The Chronicle, Autumn 2018

45 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

House Matches and ISTA Following school fixtures, the junior girls, senior boys and senior girls all took part in House Tennis. Tilly’s won the senior boys’ competition, Avenue the senior girls’ and Corfe the junior girls'. To end the season, several pupils were selected to play for the School at the Independent School Tennis Championships held each year at Eton College. The senior boys came up against a strong Bradfield outfit and, despite a commendable performance, they were beaten in a tie-break decider and knocked out of the tournament. The U14 girls also played very well, and despite Anna West and Lily Ainsleigh-Jones winning against the eventual finalists, both teams narrowly missed out on reaching the quarter finals of the plate competition. Hattie Harries-Jones and Kyla Haslett-Hawkins competed for the senior girls. They played exceptionally well together and displayed an exemplary attitude on court to eventually beat Sevenoaks in the final and win the Loveband Plate. Following this, Hattie, Kyla and Emily Potter were given Tennis Colours for their outstanding level of commitment to the sport both on and off the court. formed an excellent partnership from early in the season and Molly Spencer displayed tremendous leadership qualities, always there to be positive and pick up the team whenever this was required. Following narrow 4-5 defeats against Dean Close and Bradfield, the U14A team then displayed why they were one of the standout teams of the season. Losing to Headington and needing to win all three matches in the last round, Molly Spencer and Lila Howard won a closely fought tie- break to win the fixture. Molly Spencer, Lila Howard, Anna West, Lily Ainsleigh- Jones, Izzy Hall and Phoebe Lewis all deserve a mention for their teamwork displayed over the season. We look forward with great anticipation to next summer. The U14B team also enjoyed a challenging season ending in a magnificent 6-3 victory over a strong Wellington team. The C team had a difficult season but they did gain an excellent victory over Bloxham School.

Hamish Roots OSE

Emily Potter

The boys’ 2nd VI had a tricky first fixture against Cheltenham but after this they enjoyed wins over Bloxham and Dean Close. After this promising start the rest of the season proved more challenging as they faced strong opposition such as Eton and Bradfield. The season for the 1st teams was not yet over. They went on to play mixed doubles against Stowe and Wellington College. The seniors played brilliant tennis against Stowe but narrowly lost against a very strong team. However, Fergus Hill and Helena Beccle clinched a 5-4 win for the 2nd VI. Notably, Mike Denvir and Alice Isola were the standout partnership in this fixture. Against Wellington College, despite a sublime performance by Giles Wordsworth and Kyla Haslett-Hawkins, both the 1st and 2nd VI were defeated by an extremely strong Wellington outfit. We look forward to more mixed doubles fixtures in the year ahead. The U15 girls’ A team enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season, led by

Captain Gini Hope, highlights of which included narrow 5-4 wins over Cheltenham and Tudor Hall. Then, after a difficult run of fixtures against Stowe, Dean Close and Bradfield, they recorded another narrow victory over Headington. Jazzy Lewis was the standout player in this fixture and served tremendously well throughout. The U15B again started the year with consecutive wins, including a narrow 5-4 win over Stowe and an emphatic win over Dean Close. There were outstanding performances across the team, with Athena Bonnefoy, Gigi Whipp, Maddy Powell and Lottie Miller winning over 75% of their matches across the entire season. The U15C team had an excellent season and can boast the best record from the Tennis Club, the highlight being the nail biting 5-4 win over Tudor Hall with Hope Spurrier captaining the team admirably. The U14A team again had an excellent start to the season, from an opening day win against Cheltenham to a 9-0 win over Tudor Hall. Anna West and Lily Ainsleigh-Jones