The Year 10 Boys’ team from Millfield Prep School will be in celebratory mood after emphatically securing their spot in the Aegon Team Tennis Schools National Finals.
A dominant display in the south west regional finals saw the team storm through the four team knockout draw and into contention at the national finals which take place on 30th November at the Bolton Arena.
In the regionals at Bath University Tennis Centre, the year 10 boys’ took on Dorset’s St.Peter’s School in the semi-finals. A potentially tough match on paper turned into a one-sided affair out on the courts as Millfield raced away with the tie from the word go. After a clean sweep in the singles matches, the team then continued the rout by winning both doubles matches to complete a 12-0 whitewash victory.
The final of the draw saw Millfield take on Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School (QEH) Bristol for a spot in the national finals. Another strong performance from the Somerset school followed with another four wins in the singles. A close final doubles match threatened the team’s chances for a 100% match record, but some calm play under pressure saw Luke Hammond and Timothy Kiehl through to win 11-9 in a tie-break, taking them match and the tie for a second consecutive whitewash win.
Unfortunately for the school, the other three teams from Millfield weren’t able to join the year 10 boys, but not through lack of trying. The year 8 boys suffered a narrow semi-final defeat to St.Peter’s School via a match tie-break after the scores finished level at 6-6. A school from Dorset was responsible for the exit of both the year 8 and year 10 girls’ teams. Millfield’s team reached the final of their respective draws but were both comprehensively beaten 12-0 by the national defending champions Talbot Heath School.
Team Line-ups:
Year 10 Boys: Angus Bradshaw, Nicholas Brookes, Luke Hammond, Timothy Kiehl, Tristan Rudolph.
Year 10 Girls: Bettina Booker, Iona Clive, Kate Cunningham, Lucy Harper, Jodie Thomas, Maria Yatsenko.
Year 8 Girls: Isabel Barrett, Phoebe Cuthbertson-Smith, Annabelle Davis, Tara Ellis, Emily Thomas.
Year 8 Boys: Matthew Crofts, Oliver Monteiro, Lefferis Ngugi, James Thomas, Luke Tweed.
Click on each team title to see more information on their matches at the Aegon Team Tennis Schools Regional Finals at the University of Bath Tennis Centre.