Ooh la la - Kelliher gets call-up for GB
RISING tennis star Abby Kelliher has been given a smashing early Christmas present - a Great Britain call-up, writes TONY HODGSON.
The 10-year-old from Wideopen, Newcastle, has been selected to play for Great Britain against France in an under-11 internatinal at Loughborough from December 15-17.
It is the first time Kelliher - who trains at the Jesmond-based Northumberland Tennis Academy - has been selected for her country.
The youngster, who attends St. Cuthberts RC School in Gosforth, finished the summer tennis season as British No 2 in her age group.
In receiving the call from her country she is following in the footsteps of her mother Gillian and her aunt Tracy Smith, who have previously represented GB - winning a bronze medal at over-35 level.
Her father Michael said: “We are very pleased and proud of Abby and to represent your country is always a tremendous achievement.
“She had to go through a series of selection camps, where she was up against some of the country’s best young talent, to gain her GB place.
“Abby took up the sport at the age of four and has enjoyed success in nationally-ranked tournaments in the past three years.
“She has also finished second and third in year-ending tournaments featuring the top 16 British girls in her age group.
“The standard of competition at Loughborough will be very high but Abby will give 100% and hopefully will do well.”
As well as her GB boost, Kelliher has been shortlisted to play at under-12 level in next month’s Winter Cup in Estonia.
She is a previous winner of the Virgin Active Search for a Star competition, earning her vital sponsorship.
Academy manager and head coach Chris Sanderson said: “I have worked with Abby for the past 12 months and she is a real prospect for the future. She is very well coordinated, a very tidy player technically and extremely competitive.
“The big thing about her is she just loves playing - you can see when she is on court how much she is enjoying it.
“Her call-up is a great achievement and so is the fact she is No 2 in Britain in her age group at just 10 the average age of a top-10 player is usually 25.”