Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of attending the U9 tennis tournament hosted at the prestigious Millfield School – a name well-known across the UK for its sporting excellence. It was an exciting day packed with energy, talent, and a real sense of team spirit.

We arrived around 1:30 PM and, to our delight, bumped into one of our son’s classmates who was competing in the U8 tournament for Taunton. It was fantastic to see a familiar face, and we had a lovely catch-up with his parents before being ushered off to a different court for the U9 matches. We later heard that the Taunton U8 team finished second in their tournament – a brilliant achievement!

Our son, who still officially plays for the U8s, was thrilled to be invited to take part in the U9 event. Even more exciting, after the tournament he was asked whether he’d like to join the Somerset Youth & National League Summer 2025 squad for Taunton. Not bad for someone only just stepping into the U9 scene!

In an unexpected twist, my wife got “roped in” to help with captaining the B-team. It wasn’t an easy job—especially since we hadn’t packed anything to write with. Mental note for the next event: bring a pencil case!

Millfield put on a fantastic event, welcoming teams from across Somerset:

• Millfield School (the hosts)
• Taunton (fielding two equally strong teams)
• Beckington Tennis Association (from a village near Frome and Trowbridge)
• Burnham (one of Somerset’s top tennis centres)

Each team consisted of four players, and the format was a round-robin with four singles and two doubles matches per tie. Everyone settled in for what turned out to be a brilliant afternoon of tennis. Matches were played as one set to 7, with sudden death at 6–6—a fast and fun format that kept the players on their toes.

The surface was a bit of a curveball—astro turf without rubber, meaning the ball didn’t bounce the way our son was used to. After his first match, I asked if he found it tricky.

He just grinned and said, “Only in the first three rallies!”

He had a fantastic singles run:

• Won his first match comfortably against Beckington
• Won his second against Millfield (a rematch from a previous U8 tournament, but now on very different terms!)
• Lost his third to Taunton A—mainly due to a drop in focus after falling behind, something we’ve seen before, like in last week’s U8 County Cup. Emotions can run high at this age, and learning to manage them is all part of the journey.
• Round 4 was a break for the B-team. They made the most of it by cheering on their A-team teammates and enjoying some well-earned sunshine, which had been shining all week and weekend.
• Final round against Burnham saw our son finish strong with another win

After the singles were wrapped up, it was time for the doubles matches. Each team paired player 1 & 2, and 3 & 4. Our son played with his doubles partner in the 3 & 4 pairing, and they did brilliantly—winning all four of their doubles matches. They communicated well, supported each other, and there was plenty of “high-fiving” between points—a great display of teamwork and fun.

In the end, it was a very close contest. Taunton A edged out Taunton B by the smallest of margins, finishing 1st and 2nd respectively. Millfield came 3rd, followed by Burnham and Beckington.

That meant medals for the top two teams, and to our son’s delight, he came home with a silver medal! An incredible reward for his effort and a great reminder of how far he’s come.

The tournament was a wonderful showcase of team spirit, developing skills, and sportsmanship. It also gave us a clearer picture of where our son stands with his tennis at the moment—and we couldn’t be prouder.

Next stop: Burnham-on-Sea this coming Sunday for the final of the Somerset U8 Dragon Tour. This will most likely be our son’s last U8 tournament (Well the U8 Individual Championships in August probably still to play), as he fully transitions into the U9 circuit—especially since he’s been training on the U9 court for the last six months.

Bring on the summer tournaments – we’re ready for the next chapter!