Elite and recreational programmes providing tennis for all
The College provides tennis for all, including an all-year-round programme for elite senior players. Our programme successfully puts the Eastbourne name on the national stage every year.
The summer is the key term for tennis: team and recreational players are involved in a full training programme with fixtures against other tennis schools in the South East. In addition, there is all-year-round tennis available for those who follow other sports. The girls senior team has reached the School’s National Finals six times in the last eight years.
We benefit from our close proximity to Devonshire Park Tennis which allows us to play on some of the finest the grass courts in the country. The Eastbourne International Tennis Championships takes place at the end of June which College pupils can attend; and there’s more.
The College has developed its close relationship with the championship further so that coaches, officials and players could benefit from the proximity of the world-class facilities housed in the College’s new state-of-the-art Winn Building. The College fed all of the officials, event and ball crews for the duration of the tournament, and was delighted to provide some ball boys and girls too.
Elite Tennis Programme
Alongside a strong academic programme, the elite tennis programme is in place to provide tennis excellence for players who aspire to county and national standards of play. The programme runs all year round with a capacity for 12 players to train and play throughout the winter and into the summer. In addition, there is a ‘Bridge Squad’ with St Andrew’s Prep to include a number of their talented 11 to 13 year olds joining in with Eastbourne College pupils. On top of squad sessions, there are one-to-one sessions with top coaches as well as player-led sessions. Winter squad sessions move indoors to the local David Lloyd Centre (DLC), or to the College’s recently built sports centre where individual practise and group strength-and-conditioning sessions take place. This programme of tennis and academic pursuits enables players to achieve full tennis scholarships to top US universities.
STAFF
- Simon Gent – Head of Tennis and oversees players and coaches throughout the year at all levels, including supporting the players in the elite programme. Simon competes regularly and plays for Kent in veterans tennis inter-county matches.
- Craig Wells – an experienced Level 4 LTA Coach who has worked at Eastbourne College for a number of years. He represented Sussex as a junior player and still plays to a high level.
- Luciano Cestari – focuses on the top boy’s tennis squad. He is also Head of Rackets at David Lloyd Eastbourne, and has coached and played in Argentina to Pro Circuit level.
- Phoebe Ecuyer-Dale – Level 2 Tennis Coach, Kent County Player.
- Amelia Davis – Level 2 Tennis Coach, ex-Army Tennis Player, Somerset County Player
RECENT SUCCESSES
2025
- Senior Girls won the Winter Schools LTA Cup
- Senior Girls won the Sussex Sheild.
- Senior Boys came 2nd in the Sussex Sheild.
2024
- Senior girls won the British Schools LTA Winter regional title.
- Senior girls competed in the National Premier League (the only school side in GB to play) playing 7 matches throughout the winter against leading ladies club sides and placed 5th in the South East group.
2023
- Eastbourne College girls reached the National Quarter Finals in both the British Schools Championships and Independent Schools Championships.
- Throughout the Summer Term the girls and boys teams won no less than 12 Sussex County titles at all age groups from U13 to U18.
- In the winter of 2022/23, the girls senior team won the Sussex Ladies Division One winter league.
ALUMNI
2025
- Daisy Barrow (Watt) – Southeastern Oklahoma State, Oklahoma
- Emma Grantham (Nugent) – McKendree University, Illinois
2024
- Becky Fisher (School)– Monmouth University, New Jersey (D1)
- Annabel McKenna (School) – University of Charleston West Virgina
2021
- Melanie Griffith (School) – Arkansas Tech, Arkansas
- Tegan Heaton (School) – Oakland University, Michigan
- Bella Moen (Nugent) – Seton Hall College, New Jersey (D1)
- Aria Wang (School) – Vassar College, New York
2020
- Charlotte Imbert (Nugent) – Pomona College, California
- Summer Reeves (School) – Carson Newman College, Tennessee
2019
- Aziza Aubin (Blackwater) – University of Tennessee, Martin (D1)
- Phoebe Watton (Nugent) – Long Island University, New York (D1)
2018
- Eleanor Chapman (Blackwater) – Lipscomb College, Tennessee (D1)
- Ines Pelvang (School) – University of California, Santa Cruz
