1 December 2014 | Tennis Queensland

From Toowong to Qatar, Brisbane Boys’ College (BBC) students are set to make their mark on the global stage at the World Schools Tennis Championships next year.  

Following a robust match against The Kings School (NSW), Brisbane Boys’ College were crowned national champions for 2014 at the Australian Schools Tennis Championships in Albury (22-26 November 2014).

The team entered as strong contenders, following their victory against the defending national champions, Maribyrnong College (Victoria) in the semi final.

BBC Tennis Captain, Jack Jaede, defeated the Australian Schoolboys Singles Champion to set up the win against Kings.

Team member, Lewis Edwards overcame illness to recover and win the closely contested Doubles tie with Jack, while Mitch Wilson and Jie Dong displayed immense courage and pressure to secure crucial sets in their Singles matches.

Jack and Lewis, along with Nick and Tom Liddy also remained undefeated in the Singles event.

The success follows a string of impressive performances this year, with the team claiming the premiership in the Greater Public Schools (GPS) competition undefeated, the state title and now the national event, defeating the best school teams from across Australia.

The College represented Australia in Poland in 2008, and previously finished second at the nationals.

Tennis Head Coach, Mr Chris Bates, who guided the team to the national title, said the victories were won both on and off the court.

“Words cannot express the determination, discipline and focus of each one of these students,” he said.

“A very special thanks to Paul Setch, who performed the duties of manager, doctor and videographer; Anthony Ross, sports psychologist; coach, Andrew Rolph and Director of Tennis, Chris Rolph for their wonderful support both on and off court.

“Playing on natural grass is a rare experience for many school aged players. In the lead up to the event, boys were able to train at the Queensland Tennis Center in Tennyson on grass courts which proved to be an extremely valuable exercise in preparation for the nationals.

“This is an absolutely sensational effort and an emotional time for the boys involved. Their victory is thoroughly deserved.”

As a result of their performance, the six students will now compete at the International Schools Federation’s World Schools Tennis Championships, held at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar next year.

The team has less than four months to train for this international competition, where they will play against the top boys’ tennis teams from the likes of Belgium, Turkey, Guatemala, England, Brazil, Chile and Germany.