CHIGWELL SCHOOL'S third place in the prestigious HSBC British Schools Tennis Team Competition may see them produce a Tim Henman of the future, and that's according to the man himself. o

The British number one was at Redbridge Sports Centre on Monday to watch the finals of the competition, which saw entries from over 4,600 from schools across Britain.

And after witnessing a high standard of tennis he is confident that among the youngsters taking part, including the Chigwell boys year ten and under team of Karim Khimji, Tom Foster, Jak Pugh and William Taylor, there is a player who could follow in his footsteps.

He said: "I have been coming to these finals for the last five years and it is amazing how the standard has got better and better."

"When you talk about 4,600 schools starting off at the beginning of the year in this competition, then obviously you are going to see some good competition and its is just a great achievement for the teams to have made it through to the finals.

"It should also come as no surprise that many of Britain's top senior and junior players, including myself, once took part in similar HSBC and British Schools Tennis Association competitions.

"And if we can keep building on the interest of the game, then hopefully the next generation can follow through in the not too distant future."

A delighted Kevin Farrant, who is head of PE and Master in charge of tennis at Chigwell said: "I was very pleased with the boys, because it was a massive achievement for them to finish third, especially when you consider they were up against older boys, as they are still all under 14."

Mr Farrant was also keen to add: "This competition, and others like it, are very important for the future of tennis, because it attracts children from a variety of backgrounds. And the sponsorship money that HSBC puts into this event is also great encouragement for youngsters to play the game."

These sentiments are also echoed by Henman, who added: "HSBC has invested a lot of money in tennis and I think everybody who has been involved in this tournament is grateful for that.

"It is really important that future stars start to progress, because Greg Rusedski and I aren't going to be around forever."

The British number one is also keen to do all he can to encourage future generations to play the game, and hpopes that winning Wimbledon being the best incentive.

He said: "I think that I can have an influence, because if youngsters watch me and see what I do week in week out then hopefully they can follow in my footsteps.

"And because of the amount of interest Wimbledon gets, if I could win it then it would certainly be good for the game in this country."

December 13, 2001 13:49