See Hear - Series 29 - Episode 7

On this week’s episode of See Hear, we’ve put together a Sporting Special. We bring you some of the highlights of last month’s National Deaf Tennis Championship, which was held at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. In the Men’s Open Final, two-times champion Anthony Sinclair from Northern Ireland was all psyched up to give top seed Peter Willcox a run for his money, while talented newcomer Bethany Brookes braced herself for a showdown with five-time winner Cathy Graham. But as we reveal, not all of the drama on the day was confined to the courts… We also speak with Brian Whalley, who is in the process of documenting the history of deaf tennis, to find out how today’s champs measure up against the deaf tennis greats of the past. Also in this week’s programme, we speak to deaf athletes who have been short-changed by the sports funding system and are now having to pay for themselves to go to the Deaflympics in Taipei. Hammer thrower Bethan Lishman has had to borrow £3,000 to pay for her flights and accommodation, while Liverpudlian footballers Gary Crofton and Gary Spotswood are having to raise similar sums. Continuing our sporting theme, we also speak to 18-year old Wigan-based deaf rugby player Ryan Owen, who plays for the Warrington Wolves Under-18s and is now perched on the brink of stardom. Despite being advised by his doctors that an injury could further damage his hearing, Ryan is determined to carve out a successful career in the Super League. He has had a special skull-cap made to accommodate his hearing aid, so that he can hear specific sounds like the referee’s whistle or the calls in the scrums. Finally this week, we have the latest instalment of Memnos’ Stories Behind the Signs, this time looking at cultures that have developed their own specific groups of signs – including gay, Greek, Jewish and black cultures, as well as schools.