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Published:
March 1, 2009
Young Burnham-On-Sea tennis
player serves up an ace performance
 Young
Burnham-On-Sea tennis player Tom Colls reached the semi-finals
of an Under Tens county tennis tournament in Bristol last week.
The
players were split into three groups at the David Lloyd Tennis
Centre and Tom, 9, won his group by winning two out of his three
matches.
But
because the winners of the two other groups also won two out of
three games, Tom had to play each of them to claim a place in
the semi-finals.
He
went on to win all three games and was thrilled to be in his first
semi-final, where he faced the number one seed, Louis Shaw, a
talented player from Bristol.
Although
Tom lost to Louis after a hard battle, he can be very proud of
his performance, playing seven short set matches in one day.
Tom
was only nine in December, making him one of the youngest players
in his age group. Tom's mum was with him on Friday and was even
more nervous than him, watching from a distance and living every
point with him!
 Tom
became a member of Burnham's Nathan Edwards Tennis Academy last
March following the selection process and is one of the strongest
players at present.
"Tom
was already a member of Burnham's Avenue Tennis Club and had been
playing the game since age five but the Academy's training programme,
combined with the excellent coaching of Jamie Allen and Greg Kyd,
have elevated his tennis to a new level. The academy hopes this
is just the beginning of Tom's success," the Academy's Sally
Edwards told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
"The
commitment of his mum Nikki and dad Dave has also been essential
in his development, and they have expressed their appreciation
and support of the academy."
 Tom's
event was part of a Grade 3 Tournament which attracted an entry
of 250 players in all age groups, including an open event for
over 18's which was won by Dan Sidaway from Cardiff, who was Nathan
Edwards' doubles partner. Dan also won the mens singles at the
Grade 3 David Lloyd Christmas Tournament, receiving The Edwards
Family Shield.
There are still a few places available in the Academy and anyone
who believes their child has enough talent to join, should contact
Sally on 01278 784080.
Children
need to be under 10 and the game requires atheticism, great footwork,
excellent hand eye co-ordination, a competative spirit and strong
mental attitude.
The
Academy continues to need financial support and welcomes donations
or sponsorship to enable them to continue developing future talent.
The
photos show (from top) Tom Colls in action in Bristol last week;
Dan Sidaway receiving The Edwards Family Shield from Sally Edwards;
and Alex Allen getting the Nathan Edwards Memorial Trophy
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