Wow — what an amazing trip this has turned out to be.
Considering everything that went against us from the very beginning, and a few challenges throughout the trip, it really is a trip we will all remember. The M4 crash resulted in us being at a standstill for around 7–8 hours, meaning we missed our original plans and had to take the next available flight that evening. That flight was then delayed by another hour. We eventually flew to Alicante rather than Murcia, had to change our transfer arrangements and finally arrived at around 4:30am, with heads hitting the pillows at around 5am!
Looking back, though, it wasn’t so bad!
The players on this trip were amazing. Throughout everything that was outside of our control, they were extremely understanding, patient and positive. On reflection, it was a great experience for them to understand that these things happen — there is only so much you can do and only so much you can control.
If anything, I think all of this brought the group closer together. It was fantastic to see how well they all got on, respected each other, and supported one another throughout the trip.
The venue was fantastic, the courts played nicely and, most importantly, the tennis was excellent.
For me personally, it was great to see the players grow in maturity and take on more responsibility throughout the trip. By the end, they were becoming much better at thinking for themselves, both on and off the court. By Sunday, they looked streets ahead of where they had been during those first few hours on court. They were asking more questions, becoming more inquisitive, and really getting stuck into the challenges of playing on clay.
There has been a huge amount of planning and organising that has gone into making this trip happen, but it has been totally worth it. These players, Liz and the coaches will remember this trip for a long time — especially as it is the first time Wiltshire Tennis has done anything like this.
A massive thank you to Kath for all her help with the flights, costings and gathering information and data. Thank you to Liz Lewis for completing the risk assessment, and to Liz B for all her support while we were out there.
And, of course, a huge thank you to Neil and Barry for their massive input on court. The level of coaching and knowledge they brought to the trip was on another level.
Overall, a fantastic experience, both on and off the court. It was a real privilege to be part of it, and hopefully this is the first of many trips like this for Wiltshire Tennis.
Lewis Fletcher
Wiltshire Performance Lead
