55 students from 5 Tyne and Wear based schools competed at the Wanderer’s School Games Event at Sunderland Tennis Centre, March 7th 2017.
The morning welcomed students from Bamburgh, Wallsend St Peters, Epinay, George Washington and Dame Dorothy to complete a number of skills based activities and Tennis Factory stations.
The energy was electric, with every student putting in 100% and enjoying the challenges, which were led by Matt Wigham (Sunderland Tennis Centre), Alison Cartmell (Newcastle), Jo Cunliffe (Lawn Tennis Association), Ian Kendall (Newcastle School Games Organiser), Julie Arthur (Sunderland Tennis Centre) and Claire Lee (Tyne & Wear Sport). All the school teachers and helpers helped score and cheer their respective teams on throughout the event, which truly made the event so memorable!
Following the nonstop activities across the morning, scores were added up and it couldn’t have been any closer with only 5 points between the first and 5th place. The results were as follows,
1st = Epinay (33 points)
2nd = Wallsend (31 points)
3rd = Dame Dorothy (30 points)
4th = Bamburgh (28 points) and George Washington (28 points)
After lunch 14 students from Bamburgh and Epinay arrived to represent their school in the Secondary School competition. The players received some coaching prior to the competition, which saw them complete rally and serving challenges. Every single player was eager to compete and they completed a number of singles and doubles matches against different opponents. Again the teachers and helpers did a great job umpiring matches and encouraging the players to enjoy the event and do their best.
Once again the scores were incredibly close and the 1st and 2nd team had to be decided on a count back! The final results were,
1st = Bamburgh (14 teams points and 51 overall points)
2nd = Epinay A (14 team points and 44 overall points)
3rd Epinay B (8 team points and 32 overall points)
Claire, Alison, Jo and Julie
Jo Cunliffe (Regional Tennis Participation Manager) highlighted,
“What a fantastic event, which was made because of the student’s energy and enthusiasm to do their best and enjoy the event! Tennis truly is an inclusive sport and it was brilliant to watch every student developing core skills, showing great team spirit and enjoyment! Thanks to Tyne and Wear Sport, Wanderer’s, Tennis Foundation and the LTA for their support of the event.”