The annual tennis tour to Portugal is a firm favourite among those limbering up for a summer term of racket-based competition.
The weather was just about perfect: warm sunshine softened by a gentle cooling breeze made it ideal for tennis. This was just as well because the students played a lot of tennis.
From the afternoon of day one, until just a few hours before departure on day five, the pupils were engaged in lively high-quality training sessions. These were led by the accomplished 5-Star coaching professionals whose sessions combined technical guidance with aspects of team-play and passages of all-out fun. Each hour, thousands upon thousands of balls were lobbed, sliced, volleyed, smashed and struck with bewildering ferocity – and, to set and maintain the upbeat mood, the various drills were often accompanied by suspect retro music from the 1980s. It worked a treat.
Interspersed between the training sessions, which often happened twice a day, the pupils and staff either relaxed by the pool, played padel (or more tennis) or crazy golf, ate together and generally enjoyed each others company.
In a knockout competition with Abingdon School on day two, Blake Cannon and Kintaro Gledstone played with admirable composure and assurance to reach the final – a feat that was all the more impressive considering Blake was playing with a broken bone in his wrist (to be clear, this was in his left non-playing hand).
And in a Tier 1 internal competition, Luca Rushton enjoyed the twin triumphs of winning the singles and, alongside Oscar Rejwan, the doubles.
In the inter Lower Sixth padel competition, Riccardo Figna and Sam Perry came out on top, winning the final tie-break 7-3 against Oscar Rejwan and Kintaro Gladstone.
The coaches were highly complimentary of the attitude and approach displayed by the Epsom pupils throughout the week. At the end of the final session, they singled out certain players who had consistently gone the extra mile on the tour. They were particularly impressed by Stepan Kaspersky, Emmeline Ackerman, Blake Cannon, Anna Rushton and Jamie Stirling – congratulations to them all. But the pupils who most persistently demonstrated a superb attitude – and were duly selected as the Players of the Tour and awarded with merchandise – were Dan Sindall and Dara Spasova.
Touchingly, Angus English was also called up and rewarded for his dedication, determination and enthusiasm over the tour.
Once again, the Ria Park Hotel provided both a beautiful space to relax and unwind after non-stop tennis sessions, and the most magnificent breakfasts in Western Europe.
Special thanks are due to Sue Church-Jones who, once again, orchestrated an outstanding tour. It should not be forgotten what a selfless act it is to dedicate hundreds of hours to organising and leading an international tour for dozens of students – not to mention the weight of responsibility that it inevitably entails. Sue’s attention to detail is second to none, and yet she carries the burden of responsibility with a lightness, grace and sense of fun that all but guarantees everybody has a most delightful time. Thank you, Sue. In a typically selfless manner, she said she could not have done it without the support of her staff team: Andy Wilson, Nick Russell and Chris Telfer-Mason.
