Sidmouth Tennis club coaches Sue Wiltshire and Daryl Bass took a group of Under-8 boys to Plymouth recently, writes Kate Truman.

Jack Scorey, Jerry Min, Eli Moss, Oliver Knight, Reece Taylor and Kasper Courtney were competing in their first ever mini red tournament at the Plymouth Virgin Active indoor courts.

It was very much a case of an early – but keen – start for the ‘Mini Murrays’ – a tag the youngsters are apparently very happy to be referred to as!

It was an early but keen start for the ‘Mini Murrays’, which is how the youngsters were happy to be referred to! As much as parents and coaches were talking about experience and enjoyment, all of the boys said they craved the winning feeling and the medals, closely followed by the scrumptious packed lunches.

It was fun all the way. The club had entered two teams named ‘Super Slammers’ and ‘Ultra Tennis’ and were up against what appeared to be quite refined and well sponsored teams from Ivybridge and Heron Tennis Centres with the Devonshire tennis team proving to be their closest rivals.

All of the boys were able to try out their newly acquired doubles game tactics (which they had only practised the day before) and their brilliant will to win attitude exposed them to some frustration as well as healthy pressure. What a great way to nurture the comradeship amongst the children! The tournament offered a spectrum of new skills to acquire – there was the go-it-alone challenge for the team members in the singles, the communication test in the doubles (where the partners had to actually talk to each other about tennis and not minecraft!), and then there was the team spirit on the sidelines with the group of supporting parent biting their nails and developing a deep appreciation for Judy Murray as they learned the positive spins for every on-court action. Above all, it was a day for starting many beautiful friendships. Boys were praising each other for their aces and spins and even for making each other run a lot on the court. By the end of the day it was high fives all around with their teammates and competitors, as well as their coaches and mums and dads. A jubilant Sidmouth team returned home with many wins under their belts and even the best team name thrown in for a good measure!

After all those cold and rainy days spent on the Sidmouth seafront courts with their hard working coaches, the boys are now ready for the sun-filled spring and summer season and many more tennis tournaments to come.

The Club’s current coaching programme for juniors is available to view on its website at www.sidmouthtennisclub.co.uk or contact Club coach Sue Wiltshire on 07402 047011 for more information.