Bartram and Breakwell Enjoy Gold Medal Success at the School Games National Finals

Two of Great Britain’s leading male and female junior wheelchair tennis players, Ben Bartram and Abbie Breakwell put in superb performances over the weekend to take home five gold medals between them at the School Games National Finals.

The School Games National Finals is a multi-sport event organised and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, for talented young athletes across the UK.

Wheelchair tennis made its School Games debut in 2015 and the competition is one of the most prestigious events on the calendar for Britain's junior players.

Ben Bartram, representing England White (South), finished with three Gold medals, winning the boys’ singles and boys’ doubles alongside partner Andrew Penney. The 15-year completed a clean sweep by teaming up with Ruby Bishop to win the mixed doubles title.

Eighteen-year-old Abbie Breakwell, competing in her last School Games, ended up with two gold medals after taking the girls’ singles title and the girls’ doubles with partner Martha Harris for England Blue. It was the fourth consecutive School Games that Breakwell has competed in and she has medalled in singles and doubles in every one she has contested since 2016. In beating Ruby Bishop to the girls' singles gold medal, Breakwell reversed the result of the 2018 girls' singles final (the last School Games before 2021), where Ruby won the gold medal.

Joshua Johns and Ruby Bishop were the two players beaten to gold in the boys’ and girls’ singles respectively, picking up silver medals. 

The School Games National Finals schedule saw the first two days of wheelchair tennis competition played across the same dates as the last two days of medal matches at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, an arena that many of the young medallists will hope to see themselves competing at Paris 2024, LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 in the years’ ahead and beyond.

Athlete mentor and two-time Paralympian, Louise Hunt, thoroughly enjoyed the three days of competition. She said: “A huge well done to all the athletes on their brilliant performances, it’s been a pleasure to be a part of such a fantastic National School Games Final event.”

Team Lists 

England Blue - North

Team Manager – Andy Bell

Joshua Johns - Derbyshire

Lucas Town - Yorkshire

Martha Harris – Nottinghamshire

Abbie Breakwell - Derbyshire

Zak Corbishley – Lancashire

Isabel Collier – Lincolnshire

James Middlehurst – Cumbria

England White - South

Team Manager – Lee Neale

Ruben Harris – Kent

Ruby Bishop – Norfolk

Oliver Cox - Oxfordshire

Nathan Freeman - Sussex

Andrew Penney – Hampshire

Dan Pennington-Bridges – Worcestershire

Ben Bartram – Norfolk

Scotland

Team Manager - Kevin Simpson

Gregor Craig Anderson

Ellie Robertson

Ulster 

Team Manager - Ivor Jess

Nathan McCabe

Brady Chambers