Tennis Players Turn Up The Heat

After struggling to cope with the searing Antiguan heat and talent of their young, speedy opponents, Shiplake’s tennis players could have been forgiven for losing heart after defeats in their first two tour matches.

The Antiguan opponents from Halycon Tennis Club moved the Shiplake players around the court with dept drop shots and consistently accurate winners down the line. Each match is comprised of four singles matches and two doubles contests. In the first match, Shiplake failed to register a victory and succumbed to a 6-0 loss with Antigua’s number one ranked junior player particularly impressive.

Despite this knock in confidence, Shiplake were in truth unfortunate to lose the second fixture. Charlie Sichel and Matt Horsfall had worked hard on their serves in training and this helped them

to win some valuable energy-saving ‘free points’. Sichel won his singles match to post the first victory of the tour, closely followed by George Nicheli who came through a close match to win 6-4. Unfortunately, Shiplake could not claim the wins required in the doubles matches and were faced with a second defeat.

Ahead of the third match, Head of Tennis Mr Mallins made a small wager with the opposition meaning that the losing team would have to sing their national anthem. This served as inspiration for the boys as they came out fighting after a refreshing boat trip on the previous day. Charlie teamed up with Harrison Balchin and claimed an important doubles win. Nicheli and Horsfall quickly followed suit and all of a sudden a first victory was in sight. A stunning display of matchplay from Horsfall got Shiplake over the line, and the team were absolutely delighted with the win. Gracious in the defeat, the opposition lined up to sing the Antiguan national anthem.

The fourth and final match was played in cooler conditions, which was more familiar to the British players. After impressive singles wins, it looked like Shiplake may tie the series. Unfortunately they were not able to get the doubles victory required and the fixture ended in a draw. Perhaps this was the fairest way to end Shiplake’s time with Halycon Tennis Club who have been wonderful and friendly hosts all week. To show their appreciation, the touring pupils donated bag, balls and caps to the club, and treated them to a rendition of the British national anthem.

Mr Mallins was pull of praise for the Shiplake team: "The tennis squad have been well-behaved, focused and a pleasure to spend time with on this tour, and I am very proud of them finishing the series with a win and a draw."