Cheam High School girls tennis team have won the Aberdare Cup for the third year in a row at the AEGON National Schools Championships, writes Laura Whitehouse.

Top seeds Cheam beat hosts Queenswood School from Hertfordshire by four rubbers to two in the final.

They had beaten Trent College (Nottingham) and Greehhead College (Huddersfield) on their way to the final in the 32-team competition at Hatfield.

Head coach Tim Webster said: “The girls have done a great job to win the cup.

“They are a great team with a great team spirit and they have come together really well.

“We had some really good wins and I know they were all desperate to retain the title the girls have won the last couple of years.”

The team was made up of Ruth Seabourne, Eleanor Linsell, Cara Gilham and Emily Napier.

However there was disappointment for Cheam’s boys team who, despite being the number one seeds, went down 5-1 to Millfield School in the semi-final.

Elliott Mould, John Richards, Craig Dennis Veal and Joel Parish bounced back to beat Rivington & Blackrod High School (Bolton) 4-1 to claim third place.

“The boys are disappointed not to have made the final,” added Webster.

“All credit to Millfield who played their hearts out and you could see on court how much it meant to everyone.”