FOUR tennis players from a Malvern sports club are gleaming with pride after playing on the famed courts of Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Barr-Hamilton, 44, John Clarke, 32, Alfie Mills, 15, and Benedict Stanley, 15, from Manor Park Sports Club, featured in the national finals at the Play Your Way to Wimbledon event.
At the tournament, players compete for an opportunity to progress into a place at the official Wimbledon Grand Slam finals.
Despite the four players not progressing to the latter stages of the tournament, they are all extremely proud of having the chance to play on the most famous tennis courts in the world.
John Clarke said: “It’s been amazing, it really has. It’s such an honour to be here for the first time, playing with my partner, it’s been awesome.”
“We set ourselves no goals as such but it would’ve been really nice to win Wimbledon. It’s a great thing to be proud of.”
Alfie Mills, who featured in the Under-18s category alongside Benedict Stanley, said: “It feels good to be here. There are a few more people here than we usually have watching so it was a good experience.”
Former British No.1 and Play Your Way to Wimbledon ambassador Laura Robson ran a coaching clinic in the week to support the tournament and its aims of inspiring generations to continue playing tennis.
She said: “It’s just so cool to get the chance to play on these courts. I still get a buzz every time I walk out there, so I can’t imagine how they’re feeling.
“I played Road to Wimbledon when I was much younger and I’m still friends with some of the people that I played against. It’s amazing to see how much it’s grown.”
Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone, is the UK’s largest individual mass participation tennis competition. The All England Club and LTA are proud to partner with Vodafone to expand the competition to more players in 2023 with an Adult Doubles pathway, alongside Visual Impairment, Learning Disability and Wheelchair tennis categories.
