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ALTON ACHIEVES -  FUTURE WIMBLEDON 2020 CHAMPIONS?

These seven players from Alton Primary Schools made it through to the finals, not ofWimbledon, but to the Hampshire Mini Games Tennis Finals.

The Alton Tennis Club LTA Tennis Coach, Michele Price, went into three of the local Alton schools to find players keen enough to play at the Hampshire Mini Games:-  Ansty Junior School, Bentley Primary School, and Wootey Junior School. Most of the children in years 3 and 4 were introduced to the fun and games of tennis with a series of lessons, and six players from each school were chosen from about 600 children to go to the East Hampshire Area competition for team selection.  This contest was held at Alton Sports Centre at the end of May. 

Alton Tennis Club joined forces for the competition with Four Marks Tennis Club, whose coach Andy Warry produced players from his local schools.  Competition for selection for the team was fierce and from over 30 competitors a small team of five boys and six girls were picked to have free coaching to help them compete against the rest of Hampshire at the Mini Games finals inAldershot.

On the Finals day, eleven teams from the whole of the Hampshire area took part in the competition, Basingstoke, East Hants, Eastleigh, Isle of Wight, Fareham, Gosport, New Forest,Portsmouth, Rushmoor, Southampton andWinchester. Rain disrupted several events, but the tennis players were fortunate to compete indoors. After fighting through several rounds of serious competition the East Hampshire team won their way through to the finals, being beaten in the final by a more experienced team fromGosport.

The East Hampshire team consisted of seven players from Alton Tennis Club who are pictured above with their coach Michele Price:

AnstyJuniorSchool - Caitlin McConnell, Alistair McGregor, Harry Yeoell, and Jaymine Patel

BentleySchool : Sophie Croft, and Cyrus Wong, and fromWooteyJuniorSchoolSimon Roberts.

Other players also in the team were from Four Marks Tennis Club:  Poppy Fawcett, Kim Nash, Charlotte Hood, and Emily Cox.