Tennis

Next year's season looks very promising as none of the team is leaving and more interest has been created in the lower part of the school, thanks to our coach Mr. Owen-Barnett.

This year there was no Junior Inter-house competition, but the finals of the Senior competition saw a close match between School House and The Rise, with The Rise winning 4-3 after 10 minutes of ova time.

M.G.

In many ways this has been a very good season for the tennis club. We had more players than ever before—a total of 68—and managed to attract a sizeable number away from cricket. There seems to be a promising future for the club, with the resurgence of interest for the game in the School, especially if more youngsters can be encouraged to start and be trained as soon as they come into the School.

In terms of results for the School teams, the season held mixed fortunes. The 1st VI started off with a resounding victory over Archbishop Holgate's but never managed to keep up this early success. Graham Village and Dave Barron, playing more attacking tennis than last season, produced some fine results—including a draw against a county pair from Ashville. However, they seldom managed to summon up enough enthusiasm to defeat vastly inferior pairs, and consequently dropped crucial games. Nick Brown and Des Clout were amongst the converts from cricket, and ended the season by taking more points than any others. Their style of play caused problems for all opponents, and they too achieved a draw against a county pair at Hymers. The third pair was, perhaps, our weakest link. Jon Dryland and John Healey both had great style and flair, but their tendency to go for the more flamboyant shots often let them down. John Lethem played consistently well throughout the season, and added stability to the third pair whenever he played.

Elsewhere there were more encouraging results. The 2nd VI lost only two matches, and were a very formidable side. Rod Barron—who is still eligible to play for the Under 17s—and Martin Gargan played convincingly all season, and were backed up by good performances from John Greaves, Steve Temple, Adrian Wright, and Richard Hepworth. Victories were recorded against Archbishop Holgate's, Worksop, Pocklington and Bootham. The Under 17s, who play in a local league, had a good season, finishing in the top 3 of the table. Rod Barron and Mark Blackburn were too strong for most opponents, in singles and doubles, and there were some promising matches played by the younger members, Graham Cole, Ian Hindhaugh and Ian Wilson.

The House Senior Cup was won, for the second year, by Queen's and the Ladies doubles final was won by Grove.

Thanks from the whole club go to Gina Huntington, who once again came in to give the invaluable coaching necessary if a high standard of tennis is to be maintained in the School. Most of all, thanks are due to Mr. Butler and Mr. Hirst, who worked patiently and tirelessly throughout the season, organising the normal games programme and matches, driving teams to away games, and helping with coaching at all levels. 91