Eleven-year-old J’Quon Duvall-Richards, from Midsomer Norton, is a talented young tennis player who is already showing great promise on the national stage, being named as the national number one player in the Under-10s category last year.
For the past few years, he has been training at Bath Tennis Club and has been recently accepted on the Junior Tennis Programme by Alan Jones, former coach of Jo Durie, the former British Number One, as well as gaining a place at the prestigious school, the Harefield Academy in Middlesex. However, this will require him to board in London during term time, which has led his family to look for sponsorship to help fund his training.
J’Quon’s mother, Jenna, said: “Being a single parent and working nights as a carer for the elderly, I have tried my best to support my son these past four years – taking him all over the UK to enable him to compete, but it is a very expensive and time consuming sport. I have exhausted my finances and I really need help.
“He has been so dedicated and worked really hard over the last three years, it’s the right time for him to be guided by those who can harness his natural ability. As a junior player, I have no doubt that Junior Tennis Coaching can help take my son to the next level in his chosen career and such a talent should not be wasted due to my financial restraint.”
J’Quon and his mum have set up an online campaign to help gain sponsorship for his schooling and training – they hope to raise as much as possible to enable him to continue his dreams from this September. To find out more about J’Quon or to sponsor him, please visit: www.pledge sports.org/projects/jquon-fast-furious-about-tennis/