By Luke Baker

Bromley tennis sensation Thomas Norwood will aim to succeed where Andy Murray failed this year after booking his spot at a prestigious Wimbledon tournament.

The 14-year-old has long been known as one to watch for the future and was at it again on Sunday as he claimed victory at the HSBC Road to Wimbledon south east regional qualifier at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

Norwood, a member at Bromley Tennis Centre, will now play in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge at the All England Club between August 11 and 16.

Murray lost in the quarter-finals at SW19 earlier this month and Ravens Wood School pupil Norwood admits he can’t wait to grace the hallowed Wimbledon turf.

“It’s really good to know I am going to Wimbledon, I’ve never played there before,” said Norwood, who beat Timothy Goodman 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

“I had played Timothy before and our record was even going into Sunday’s game, fortunately I managed to come out on top.

“I’m really excited. I’ve been playing tennis since I was four or five, I’ll be counting down the days until it arrives.

“I’m sure it will be a good experience, although I need to work on my footwork before then. It will be tough to win there but I really hope I can.”

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & under Challenge began in 2002 and is an All England Club junior event initiative supported by the LTA – it has now even expanded into Asia with a pilot scheme run in India with events in Delhi and Mumbai.

It is the largest junior tournament in the UK, involving some 850 clubs, parks and schools with youngsters bidding to reach the national final at the All England Club.

And while Norwood will be appearing at Wimbledon for the first time, Bullers Wood School pupil Nell Miller will be in somewhat familiar surroundings after she reached the SW19 courts for the second year running after she was successful in Worthing’s regional qualifier.

The 14-year-old reached the semi-finals in the national competition last year and is looking to go a step further after overcoming Danielle Daley 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 to qualify.

“In the first set I wasn’t really that up for the game but I got back into it and showed what I was capable of in the second set,” Miller said.

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Nell Miller

“Winning when you’re not playing well is really important in tournaments so I was really pleased with that and it gives me a lot of confidence moving forwards.

“I’ve learnt that I’m able to dig matches out. But I need to not let my opponents get too far ahead. I need to perform like I did in the second set in the first set to make life easier for myself.

“Playing at Wimbledon is the ultimate reward a young player could ask for so to get the opportunity two years in a row is amazing.”

The HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge is the UK's largest national junior grass court tournament and forms part of HSBC’s investment in the stars of the future.

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