C hrist’s College has capped a standout tennis season as the best senior secondary school team in New Zealand at the national final in Auckland. Led by Head of Tennis Lucas Evans and captain Franklin Barry, the five-strong team headed north to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championship
to face talented young tennis players from around the country. With Jack Hansen-Ratter, Nicholas Rayner, and Louis de Lautour also lining up, College A featured boys from Year 10 up. Earning their national spot based on individual rankings, the College team had already retained the South Island Secondary School Tennis Championship title and claimed Canterbury age-group singles and doubles wins. In tandem with representing College, Nicholas has won the Lauriston Tournament on clay in Melbourne and the University of Queensland Junior tournament in Brisbane while Lucas has won both the singles and doubles titles at the Rod Laver Lead-in 16 and Under Tier 1 championships at the Brisbane Tennis Centre in Queensland. Meanwhile, Jack has featured in the New Zealand Junior Davis Cup team at the Asia-Oceania qualifying tournament in Shymkent, Kazakhstan and in the national side competing at the Australian Teams Championships on the Gold Coast. Tennis Master-in-Charge Josh Kim describes the Senior A side as “the best College team in recent history”. “The boys have stood firm throughout the season, leading by example – both on and off the court,” he says. “College was praised by other team managers at nationals for the boys’ on-court performance, character, and excellent sportsmanship after every game.”
For Lucas and Franklin, it is their final year of playing tennis for Christ’s College. “For us, it was our first time in Auckland for nationals following the pandemic disruptions of recent years,” they say. “It has been wonderful travelling with such a great group of boys in our final year of schooling. “We have all combined our talents, integrating everyone into a successful team and coming together so well in terms of morale and self-belief. We have a great team culture, and have played our hardest while always supporting each other to be at our best.” Both credit “the positive atmosphere of tennis at College, along with the support of Mr Kim, and the coaching of Matt and James Meredith, and Hugo Nurse- Strang” for much of their success amid the pressure of competition. “Despite our players being from different year groups, we have gelled as a strong team with the passionate and enthusiastic support of Mr Kim, who has helped to facilitate our path to nationals. Equally, our head coach, Matt, and his brother, James, have worked hard on our technique and resilience, always building on our strengths – both individually and as a team.” For all the players, representing College while playing to win and displaying sportsmanship has been a highlight – in every game, set, and match.
COLLEGE 2024
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