© AELTC/ T Hindley

Surrey’s Tom Farqharson and Samantha Vickers from Lincolnshire are the newest names to be inscribed on All England Club trophies and gilded to honour rolls after winning the 2005 Road to Wimbledon National 14 and Under Challenge this weekend.

Farqharson, the top seed from nearby Cheam who had survived near-elimination in the quarter finals by saving a match point, found himself in the losing position after the first set of his final with Essex’s David Watson before the match swung back in his favour. He started the second set with a run of five straight games, allowed his opponent to hold his serve on the next one, before producing a faultless deciding set to win 4-6 6-1 6-0.

“At the start I missed a lot of shots but I cleared my mind and started to make him play more balls and the momentum changed in the second,” said Farqharson afterwards. “I managed to relax and it flowed from there.”

Like many of this week’s 120 plus competitors representing every corner of England, Scotland and Wales, Farqharson had never previously played on grass. But like every one of the players, he revelled in the event’s unique atmosphere and left the stadium doubly inspired to return as a future competitor in the Championships proper.

“We all found it a great experience to play on the same courts where the top players have been,” he said. “Even going into the changing rooms makes you think of the players that have been here before. I had never played on the grass before but I think if I played a lot more it could be my favourite surface.

“I’m hoping to stay focussed, get the highest ranking I can and hopefully play here as a senior one day.”

The same wish was echoed by the girl’s winner, Samantha Vickers. “I’ve improved a lot since I came here last year and lost in the first round. It was great to come back and this is the last this I can play the event but I want to be a professional player and hopefully I will get the chance to come back again as a senior.”

The deceptively talented Vickers, who plays at the same Tennis Buddies Club as the tournament’s 2003 winner, Jade Windley, was overpowered by Hannah Torrance from Middlesex in opening games of the final. But remembering advice from a fellow player gave she adapted her game to cope with the Westway Sport Centre player’s armoury of serve and forehand. Just like in the boys final, the momentum swung and having been 4-1 down she won all of the next 11 games.

“She played the first two games really well, I rushed them a bit, but I remembered the tips I got from girl who played her in semi finals - keep it off her forehand and return well – and that helped,” said Vickers. “She had a good serve so I knew I would have to had to return really well to win.”

“It’s fantastic to win,” added Vickers, who was also awarded the girl’s event’s “Fair Play” trophy. “Jade won here two year ago, we are at the same club, where there’s a great atmosphere, team spirit and the coaches are very good.”

For Vickers, Toro, Farqharson and Watson, the final leg of the Road to Wimbledon Challenge, which began at club level last April, takes them to the LTA’s winter training base in La Manga for week-long training camp as a reward for their success last week.

In Spain, the foursome can expect the same dry weather and azure skies which had blessed the

the national finals between Monday morning and mid afternoon, Saturday (seeing out Consolation finals won by Hertfordshire’s Matthew Thomson and Amelia Milsom from Oxfordshire). But Wimbledon would not be the same without at least one downpour and the rain was unleashed onto Aorangi Park partway through the doubles finals.

Indoor courts saw the conclusion with Artiom Kolpakov (Middlesex) & Edson Smith (Hertfordshire) winning the boys title whilst Samantha Vickers teamed up with Amelia Hanley from Lancashire to win the girls doubles.

Mark Cox, a member of the British team which reached the Davis Cup final in 1978, presented the prizes and gave the final word on a tournament which forms an important element of the Club’s Road to Wimbledon junior tennis programme launched in 2001 to encourage tennis clubs throughout the Britain to give more support to junior tennis.

“Wimbledon is the jewel in the crown and the Mecca of tennis tournaments and this week is an inspired event which I hope will reap its justified rewards.

“Playing here in the Road to Wimbledon is a marvelous opportunity to all of the players who have done extraordinarily well to be here. I have no doubt it will be a trigger for everyone to go out, work harder and get better.”

Boys' singles final
Tom Farqharson (Surrey) bt David Watson (Essex) 4-6 6-1 6-0

Girls' singles final
Samantha Vickers (Lincolnshire) bt Hannah Toro (Middlesex) 6-4 6-0

Boys' doubles final
Artiom Kolpakov (Middlesex) & Edson Smith (Hertfordshire) bt
Michael Ajibade (Lancashire) & Andrew Rodgers (Lancashire) 6-2 6-4

Girls' doubles final
Amelia Hanley (Lancashire) & Samantha Vickers (Lincolnshire) bt
Joanna Horne (Leicestershire) & Natalie Ali (Kent) 6-2 6-2

Boys' consolation singles final
Matthew Thomson (Herts) bt Joshua McTaggart (Cheshire) 6-3 6-2

Girls' consolation singles final
Amelia Milsom (Oxfordshire) bt Emma Windsor (Shropshire) 6-3 6-2