Eighteen wheelchair tennis players selected to compete at the School Games National Finals
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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.
Eighteen young wheelchair tennis players have been selected by the LTA to represent their regions at the School Games National Finals between 2and 5 September at Loughborough University.
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.
A springboard for some of the biggest names in sport
The School Games have provided a springboard for many of today’s biggest names in sport. Previous competitors include Paralympic champions Hannah Cockroft, Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock, Olympic champion Adam Peaty, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Olympic sprinter Adam Gemili.
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, as some of the most talented young players in the country take to the courts in Loughborough with medals and team honours at stake.
Players will represent their regions, which includes England Blue (North), England White (South), Scotland and Ulster.
England White will be bolstered with the selection of 2018 girls’ and boys’ singles gold medallists Ruby Bishop and Ben Bartram. Seventeen-year-old Bishop recently reached a career-best junior girls’ world ranking at No.7, while 15-year-old Bartram started 2021 by becoming world No.1 in the junior boys’ rankings.
England Blue’s ambitions are boosted by the selection of School Games multi-medallist Abbie Breakwell, who recently attained her career-best at No.3 in the girls’ junior world rankings. Bartram, Bishop and Breakwell all recently competed in the senior main draw at the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Nottingham. All three players are also among several School Games participants who are part of the LTA’s Wheelchair National Age Group Programme.
Earlier this week, Breakwell won the women’s doubles title at the Bucharest Open in Romania alongside partner Britta Wend from Germany. Bartram reached the men’s singles final in Bucharest, finishing runner up to cap off a great week for the 15-year-old.
This year’s School Games coincides with the closing stages of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where the likes of Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid, Jordanne Whiley and Lucy Shuker will be competing on the world stage for Great Britain.
Two-time Paralympian Louise Hunt to be School Games athlete mentor
I am really excited to be an athlete mentor again for the wheelchair tennis athletes at the School Games this year
Two-time Paralympian Louise Hunt, who earlier this week announced her retirement from elite competition, will be returning to the School Games as an athlete mentor for wheelchair tennis.
Hunt is an inspiration to athletes both on and off the tennis court and dedicates a great deal of her time to athlete mentoring and motivational speaking, making her a perfect candidate to support School Games athletes.
“I am really excited to be an athlete mentor again for the wheelchair tennis athletes at the School Games this year,” said Hunt.
“This role is so important to me as it provides an opportunity to support young athletes in the early stages of their careers and help educate them on the wider things around sport rather than just specifically on court performance.
“I wish everyone the best of luck for the games and in their training leading up to it and look forward to seeing you all there.”
The School Games National Finals will be the first multi-sport event for young athletes following the lifting of lockdown restrictions. Athletes have spent the last year and a half working tirelessly on their fitness and training in the hopes of competing at Loughborough University this summer.
Now in its 14th year, the National School Games Finals will celebrate the resilience of young athletes by sharing their stories of how they have stayed motivated and maintained their competitive edge to be ready to compete on this national stage.
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
The National School Games will be streamed live on the Youth Sport Trust YouTube channel which can be viewed here between 2-5 September.
