BOURNEMOUTH’S Talbot Heath School has rewritten the history books by winning both the Year 8 and Year 10 girls’ events at the Aegon School Team Tennis National Finals for a second consecutive year at the Bolton Arena.

It is the first time in the competition’s 30-year history that a school has not only won the double but achieved the ‘double double’ by retaining their respective titles.

Both of the school’s teams were seeded first for their draws and hopes were high going into the finals after their success in 2012. The round robin group format meant that Talbot Heath’s teams needed to win all three of their matches to guarantee the tournament victories.

The first day’s play saw the Year 8s go up against Beaconhurst School (Scotland), while the Year 10s started their title challenge against Holmfirth High School, Yorkshire.

Talbot’s Year 8s got off to a strong start with victories in both the doubles rubbers – Erin Richardson and Millie Smythe won 6-4, as did Esther Adeshina and Aleksandra Topalovic, giving the team the advantage going into the singles.

The four players then split up for the singles and scored the wins they needed to take the tie. Richardson registered a 6-3 victory, while Topalovic cruised to a 6-0 bagel-win.

The Year 10s showed their title credentials with a resounding win over Holmfirth. The team dominated the doubles with Eliz Maloney and Lauryn John-Baptiste winning 6-3.

Meanwhile, Jodie Burrage and Selina Briggs took just 19 minutes to complete their 6-0 victory.

Maloney, Briggs and John-Baptiste then blitzed through the singles with 6-0, 6-1, 6-0 wins respectively, to complete the team’s victory.

In the second round of matches, both of Talbot’s teams tore through their opposition. The Year 8s put in a classy performance against Bedford Girls School, Bedfordshire, while the Year 10s cruised past QEGS Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

A flawless performance from the Year 8s resulted in a 12-0 whitewash of Bedford. Danielle Sebata came in for Richardson and the team showed no mercy on the courts, dropping just four games in the six sets played.

The Year 10s also made a change, resting Maloney with Elle Baker stepping in.

The team went one better than their younger Talbot Heath class-mates, by conceding just three games from six sets in a whitewash win of their own against Horncastle.

Going into the final matches of the groups on the Sunday morning, Talbot’s teams were in control of their fate, knowing that one more victory would earn them the titles.

The Year 8s were up against second seeds Cheam School, Surrey, while the Year 10s took on Culford School, Suffolk, in their winner-takes-all encounters.

Maloney returned to the Year 10 line-up and combined with John-Baptiste to take the first doubles 6-4, while Briggs and Burrage won their contest 6-3.

Talbot needed just two singles wins to take the match and the title.

Another dominant display followed as the team took three of the four singles rubbers to win the match 10-2 and complete another memorable national victory.

Meanwhile, the Year 8s, with Richardson back in the team, had won their doubles rubbers. The victorious pairings were Richardson and Smythe who won 6-1 and Adeshina and Topalovic who triumphed 6-3.

The team then secured the two singles wins they needed after Adeshina and Richardson registered 6-4 and 6-0 wins respectively to complete the team’s victory in the match and the tournament.

The victories, combined with the points gained from second place in the Under-19 Aberdare Cup, has confirmed Talbot Heath School’s status as the number one ranked girls’ tennis school in Great Britain.

n In the Year 8 boys event, Bournemouth Collegiate School finished a creditable third with a 10-2 win over Lancaster School, Leicestershire.

Talbot Heath Year 8s