GB glory for Perse Prep tennis ace
Etienne Lamb (Year 6) proved to be a big hitter after helping the Great Britain U11 tennis team to victory in a fixture against France.
The Perse Prep pupil was part of a mixed team for the event in Nottingham, which featured singles and doubles matches, with GB running out 50-30 winners.
Etienne was picked to represent GB following on from being selected for the LTA’s National Player Pathway.
Being involved in the programme gives Etienne access to the LTA’s Regional Player Development Centres (RPDC), so he trains at Dukes Meadows, Chiswick, with Head of Junior RPDC Ruaridh Macleod, as well as his lead coach Nick Brown at David Lloyd Cambridge.
It has also led to opportunities such as competing in the Smrikva Bowl in Croatia – a tournament featuring the best young players from around the world – with Etienne coming third in the mixed doubles with another GB player last year.
However, Etienne said it was a thrill to play for GB in a team event, winning one of his two matches in helping achieve the overall victory against France.
He said: “I was very happy and proud to play for Team GB. I loved wearing the Union Flag with Great Britain written on the back of the shirt and having our team photos.
“I train with the other players quite often and we get on really well. It was great fun cheering on the other matches and amazing to feel the support of the team when I was playing.
“The matches were very tough and France had a couple of really brilliant players, so I enjoyed it a lot and it was a great experience to work out how to win on court.”
Etienne is on a fine run of form, having won five regional tournaments during the Christmas break, and now hopes to earn selection for a major international U11 event in France later this year.
He said: “I love playing tennis and competing, so playing at this level is great to improve my game.
“I want to keep working hard and enjoying the journey. Hopefully I will be selected for more big matches in the future.”
Etienne’s mother Elky added: “We really appreciate the wonderful support, encouragement and flexibility from The Perse Prep, especially Mr Piper (Head) and Etienne’s teachers, that enable him to meet his training and tournament commitments.”
Published