Hopefully, by the time you read this, world number four Andy Murray will have fought his way into yet another Grand Slam Final, and British tennis will be on the verge of our first Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry in 1936. The enigmatic Murray burst onto the scene as a fiery 17 year-old, with a dramatic rise to the top of the game in the golden era of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, and local tennis enthusiasts are privileged to watch many of our current crop of up-and-coming stars next week on the legendary Bath Road grasscourts of the Felixstowe Lawn Tennis Club, which plays host once again to the annual East of England Championships.
Over 100 entries have been received for the Men’s Singles, with the Qualifying event starting on Monday. Reflecting the national trend, the Ladies’ entries are sadly down, and it looks likely that there will just be a main draw entry of 32, which will start on Wednesday, together with the Men’ Main Draw event. An event of this quality gives our local youngsters a great opportunity to take on some of the best players around the country, and it’s good to see Myles Orton, Matt Kirby and Ryan Lambert all entered and keen to benefit from the experience.
Myles Orton, one of Suffolk’s rising sports stars, and runner-up to Jeremy Cowley in the Suffolk Closed Singles at Framlingham last August, was given a Wild Card into the recent Junior Boys’ Singles event at Wimbledon 2012, This accolade was well deserved after a successful year of tennis with many great results, notably winning a Junior ITF Tournament, and winning many matches against some of the country’s top players in the Men’s game. Myles was delighted with this opportunity and said, “ A dream come true, having set my initial target of reaching Wimbledon back at Primary School. I am excited and look forward to playing on the famous grass courts of Wimbledon, and will endeavour to play some great tennis. “
Having turned 18 a few months ago, Myles is about to move onto the adult circuit and become a professional tennis player. He currently trains at Win Tennis, the leading International Tennis Academy at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre run by Mike Walker, ex-Davis Cup player, who remarked, “ Myles is a hard-working, dedicated player, who through hi determination and his family’s support, well deserves this opportunity to play at this year’s Junior Wimbledon Tournament.”
Myle’s parents Martin, a tennis coach in Suffolk, and Maxine, have strived to support his talent over the years, and his proud father commented, “ A fantastic opportunity for him, and he should embrace the experience in preparation for future events – who knows, and let’s hope he is the next tennis superstar – boy, it’s a long and costly road, but we hope he will play the best he can, which is all you can ask for.” Try to get along on Monday and Tuesday and take a look at three genuine Suffolk prospects making their mark in the tennis world.
It would be good to see Myles Orton and Matt Kirby challenging the five-times champion and Men’s County Captain Jeremy Cowley at Framlingham at the beginning of August, though much will depend on their training and tournament schedule. Talking of the highly popular Framlingham Tournament, tomorrow, July 7th, is the closing date for entries, and no entries will be accepted after that date. Any last minute entrants should contact Steve Pilcher on 01473- 614229, with another bumper entry sure to be received !!
The East of England next week heralds the start of the tournament circuit, and next week we will be previewing the opportunities ahead, as well as updating the various schools’ results over another busy season. Many of these schools’ players will be representing their districts at the Suffolk Youth Games at Bury on Sunday, a highly popular competition for those players who are looking to enjoy some more tournament experience. This event will be a very special one this year, as the Olympic torch will be carried through Bury St Edmunds on Saturday, scheduled to arrive at the Youth Games during the afternoon.