Ward started off in Spain, didn't he? I seem to remember that the first time this board noticed him it was in a Spanish futures tournament where he did exceptionally well. At the time, I am fairly certain that he was based in the country. All the best to him in this new venture!
For those with a bit of time to waste (!), there's some cute 'home video' blogs from Abel Rincon Vazquez who is coaching Alex Ward and James Allemby (and Aussie Dan Dowson) these three weeks out in Egypt (some in Spanish):
Remember that the LTA has to"subjectively" decide if a player has the talent before dishing out their hard earned money . To them being top British junior is irrelevant .
I think it's a very good Omen for Jay. It's a blessing in disguise . Hope the objective sponsor continues to sponsor him.
While standing in the queue on Sunday outside the Expo in Belgium on the final day of the DC, I found myself talking to the parents of Barnaby Smith. They tell me he has just signed to train at the Sanchez Casal Academy in Barcelona.
And, without knowing anything really, that seems like an excellent choice.
Beth has never seemed a very adventurous spirit so moving abroad must be a big undertaking.
But Dan Kiernan seems a really friendly, positive guy (only seen him twice but that's the way he came across) and the tweets out of the place are equally up-beat and positive - but not in the 'let's-only-post-the-wins-and-show-off' style - the losses get put up too.
So good luck to her. She's got some good qualities. It would be great to see her take it to the next level.