Under-14 Malta Tennis Federation players recently travelled to the UK on the invitation of the Lawn Tennis Association for an eight-day training camp. Training was conducted by coach Richard Mole at the LTA indoor centre at Bisham Abbey.

The first part of each session was dedicated to some effective warm-up drills which included physical exercises and fun games.

The second part saw Mole, with the help of his assistant, demonstrating and explaining the exercise required from the juniors. He also explained the purpose of the drills. These were aimed at improving the basic strokes and also to improve consistency.

The afternoon sessions consisted mainly of playing singles and doubles matches. Here, Mole explained some tactical aspects of the game in both events. Throughout the week, the drills prepared by Mole covered all the strokes in tennis - from forehand to backhand, volley, smash and service. Individual corrective measures were also explained.

The last day was dedicated to matches against English players. This gave the Maltese youngsters the opportunity to compare their standard of play to that of their counterparts from the UK. Similar trips are in store as the federation seeks to provide continuous exposure to the youngsters to the international scene.

Gatorade Malta Open fixtures: (Men's singles) SF 10 a.m. M. Schembri vs L Bonello; D. Delicata vs M. Debono. (Ladies singles) SF 10 a.m. L. Camenzuli vs S. Pace; T. Camilleri vs R. Dimech. (Men's doubles) final 2 p.m. G. Asciak/M. Asciak vs M. Vella/P.Z. Mizzi. (Men's Plate) 2 p.m. M. Pecotic vs S. Iles. Ladies singles final - 3 p.m. To follow - men's singles final.