“Pete would be proud” James Bellette said on the turnout to this year’s Bay Area Primary Schools Tennis Championships, which was founded by the late Australian tennis legend Peter Doohan.
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About 60 children from the six Tomaree Peninsula primary schools, plus Stockton, took part in the fifth-annual championship held at Fingal Bay tennis courts on Friday.
“Pete would have been happy to see so many kids out here,” James Bellette from Foreshore Tennis at Fingal Bay said.
“It’s [his death] still pretty fresh. A lot of these kids knew Pete.
“I think a lot of the kids here are playing for Peter.
“Pete would have been proud to see all seven schools here.”
It was in August 2015 that Doohan began offering his junior coaching and development program at Fingal Bay Tennis Club.
Mr Bellette and business partner Kelly Wildon took over the tennis activities at Fingal Bay from Doohan about a year ago, including organising the championship.
Mr Bellette said it was nice to see the increased interest in tennis from children, especially after lacklustre performances from a small number of notable Australian tennis players in recent months.
“We [Australian tennis] had the worst start to Wimbledon since 1936 this year,” Mr Bellette said.
“With what happened with Bernard [Tomic], it’s good it hasn’t had a negative effect on parents choosing tennis for their kids.
“It’s nice to see a noticeable increase of children involved with tennis, that people haven’t lost interest in tennis because of what’s happened at recent grand slams.”
Seven schools took part in this year’s championship – a new record.
Soldiers Point, Anna Bay, Shoal Bay, Tomaree and Stockton public schools plus St Michael’s Primary School and St Philip’s Christian College each sent eight students to take part in the championship.
The championship is a round robin format where students, split in two divisions, play singles and pair against all other schools.
Students ranged in age and skill level.
The youngest participant was Willow Dodd, 7, from Shoal Bay Public School, closely followed by Kobe Martens, 8, from Stockton Public School.
Despite being the smallest in size, the pair were quite the force on the court.
Sahla McElwaine, 9, from Soldiers Point Public School was one of the more experienced students on the court.
The youngster entered the Junior Development Series this year.
She came second in the JDS Northumberland region’s Champion of Champions playoffs on July 23 and earned herself a spot in the NSW under-10 girls JDS finals, which will be held later this year.
All three said they had a lot of fun playing at Fingal Bay on Friday.
St Philip’s reign over the championship was ended by Stockton Public School.
Stockton ended the day on top of the ladder with 75 points, hotly followed by Soldiers Point Public School.
Final standings:
Shoal Bay: 46 Points
Anna Bay: 60 Points
Tomaree: 62 Points
St Philips: 67 Points
St Michaels: 68 Points
Soldiers Point: 71 Points
Stockton: 75 Points
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
