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Tyne and Wear Youngsters Serve up a Storm

With the competition for places in the Grand Final of the Tony Blair Tennis Challenge Cup hotting up, Thursday 28 June saw Tyne and Wear’s emerging tennis talents take to the courts at the Sunderland Tennis Centre to compete for a coveted ticket to the Grand Final.

The teams of Year 3 boys and girls were briefed on what the competition would involve at the start of the day and then got straight into their matches and skills challenges, attacking them with great enthusiasm. There were some very strong performances on the day, and many of the young competitors looked as if they had been studying their Wimbledon heroes to try and emulate their performances.

While the Year 3 pupils were putting their best shots to the test on the courts and in the Tennis Factory skills challenges, a team of 13 volunteers from St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School were umpiring and overseeing the matches and challenges. These volunteers gained Tennis Competition Organisers awards with the support of The Tony Blair Sports Foundation, and were able to put their skills into practice by overseeing the Tyne and Wear County Final. Well done to all of the volunteers who helped on the day and a big thank you to the Lawn Tennis Association, the Tennis Foundation, the teachers, coaches and clubs who organised the day and supported the lead up to the Tyne and Wear County Final.

After all of the scores were collected and added up, the winners were announced as Rickleton Primary School from Sunderland, with Priory Primary School from Tynemouth as runners up. Congratulations to both of these teams who go forward to the Grand Final on 6 July.

The final results from the Tyne and Wear County Final:

1st Rickleton Primary School, Sunderland - 534 points

2nd Priory Primary School, Tynemouth - 502 points

3rd Benedict Biscop CE Academy, Sunderland - 473 points

4th Appletree Gardens First School, Whitley Bay - 429 points

5th Ashley Primary School, South Shields - 417 points

6th East Boldon Junior School, East Boldon - 389 points

7th Roman Road Primary School, Gateshead - 358 points

If you would like to find out more about getting involved in the Tony Blair Tennis Challenge Cup, please get in touch with us by emailing info@tonyblairsportsfoundation.org

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