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Millfield U15 boys narrowly beaten in National Tennis Tie Break Final
Pupils in Years 10 and 11 from Millfield School in Street, Somerset, recently took part in the U15 Boys National Schools Tennis Finals at the Bolton Arena on the 5th and 6th December. The boys had previously won the regional finals on 17th November, beating Bournemouth School 6-0, thus enabling them to progress through to this stage.
The team of Yuvraj Kumar (aged 15 from India) at 4, Gibra'el Teja (aged 15 from Kenya) at 3, Tim McLarty (aged 15 from Abingdon) at 2, and captain Scott Clayton (aged 15 from Jersey) at 1, travelled to Bolton on Friday 4th December. The following day they overcame Bishop Stopford School by a 6-0 margin, followed by another impressive win against a stronger Leeds Grammar School (who have links to the Leeds high performance centre) 6-0. These two results gave Millfield a solid platform from which to enter Sunday's match with Reed's School. Millfield started this match very well, winning their number two doubles 6-2, and losing a hard fought number 1 doubles 4-6. Yuvraj Kumar then played very solidly and consistently to win 6-1, giving Millfield a 2-1 lead. Gibra'el Teja then came up against a strong and consistent player, which saw Millfield lose 6-2, bringing the tie to 2-2 in matches, and leaving Tim McLarty in a tough position at number 2. He proved more resilient than his talented opponent, winning 6-3, and giving captain Scott Clayton the chance to seal the title against a GB Junior Davis Cup player. He started very well, winning the first four games in commanding fashion, only for his opponent to respond resiliently and surprise Scott with an unfortunate but remarkable comeback to win 6-4.
With the tie evenly poised at 3-3, the team had to nominate two players to play a doubles Champions tie break to 10, with the winning team claiming the National Schools U15 title. A strong start with lots of energy from Millfield's nominated pair of Scott Clayton and Tim McLarty gave the team hope. However, the Reed's pair rallied and served strongly at the crucial times, raising their game, with Millfield being pipped to the post right at the end, losing the tie break 10-8 and with it the National title.
Although the boys were naturally disappointed, Millfield's close fought U15 Boys National Schools campaign can be viewed as a success in many ways as everyone played their part, played some good tennis and won some good matches as a team. The squad, including the players above and 5th man Jack Keyes, all played a major part in this year's successful, hard fought campaign. These efforts and performances certainly have not gone unnoticed by the coaches and hopefully the team can overcome this loss and learn from their individual experiences in this team event. Our congratulations to Reed's.
Photo (l-r): Tim McLarty, Yuvraj Kumar, Scott Clayton, Gibra'el Teja, Jack Keyes
