Private School News

Rydal Penrhos Prep girl Ellie is set on Tennis Success

Ellie Scarff, a local girl from Colwyn Bay has hit the big time with a personal invitation from the Lawn Tennis Association to join their training camp this week and potentially start a future as a serious British contender in tennis. Nick Lawrence, a North Wales Performance Manager for the Welsh National Tennis Centre recently described her as “one of the emerging young talents in North Wales”. Her coach for three years Martyn Lewis , who is an LTA professional says of Ellie “She is No 1 ranked player in Under 12 in North Wales and is very likely to be a Welsh Finalist this year”.

From joining Rydal Penrhos Prep school from the age of three Ellie has been a keen tennis player and swimmer. At four she added ballet and tap to her portfolio and then at six progressed to hockey and netball. At present Ellie puts around 16 hours a week into training, which is supported in school and through outside organisations.

Ellie has been with the junior academy of the Colwyn Bay Hockey club for three years and regularly plays for the girls u11 team and the boys u11 team (as they are allowed two girls to play). Indeed last year she was voted best u10 girl for the season by her coaches.

It was in 2007 when at the age of just seven the Rydal Penrhos Prep girl started to take tennis to a new level when she was asked to play both singles and doubles for the U10 North Wales girls team. She started to win and got a taste for competitive sport. By 2008 Ellie played for the county again and started to play for the Rydal Penrhos Senior girls tennis team despite the fact she was only eight. By 2009 Ellie was ranked no 1 player for North Wales County team 10U.

Ellie says “My sports are a huge part of my everyday life, and I am at my happiest when I am out on court or on the sports field.” Ellie’s mum goes on to say “She is a lovely bubbly girl who tries hard at everything she sets out to do. She balances her sport with academic studies and I am delighted to say she had straight A’s across all subjects in her last school report.”

Ellie who is the head girl at the Rydal Penrhos Prep school at present has just won a sports scholarship to Rydal Penrhos senior school and sets her ambitions high. This year she would like to move up the GB and Welsh rankings at 12U level and feels with the continued support of both the school and the LTA coaches Martyn Lewis and Nick Lawrence with whom she is working very closely that she can continue to improve and develop as a player.