Tennis in Surrey Magazine 2016
Magazine published by Tennis Surrey showcasing 2016.
Magazine published by Tennis Surrey showcasing 2016.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
promotion<br />
Success for Great Brita<strong>in</strong> and<br />
<strong>Surrey</strong> brothers <strong>in</strong> the European<br />
Deaf <strong>Tennis</strong> Championships<br />
Pheobe Suthers<br />
Gera<strong>in</strong>t Richards, the <strong>Tennis</strong><br />
Foundation’s Head of Disability<br />
Player Performance, took his GB<br />
players to the 13th European Deaf<br />
<strong>Tennis</strong> Championships <strong>in</strong> Portoroz,<br />
Slovenia on 4 - 11 June <strong>2016</strong>. <strong>Surrey</strong><br />
were proudly represented by the<br />
Clifton family of Jack and Toby<br />
who play at Purley.<br />
Organised by the Slovenian<br />
Deaf Sports Association under the<br />
auspices of the European Deaf<br />
Sports Organisation, the event<br />
<strong>in</strong>corporated the 1st European<br />
Deaf Junior <strong>Tennis</strong> Championships,<br />
with Great Brita<strong>in</strong> field<strong>in</strong>g<br />
players <strong>in</strong> both senior and junior<br />
championships. Gera<strong>in</strong>t Richards<br />
commented: “On the back of a<br />
successful 1st World Deaf <strong>Tennis</strong><br />
Championships <strong>in</strong> Nott<strong>in</strong>gham<br />
last summer, we went to Slovenia<br />
with another squad which blended<br />
youth with experience as we build<br />
towards the 2017 Deaflympics <strong>in</strong><br />
Turkey.<br />
“There were some very<br />
promis<strong>in</strong>g performances from<br />
our players <strong>in</strong> the senior events <strong>in</strong><br />
Nott<strong>in</strong>gham. Lewis rema<strong>in</strong>s our<br />
most experienced squad member<br />
and was a doubles medallist at<br />
the last European Championships<br />
<strong>in</strong> 2012, where Jack also won his<br />
first <strong>in</strong>ternational medal claim<strong>in</strong>g<br />
silver <strong>in</strong> the boys’ s<strong>in</strong>gles. This<br />
time Jack goes <strong>in</strong>to another major<br />
championships with valuable<br />
experience ga<strong>in</strong>ed from recently<br />
complet<strong>in</strong>g his first year play<strong>in</strong>g<br />
college tennis <strong>in</strong> the USA.”<br />
Medals for <strong>Surrey</strong> pair as<br />
well as six for the team<br />
Toby Clifton and brother Jack<br />
Clifton both f<strong>in</strong>ished the European<br />
Championships with medals after<br />
Jack partnered Lewis Fletcher to<br />
w<strong>in</strong> the men’s doubles bronze<br />
medal on the penultimate day of<br />
competition<br />
“We are delighted by the<br />
performances of our Great<br />
Brita<strong>in</strong> squad at the European<br />
Championships and to come back<br />
with six medals is tremendous<br />
achievement,” said Gera<strong>in</strong>t<br />
Richards, “From Jack and Lewis,<br />
better<strong>in</strong>g their seed<strong>in</strong>g to w<strong>in</strong><br />
the men’s doubles bronze medal<br />
through to Freya w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g her first<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternational medal on her Great<br />
Brita<strong>in</strong> debut, we are very proud of<br />
them all and we have much to look<br />
forward as we work towards future<br />
championships and the 2017<br />
Deaflympics.”<br />
“This has been a very memorable<br />
European Championships with<br />
so many promis<strong>in</strong>g performances<br />
for the future,” added Cather<strong>in</strong>e<br />
Fletcher, the <strong>Tennis</strong> Foundation’s<br />
National Deaf <strong>Tennis</strong> Coach.<br />
“This has been the first European<br />
Championships at which I haven’t<br />
been a player and after w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g<br />
mixed doubles bronze with Lewis<br />
<strong>in</strong> 2012 it has been great to see our<br />
senior players w<strong>in</strong> bronze <strong>in</strong> the<br />
men’s doubles and watch and study<br />
the growth of all our GB players<br />
alongside the emergence of other<br />
players from different countries.<br />
“The performances of our junior<br />
players have been very excit<strong>in</strong>g and<br />
they have all acquitted themselves<br />
admirably and ga<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong>valuable<br />
experience. We can look forward<br />
to next year’s Deaflympics with a<br />
solid foundation and I’m sure we<br />
will <strong>in</strong>spire many more people to<br />
take up the sport so they can enjoy<br />
play<strong>in</strong>g it with friends and family<br />
or even end up represent<strong>in</strong>g their<br />
country!”<br />
F<strong>in</strong>d out more on the new<br />
<strong>Tennis</strong> Foundation website:<br />
www.tennisfoundation.org.uk<br />
Twitter: @<strong>Tennis</strong>fndation<br />
Instagram: <strong>Tennis</strong>_Foundation<br />
Facebook: <strong>Tennis</strong>Foundation1<br />
YouTube: <strong>Tennis</strong> Foundation<br />
www.tennissurrey.org.uk Follow us on twitter @<strong>Tennis</strong>In<strong>Surrey</strong> tennis <strong>in</strong> surrey <strong>2016</strong> 27
Change language