If you ever wanted to know what a “Buffin” is or where to go if your dog gets a fish hook stuck in its’ tongue then the 4th Silloth open Tennis Tournament was the place to be.
Add a week of fantastic tennis action from under 8 to adults to the mix and you have the Silloth open in a nutshell. From the bizarre to the amazing it really was a week to remember as another great turnout of over 100 players the length and breadth of the country came to sample the quaint seaside delights of Silloth.
Organiser and Referee David wise said “We always worry that numbers will be low as Silloth is in quite a remote location but we are constantly surprised with many visiting time after time. The quality of play this year was especially high with a lot of highly rated players in attendance and the combination of this and the fantastic sea front location made for a great week.
“The event takes some organising and we couldn’t do it without our fantastic committee of Louise Stoddart and Julie Fisher along with great contributions from Dawn Turnbull, Robert Jefferson, Tracey Breese, Jack Askew and local businesses such as Carrs’ Mill, Jaybee Blakes, Enkev, DA Harrison, Silloth CO-OP, Dickinson Place Caravan Park, Walby Farm Park, Cream O’Galloway, The Golf Hotel, Davison’s Ice Creams, Beacon Vets and Silloth Primary and Secondary Schools.
And as the sun sets across the majestic Solway firth and behind Criffel to produce an amazing display of colours the committee ponder very important questions such as “What else we can offer next year? What was better, the Caramel Shortbread or the Buffins?” (cross between buns and muffins just in case you were wondering) and “Just how to get that fish hook out” (ask the vet who is playing in the mixed doubles) the Silloth open is over for another year and we can all look forward to that other great event that will forever be linked with Silloth (the grass for centre court came from here) Wimbledon and hope that Andy can do it all over again.
Winners:
Under 8: Casey Pattinson (Workington), Alia Brooks (mawbray)
Under 9: Lucy Dickinson (Carlisle), Finn Logue (Carlisle)
Under 10: Kirstin Mcleod (Ponteland), Liam Short (Carlisle)
Under 12: Annabel Davis (St albans), James Hale (Carlisle)
Under 14: Megan Almond (Maryport), Richard Strong (Penrith)
Under 16: no girls event, Louis Glaves (Heversham)
Under 18: Megan Almond (Maryport), Luke Kershaw (Aspatria)
Men’s: Andrew Hoskins (Preston) no ladies
Men’s doubles: Robert Jefferson (Silloth), Louis Pickering (Workington)
Mixed doubles: Robert Jefferson/Emily Wise (Silloth)