Tennis

Avon Schools Senior Competition

Clifton entered three boys’ pairs and two girls’ pairs into the competition, which was highly contested, and the standard was very good. Clifton are very proud to say that our Boys’ A (Jack Goodwin and Tom Rayson) and Girls A (Giulia Cimmino and Annie Nichols) are Avon Schools Champions, winning both events. Well done to Ollie Hunter, Matt Simms, Simon Koupparis, Fraser Davis and Finn Nunes who also competed well, and to Amelia Campbell and Jessie Auty who reached the finals and played Giulia and Annie to finish as runners up.

Juniors Singles and Doubles

U15 Team Tennis

Senior Students National Competition

Over the winter months we have always entered the Senior Students National Competition. This year we entered two boys’ teams and one girls’ team. Our Boys’ A team narrowly lost to Colston’s Senior boys on a damp, dreary night. The match went on so long that we had to move to the slightly worse-forwear Astro. A special mention to Harry Cox who played his first rugby match of the season and then caught an Uber straight over to BB to play in his singles match!

The girls won their league matches convincingly, which meant that for the third year in a row they were through to the regional finals, which were played in March at Exeter University where they faced Cheltenham Ladies’ in the semi-finals, in which the Clifton players won four matches to two. In the final, the girls had to play St Swithuns, Winchester, which they also won 4-3 on a championship shootout. They held their nerve beautifully, and they should be very proud! Giulia Cimmino, Annie Nichols, Georgia Culley, Johanna Schuberth, Mor Gispan and Sveva Roma are the Regional Champions of the LTA Senior Students for the third year in a row. A great achievement - well done!

Our junior teams did equally well. The Junior Avon Schools Singles and Doubles was held more on an individual basis, unlike the senior team event. Our U15 boys (Junsei Yasuda, Milo Lankester, Halbie Wagstaff and Adam Wyatt) all took part. Playing against some tough county, regional and national standard opposition, the boys did well, with Halbie finishing third after losing to one of his older training partners. The girls were equally brilliant and won their first round matches, which meant that they were then up against some extremely tough competition. Alicia Milligan won a couple of matches in the consolation draw, Megan Whately won her first-round match and then had to play a regional-standard player, and Sophie Houghton had to play a young lady from Montpelier High who was off to Belgium the following day to play in a Tennis Europe tournament to help improve her world-ranking number. Sophie competed well and made Sophia work hard for every point. A great experience for all. Well done.

For the first time, Clifton managed to enter two boys’ teams into the competition. Both teams were placed into different boxes of four or five teams. Our Boys’ A team consisted of Halbie Wagstaff, Adam Wyatt, Junsei Yasuda and Milo Lankester and they comfortably beat every opposition team. Our B team consisting of Billy Rowe, Henry Wilkinson, Plato Lam, Wilf Gemmill and Jake Northover comfortably won all their matches, which meant that both teams are through to the area final against each other. Our Clifton A boys beat our Bs in the final week of term and therefore are through to the regional finals. Our girls also dominated their box and had to play CSET in the area finals. Sophie Houghton, Megan Whately, Alicia Milligan, Julia Fuerst and Andrea Jove Cinca lost narrowly, four matches to two. A great tournament which continues into next academic year.

Mixed Doubles Championship

The inaugural Mixed Doubles trophy was introduced at Clifton this year. Players were sent an entry form and asked to find a friend to be their mixed doubles partner. Over a week, all pairs were put into a draw consisting of tennis team players or non-team players so everyone had a competitive match. The tournament was a great success and had the added bonus of a consolation draw so every pair could play at least two matches. The finals of the main and consolation draw were played at Commem, Libby Laredo and Halbie Wagstaff beating Milo Lankester and Megan Whately, and Amelia Campbell and Jack Goodwin beating Mor Gispan and Fraser Davis on Chapel Court. Consolation winners Lola Barber and Finn Nunes beat Erik Lippert and Shuying Zhang and Eloise Moat and Xander Tate claimed victory over Millie Smith and Wilf Gemmill in the juniors.

Kerris Wagstaff

Eton

It was an honour to travel to Eton on the final Sunday of term and a great way to finish the season. Taking four senior boys, four senior girls and four junior boys, we had a fabulous day of tennis. So much tennis was played, with the junior boys playing a minimum of eight on-set matches. Halbie Wagstaff and Milo Lankester finished second in their box and therefore went through to the main draw. Losing in their first round meant that on the second day they were put into a consolation box where they had to play a further match, which was an eight-game pro set. Junsei Yasuda and Adam Wyatt lost three out of four matches though they were all very competitive. The boys went into a consolation box where they came second, winning two out of four matches. The senior girls were in two separate boxes. Amelia Campbell and Jessie Auty had really tough opposition in the form of many first pairs from tennis schools. They lost all but one match. Annie Nichols and Sophie Houghton had slightly more success, winning three out of four and therefore going through to play in the main draw box. They needed to win the final match in the box to go through to the following day, but the girls lost in a championship tiebreak (10- 8). It was a tough but fun day for the girls. The senior boys were in a different format where two pairs made up a team: Jack Goodwin, Harry Cox, Tom Rayson and Ollie Hunter. Beating Yarm on the first day, the boys were up against the number one seeds, Reed’s. Reed’s are a tennis school and many of their players are either professionals and have world rankings or have once had world rankings. Our boys competed every step of the way but sadly, lost both doubles. This was a really great tournament which I am already looking forward to next year.

Glanville and Aberdare Cups

The U19 National Glanville Cup (boys) and Aberdare Cup (girls) is a tournament we enter every year in which we usually come up against the best of the best tennis schools. This year, after beating QEH girls, Giulia Cimmino, Georgia Culley, Annie Nichols and Sophie Houghton had to face tough opponents Millfield. Our boys’ teams, however, had a slightly more competitive time. Our senior boys’ B (Matt Simm, Fraser Davis, Simon Koupparis, Alexander Long and Finn Nunes) beat Westonbirt School and Colston’s B to end up meeting Dean Close in the semi-finals of the regional event. Our boys’ B sadly lost to Dean Close but this did give our A team a little insight into who Dean Close were.

After beating three schools including Colston’s A, Clifton A (Jack Goodwin, Tom Rayson, Halbie Wagstaff, Harry Cox and Ollie Hunter) had to face the might of Dean Close. Going into the doubles, we were tying 2-2, with their 1st and 2nd players being dominant and our 3rd and 4th players equally dominant. At 3-3 it came down to a championship shootout tiebreak to see who would go through to the national finals. Jack and Halbie stormed to victory 10-1 to secure a place in the national finals and a place in Clifton College history. What a huge achievement.