Reed’s Tennis at the World Schools’ Championships in Italy
BackOur 1st boys’ tennis team had the privilege of representing England at the World Schools’ Tennis Championships in Castel di Sangro, Italy. We were very proud to attend this event for the sixth time in a row, having previously won the World Schools’ Championships on three occasions. The tournament brings together teams from across the world in a true festival of tennis and culture.
In the round-robin group we gained a thumping 6-0 victory over Chile, followed by a solid 5-1 defeat of Germany. In our final group match against France, the match was extremely tight and, although we eventually lost 3-2 , we still qualified for the quarter-finals where an excellent win meant a semi-final spot for the sixth successive time. In the semi-final facing top seeds, Turkey, the boys battled really hard but were not able to match their strong physical opponents.
The tournament itself was an incredible experience. At the Opening Ceremony, all the teams paraded through the town accompanied by marching bands and big crowds! During the week, the boys were regularly interviewed by the local press and had lots of photos taken with local school children visiting the event. The finale was a stunning fireworks display at the football stadium.
Overall, however, this was a very good result for a young team with only one of our players being above the Fourth Form. It was also a wonderful experience for the boys and will give them memories that will last a lifetime. Now the hard work begins to win the British National Championships in 2020 in order to qualify for the World Schools’ Championships in 2021 in Puerto Rico!
Adrian Blackman, Director of Tennis
