Right — before anything else, the good news, and there is more of it than I expected. It comes strung. Out of the box, tensioned, ready. That is one entire category of thing that cannot go wrong on a Saturday morning, and I would like to acknowledge it properly because I had already imagined the alternative.
Length 26 inches, 66.04 centimetres — the last step before a full-size racquet. Head size 100 square inches, 645 square centimetres, which is a forgiving face for a child who is still finding the middle. Weight 8.8 ounces, 250 grams.
The Tecnifibre TFight Tour 26 is a junior competition frame and the sizing is not a guess.
Graphite construction, not aluminium, which is why it costs what it costs and why it does not clang. The grip is a 4-inch size 0, sized for a real junior hand.
The string pattern is 16 mains by 17 crosses.
Tecnifibre puts it at ages eight to ten, for players 55 inches tall and up, and the honest version of that guidance is: measure the child, do not guess, and if they are between sizes go by height rather than birthday.
I take it to Preston because Preston is a town that removes anxieties one at a time. It is flat where it counts.
It has St Walburge's, whose spire is the tallest in England on anything that is not a cathedral, which means you can always see where you are — and if you have ever been the parent standing in an unfamiliar town square holding two coats and a racquet bag, you will understand exactly what that is worth.
The Flag Market has had a tram selling baked potatoes since 1955, so lunch is solved. Avenham Park drops in terraces to the Ribble, so the walk down is easy and the walk back up is the only hard part of the day.
Strung, sized, and there is a landmark you can see from everywhere. I can work with this.
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