Anyone for tennis?

As we look forward to Wimbledon beginning on July 1, Old Rips president Derek Crookes casts his net through the RGS tennis archives. (See our update on our latest tennis aces at the end)

2024 UPDATE

Tennis aces show huge promise

RIPON Grammar School’s tennis aces showed huge promise at a Yorkshire schools tennis tournament.

Up against Sedbergh, St Peter’s, Scarborough College, Bootham School and Bradford Grammar - all independent schools - the RGS U18 boys’ A and B teams came in third and fifth place over six matches, including doubles and singles

Dan Brown and Eashan Turnbull in the A team won four matches and lost two, with Henry Simpson and Ryan Lui in the B team winning three and losing in the Tiebreak 10s tournament at York Tennis Club.

Rising tennis star, RGS captain Dan (pictured below), who has only been playing tennis for two years, came second out of the 24 individual players with Eashan coming joint fourth.

Dan, 17, from Burton Leonard, was the youngest to qualify for a recent men’s regional Lawn Tennis Association grade 3 tour event, up against nationally ranked players.

Selected for Newcastle University’s sports and exercise science academy, he coaches juniors and adults at Ripon Tennis Centre and is also a keen cyclist.

Studying biology, geography and PE at A-level, he trains on court up to eight hours every week and his ambition is to enter an International Tennis Federation $15,000 Futures event before he is 20.

He first took up the sport aged 14 as the practical element of his bronze Duke of Edinburgh award: “My two idols are Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz and my coaches Chris and Olivier at Ripon Tennis Centre have helped me immensely with my tennis journey.

“I like that tennis is all about problem solving and having to learn to control your emotions and also each time you play someone, you have to completely change your play style to best beat your opponent,” he says.