Two young Northumbrian tennis players will have the opportunity to compete on the hallowed grass courts of Wimbledon next month. Sam Knowles, of Tynemouth and Emily Allison from Ponteland will compete at the All England Club next week after emerging victorious in the county Road to Wimbledon event.
The HSBC Road to Wimbledon event is the biggest annual recreational junior tournament in British Tennis offering young players aged 11-14 the opportunity to rise through the ranks of their club and county before qualifying for the national finals. 11 year old Sam & 13 year old Emily won their respective club events at Cullercoats Tennis Club & Cramlington Community Tennis before competing in the county finals at The Northumberland Club in Newcastle.
Sam Knowles, a pupil at Kings Priory School in Tyne & Wear first picked up a racquet at the tender age of 2 years old, hitting the ball like a hockey ball until he successfully got it over the net. Sam played 4 matches in the club stage of the event followed by another 2 in the county final to win the chance to represent Northumberland at SW19.
‘Sam is very excited – he just loves tennis and is excited to see Wimbledon from a new perspective’ said mum, Rachel.
Emily Allison, who has just left Ponteland Middle School and will start at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle in September has played tennis since the ripe old age of 7. Emily trains regularly at David Lloyd in Sunderland as well as the Northumberland Club. Emily played 2 matches in both the club and county events successfully seeing off competition from her teammates.
'Emily played some good matches against her friends who she knows from training’ explained dad, Steve. ‘She is very excited to play at Wimbledon and looking forward to making the most of the experience regardless of the results’.
Both Emily & Sam will now head to London for a school summer holiday to remember – the national finals take place at Wimbledon from 14-19th August. All finalists will receive a special Wimbledon souvenir, an invitation to the Players Party, a Wimbledon museum voucher, a tour of the grounds and an allowance for accommodation and meals. Wimbledon will play host to over 350 matches during finals week with a singles round robin leading to a knock out draw plus doubles. The latest news about the competition can be found here: www.lta.org.uk/competitions/junior/road-to-wimbledon