2012 will be a year that the girls of Talbot Heath School will never forget after they became national champions at the AEGON Team Tennis Schools competition.
Both the year 8 and year 10 teams had won through to the national finals after victory in the regional competitions in November. The year 8 team, consisting of; Jodie Burrage, Eliz Maloney, Erin Richardson, Danielle Sebata and Millie Smythe, were up against the best opposition from across the U.K in a four team round-robin group.
The team were unstoppable in their first tie was against George Heriots School from Scotland. They won all six matches without dropping a set and by only conceding three games overall.
Up next for Talbot was Bedford Girls School. The tie was slightly closer than their first group game, but the team were always in control as they won the tie in straight sets and matches. Once again they didn’t drop any sets and only conceded nine games on their way to the win.
The final tie of the group was against Sevenoaks School from Kent in an encounter that would decide winner of the group and of the competition. A strong performance from the Talbot girls saw them ensure the victory they needed by winning five of the six matches.
Talbot finished top of the group and were crowned national champions. During a truly memorable day, they were also secured their status as the number one ranked team in the U.K and in the AEGON Team Tennis Schools rankings.
The year 10 team, made up of; Elle Baker, Selina Briggs, Sophia Haine, Lauryn John-Baptiste and Ema Lazic, were pitted against three top teams; Surrey’s Putney High School, Scotland’s Strathallan School and Loughborough High School from Leicestershire.
They faced Loughborough in their first tie and the Talbot team got off to the best start possible with a dominant whitewash win in which they only dropped one solitary game.
Their second tie was against Strathallan School and Talbot’s form from their opener was carried forward as they set about demolishing their Scottish opposition. Talbot conceded just two games and they only dropped a match because of a walkover.
These results meant that a win against Putney High School in their final match would confirm them as national champions. The tie was their closest of their three played, but Talbot were simply too strong for their opponents as they recorded a 10-2 victory after winning five of the six matches in the tie.
Similarly to the year 8s, the Talbot year 10s were also crowned as the number one team in the rankings and sealed their place at the top of the AEGON Team Tennis Schools rankings.
Talbot Heath School have set their standards high and will be hard pushed to follow-up this year’s performance with similar success in 2013. But the ability and depth among the school’s players is a positive sign for potential of having many more champions in the future.
Click Here for more information on Talbot Heath School’s national success.
By Harry Lund