During the annual Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis Fall Classic tournament in September, an all-ages competition, a curious thing happened on the way to the championships. Five young girls — all 12 or 13 years old — emerged as victors.
During the annual Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis Fall Classic tournament in September, an all-ages competition, a curious thing happened on the way to the championships. Five young girls — all 12 or 13 years old — emerged as victors.
Vineyard Youth Tennis hosts a professional exhibition on Thursday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. at the Youth Tennis Center located near the roundabout.
When Ned Fennessy began coaching the Vineyard boys’ tennis team in 1991, he often found himself working with athletes who were at a disadvantage. Some lacked racquets, others lacked proper shoes and nearly all lacked a tennis background.
“I was having to teach basic fundamentals — this is how you hold the racquet, this is how you follow through,” he said on Saturday, sitting on the team bus as the Vineyarders returned home from picking up their second straight state title.
Things have changed in the past two decades.
When people say that history repeats itself, they aren’t usually referring to high school tennis.
But in a match that lasted just under an hour and a half last Saturday afternoon, the Vineyard boys successfully defended their Massachusetts division three state championship title with a 4-1 win against Bromfield.
A cheering crowd of Island fans greeted the Vineyard boys tennis team when it returned home Saturday carrying a trophy for the second straight year.
The boys won the division three state tournament 4-1 Saturday in a match against Bromfield at Clark University in Worcester.
Kent Leonard clinched the match at singles, 6-3, 6-3, an hour and 15 minutes into play.
Play was under way early Saturday afternoon on the courts at Clark University in Worcester with the storied Vineyard boys tennis team, in the state championship finals for the second straight year. The team plays Bromfield for the state division three title. The Gazette will be posting live accounts of the match on twitter.
