Game, Set And Match For Ashville College As It’s Crowned Tennis School Of The Year

Published by Ashville College on Friday 19th of May 2023

A HARROGATE school has won a top accolade for the way it is opening up tennis and bringing new players and fans to the game.

Ashville College has been crowned School of the Year in the North of England by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

It joins other “incredible individuals and thriving venues” across the UK who were praised for their outstanding contribution to tennis in 2022. The awards attracted more than 2,200 nominations.

Ashville now goes forward with other regional winners to compete in July for the national title of School of the Year.

The school has several players on both county and regional training programmes, as well a player on the national pathway who has just received his first international call-up.

Ashville’s Head of Tennis, Sophie Cousins, paid tribute to players of all ages for the way they had embraced the sport and taken their skills to new heights.

She said: “There is no shortage of home-grown tennis talent at Ashville. While we are no stranger to winning trophies on the court, it’s great to be triumphant off it as well, thanks to this award.

“Tennis is a great sport for life and is at the forefront of our PE and games curriculum throughout the entire year.

“With no fewer than six hard courts and nine temporary courts, all our pupils get a fantastic opportunity to experience tennis.

“There are social tournaments for parents, friends, grandparents and pupils to promote tennis as a sport for the whole family.

“The sport is also ideal in helping pupils develop key skills, such as confidence, self-esteem, problem-solving and decision-making.”

Ashville’s curriculum is 100% inclusive and includes both mini tennis and tennis for a minimum of 12 weeks.

Pupils are given the opportunity to train for their Tennis Leaders’ Award and there are extra sessions staged after school. More than 130 senior pupils and 50 junior pupils take advantage of this to play tennis at least one evening a week.

Among the other core strengths of the school’s tennis programme are its competitions, which continue to grow.

It organises intra-house tennis matches for every year group, involving no fewer than 224 senior and 64 junior pupils where players experience singles, doubles and mixed formats.

Scott Lloyd, Chief Executive of the LTA, praised Ashville’s support for increasing access to the sport at grass-roots level. He said: “The contribution nominees have made to the game are tremendously positive.

“We are delighted to celebrate their amazing dedication to the game and all they do for local communities.”