Thursday, May 23, Day 1 of the BC Tennis Provincials competition at Queen Elizabeth Park was off to the races. The St. George’s/Crofton House Varsity Tennis Team was set to face off against Port Moody and R.E. Mountain. Both schools were no match for the team, as they managed a dominant sweep taking down both teams 7-0. Through this, the team would now be placed in first from their box as they now moved into the Quarter Finals. Due to the wet weather in the forecast, the team was forced to play yet another match on Day 1 of the competition. They would now face Fraser Heights, which was once again a convincing sweep win of 7-0. Following this victorious day, the team was now set to face the defending champions from Magee in the Semi-Finals of the competition on Day 2.
Day 2 brought wet weather which forced the competition to move to an inside venue at the UBC tennis bubble. The team was prepared to now meet a worthy opponent being that of Magee. Through an intense exchange in matches, the team pulled through winning 5-2. This victory propelled the team forward into the finals of the tournament where they would face off against their rival team being Vancouver College and Little Flower Academy.
On Day 3, the team played once again at the UBC tennis bubble, due to the wet weather. Through fierce determination, the team was able to roll through the VC/LFA team beating them 8-3 in the final matches of the tournament.
This victory was huge for the team as they were fighting back from the tough loss that they faced last year while only receiving a bronze medal in last year’s competition. For the grads, this win brought smiles and laughter to their faces. Team Captain Joey Shen ’24 in particular, was incredibly pleased and relieved with the victory expressing that “the grind finally paid off”. On top of the huge team win, individual awards were handed out to outstanding players in the tournament. With Denny Bao ’24 winning best overall singles player, and Joey Shen ’24 and Matthew Chu 25′ winning best overall doubles players.
On another note, this victory means the end of a dynasty. The class of 24′ brought home two provincial titles in dominant fashion in their time, as well as a bronze medal. With 10 of the 16 people on the team leaving the team, a full team shift will occur in the coming years. Who knows what the future will hold for the team? The team is left to build up the younger players and hope to return to such a strong level in the future.
