Tuesday night, with a magician and games. Also, we were very lucky, as we were treated to beautiful sunny weather for nearly the whole week.
The whole tournament was really well organized, and my family really enjoyed it too.
I played a total of 8 matches – 6 singles and 2 doubles. Eventually I got beaten in the quarters of the consolation on Thursday. It was all very posh, with court supervisors who came on court to flip the coin at the beginning; just like Wimbledon!
Also, we were all treated to a £50 gift voucher to spend in the lovely Wimbledon shop, and after our first matches were given an eye dazzling shiny gold Prince Wimbledon shoulder bag!
I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I felt so spoiled!
The whole week was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I really enjoyed it!
Wherever I end up in the tennis world, I’ll always be able to say that I’ve played at Wimbledon!
Hayley Louise-James / Runner-up
This year I qualified for the Road to Wimbledon Finals which are held on the practice courts and a few of the championship courts at the All England Tennis Club, Wimbledon.
I played well and managed to qualify for the main draw. I then won my first match of the main draw on championship court 19 and made it to the last 16. However, I lost my next match and didn’t get through to the quarter finals.
At the club, we were all very well looked after and everything was very professional. Everybody had to play in white clothing and the court supervisors were always around to keep everyone in order. When we got there we were given £50 to spend in the Wimbledon shop and a Wimbledon sports bag. Whilst I was there, I also got to go on a free tour of the grounds, in which I saw Tim Henman playing. The tour was a great experience and was really good.
Overall I had a great week and everyone at the All England Tennis Club made me feel like a professional tennis player.