Cardiff Metropolitan University enjoyed  another successful night at this year's Tennis Wales Awards evening. Current players, coaches and alumini featured heavily in many of the award categories.

Cardiff Metropolitan Tennis Club started the evening well, winning the prestigious Disability Programme Award. Our disability programme provides elite Wheelchair and Deaf players the opportunity combine university education and performance tennis. With support from the Tennis Foundation and Tennis Wales, wheelchair coach David Liddiard and university coach, Mike Castle provide high level support for our students, which has seen some fantastic performances from Fran Smith, Ben Johnson-Rolfe and Ewan Allman over the last year. 

James Story, who had been based at Cardiff Met for all of his junior playing career, won Player of the Year.  James has had a fantastic year, winning a Silver medal in the Commonwealth Youth Games boys singles events whilst still under 16. He also won bronze in the mixed doubles with partner Morgan Cross. James was selected for the Under 16’s GB Team for Winter Cup 2017 and helped the team to become European champions. In July, James won the Under 18 ITF event in Scotland and was runner up in the doubles. James was also part of the winning team of the year, for his part in the Commonwealth Youth games Tennis Team. The team consisted of two Under 16 players Morgan Cross and James Story. James Story secured Silver in the Boys singles competition and Morgan narrowly lost out to the no.2 seed in a final set tie-break in the Girls quarter finals. The pair competed together in the mixed doubles to secure a bronze medal win for Wales.

Former undergraduate and post graduate student Rhy Morgan, Head Coach at Mackintosh LTC picked up the Team of the Year Award. Mackintosh LTC increased their membership to 351 in 2017 and programme numbers rise to 285. The club also saw 3 out of 6 league teams promoted during the winter and 4 out of 4 teams promoted in the Summer. The club also fielded 14 Team tennis teams, ran an outreach programme at a local park and raised over £2000 for charity with a 24 hour tennis marathon.

The evening showcased another year of high profile success for Cardiff Met in Welsh tennis and promises a bright future for Cardiff Met Tennis.