Boys' Tennis

It was an actionpacked season for Kingswood boys’ tennis, with a wide range of ages and abilities on display.

Written by 1st VI Captain, Alex Sedcole.

The first half of term was as packed as ever, with matches on Thursdays and Saturdays providing much opportunity for players to showcase their talent on court. Dominant victories against KES, Monkton and Prior maintained Kingswood’s reputation as the team to beat in the local area.

The 1st team enjoyed a very strong season, with talent from a wide range of year groups contributing to its success. Despite only being in Years 10 and 11, Sam Nash and Ollie Brown proved that age is just a number in tennis. The combination of Ollie’s aggressive shot making, and Sam’s leftie confusion factor proved too much for their opponents, leading to an unbeaten season for the pair. These two proved decisive in our narrow, hard fought victory against fierce rivals Beechen Cliff. Fergus Matthews was an integral part of the 1st team squad, providing unshakeable energy on and off the court. Whilst his standard isn’t quite yet comparable to that of Nick Kyrgios, his level-headedness on court certainly is on par with that of his fellow countryman. Seasonal highlights for the 1st team include a clean-sweep victory against Monkton on grass, and Ollie Brown’s audacious between-the-legs shot.

Our strength in depth was demonstrated this year by the outstanding form of the 2nd team, enjoying an unbeaten season. Louis Record was a dominant force at net, whilst Ollie Williams and Ollie Yates were instrumental from the back. With many players jumping between teams due to unavailability, the stalwart constant of the 2nd team was the pairing of Will Farmer and Xavier Gadras. What Will lacks in speed and agility, Xavier more than makes up for with his strong work ethic; many were impressed to see him running for lost causes and unreachable dropshots. Kit Marrack and Fergus Kerr, back from the tennis wilderness, also chipped in with valuable wins and it was encouraging to see the progress of Jacob Barton, Jamie Phillips and Stan Wood.

Fixtures were less frequent for the more junior teams throughout the season, but when called upon, they never failed to impress. Henri Cairns frequently vaporised his opponent’s hopes of winning, with his impressive racket control and feel. Henri and Alex Kellagher were a formidable partnership; Alex’s unflappable confidence propelling them to many a victory. Alexander Bushell filled in enthusiastically on one occasion, surprising many with his performances, which were impressive and entertaining in equal measure.

As exams loomed and study leave beckoned, Year 11 and 13s became unavailable, allowing many younger players to step up to the senior teams. Year 9s Charlie Barton and Harry Williams put on performances to be proud of for the 2nd team, as did Edward Davey, impressing many with his fierce groundstrokes and high consistency. Ollie Boutin, Archie Tillett and Kian Alizadeh have trained well and possess real potential.

And finally, on to my vice-captain and partner, Shinnosuke. He’s been the perfect complement to my somewhat inconsistent and temperamental playstyle. Dangerous at the net and strong at the back, he’s pulled off some volleys and dropshots that I didn’t think were possible, and I wish him all the best with wherever he takes his tennis next year. With such a depth of talent on show this season, the future looks bright for Kingswood tennis.

COLOURS & AWARDS

COLTS COLOURS: Ollie Brown HALF COLOURS: Fergus Matthews, Ollie J Williams FULL COLOURS: Alex Sedcole, Shinnosuke Yoshiki MOST IMPROVED SENIOR BOYS’ PLAYER: Alex Kellagher MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR BOYS’ PLAYER: Harry Williams

1st VI 2nd VI 3rd VI U16 Friendly

Prior Park College W 8-1 W 7-2 King Edward's Win Monkton Combe W 9-0 W 9-0 W 9-0

Wycliffe

Downside

W 7-2 W 6-0

W 9-0 W 5-1

Dauntsey's

Warminster

L 4-5 W 5-4 L 3-6 W 9-0

Loss