56 hearing impaired children from 13 schools across the North East, took part in their annual mini tennis tournament held at Tennis World, Middlesbrough on 25th March. The event organised by Durham and Cleveland LTA and run by John Schofield, is now in its 22 year and as popular as ever.
After a series of round robin matches, followed by knockout semi-finals, competitors from 5 schools ended up contesting the 4 age group 4 finals, the results of which were:
Girls 10 & Under: Billie Jayne Smith (Sunnyside) bt Amy Lawson (George Washington) 7-2, 7-1
Boys 10 & Under: Taylor Lee McIntyre (St Johns) bt James Webb (Sunnyside) 7-4, 4-7, 7-4
Girls 11+: Lily Fairbank Taylor (St Johns) bt Tahreema Khatum (Thorny Close) 7-4, 7-5
Boys 11+: Macauley Lee McIntyre (St Johns) bt Robbie Smith (Bamburgh) 7-1, 7-0
In addition to the tournament finalists, 3 awards are given for “Best Endeavour” – competitors who tried their very best, always had a smile despite results, and showed a willingness to help. Not the easiest decisions to make but the following fully deserved their award and went away with big smiles on their faces:
Chris Osborne Illingworth – age 11 (Sunnyside)
Angela Low - age 14 (Glendene College)
Harvey Minto - age 6 (Thornyclose)
At the end, Sunnyside Academy sprang a surprise on John Schofield by presenting him with a framed picture of the Sunnyside competitors, a Trophy and card in thanks and recognition for his many years of dedication to the event.