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HABS Under 15 Pair win Phillips Cup at Eton 

Several Habs Tennis players have been in action at the I.S.T.A Championships at Eton this week. The competition is always very strong with a number of schools having nationally ranked players.

There were a number of impressive performances from our boys. In the under 13 competition Andrew Gilbert and Justin Mullem won 3 out of their 4 matches in the John Barrett Cup to qualify for the knockout stage. Unfortunately, the draw was a tough one and they faced Reeds School, a renowned Tennis school who can boast having Tim Henman as an old boy. Andrew and Justin both performed bravely but their more experienced opponents won the match eventually going on to win the whole competition.

It was at Under 15 level that all pre-tournament expectations were surpassed by Will Dunnigan and Felix Taljaard. In the Plate competition, straight sets wins over Coulsdon, Portsmouth, our own pair Ed Curtis and Amar Vaghela, and Uppingham set up a semi-final clash with St Paul’s.

Our opponents, as well as being previous winners of the competition, had won through to this stage without going close to dropping a set and it was clearly going to be a tough test. In the early exchanges Felix and Will lifted their game to another level playing some wonderful doubles tennis volleying their opponents to frustration in the first set to win 7-5. St Paul’s responded very positively and the 6-2 reverse left the match perfectly poised for an exciting climax. Having been in this position a number of times in the County League this season the Habs pair held their nerve to win 14-12 to earn their place in the final. So, after playing their first match three days earlier and with limbs tiring in the afternoon sun, Felix and Will faced Rugby School in the Phillips Cup Final. The first set proved every bit as close as their previous match but the Habs pair produced the winning shots at vital times to take it 7-5. This proved to be a crucial psychological blow and they went on to win the second set 6-2. On the conclusion of the match, Felix and Will were presented with a huge trophy and left the excellent facilities of Eton having been crowned the first-ever winners from Habs of the Phillips Cup since it began in 1978.