Hamish Dron is First Bristols' Schools Cup Winner

By Mark Swallow

On Sunday March 25th young players competed at BRTC for the first Bristol Schools' Cup, with Hamish Dron emerging as our first champion. Hitting 20 winners in the final match, Hamish triumphed over Christopher Streatfeild-James, Ted and Tom to carry off the brand new trophy. And, when he was told he could not keep the silverware, he signalled that he would be back to defend his title!

Nine boys, aged from 12 to 16, started their day at the club with five competitive drills to amass points and achieve a ranking. Chase Laying was first up, one boy recording better than half a yard with the first chase of his life. Next came Really Rally, in which competitors posted their highest number of shots. They then progressed to the Dedans Blast drill, drilling balls into that glorious aperture. The legendarily wide BRTC bandeau thwarted many a drive but these players, some on court for the very first time, frequently made the netting billow. Finally, we witnessed the Side Wall Slither, players whipping the ball down the main wall in a bid to clip the tambour or, for double points, whack the grille.

During a sporting lunch the scores were revealed and five boys then competed in a rolling doubles to further boost their ranking. The stage was then set for the four top-scoring drillmeisters to take to the court for the timed doubles. There were many frank exchanges, powerful volleys and effective serves. In fact, it was extraordinary how quickly and emphatically all nine players had improved. If word gets out - which it must! - Hamish will have to see off many more rivals to keep his cup in March 2013.