Bryan Watts - Eddie Kirtland Invitation Singles Event played at Redbridge Sports and Leisure

The 2012 Bryan Watts - Eddie Kirtland Invitation Singles Event was run over the weekend of the 6th & 7th October at Redbridge Sports Centre. This event is now firmly fixed in the Essex Tennis Calendar and involves the Top Senior Players and invited Junior Players playing in a 16 Entry Forwards/Backwards Matchplay Tournament. 

The Tournament is specifically scheduled at this time as a 'Leadup' event to the LTA Senior Winter Inter-County Indoor Singles Championships which will be held on 23rd-24th-25th November 2012. The Essex Men are playing at Redbridge Sports Centre over this weekend so come along and support. 

This year attracted a strong Senior Entry, including Richard Wire, Marshall Tutu, Robert Carter, Matthew Pearce, Chris Gardiner, David Wright together with the 'Evergreen' Mark Klein, Peter French and Daniel Bagguley. The Seniors were complimented by the Juniors who eagerly accepted their invitation to compete against their peers with Rob Heaton, Jared Linzell, Joe Rees, Harry Randle, Lewis Thompson, Matthew Porter, Ben Stevenson and Rob Collins, attempting to show the Seniors exactly just how good they were. The Seniors managed to overcome the spirited Challenges of the Juniors but as each year goes by Events of this type will only enhance the performance standing of Essex's Junior Performance Base. It is the intention of the Essex Men's Selection Committee to hold more of this type of Event. 

The Tournament reached it's Semi-Final Stages with all the seeds reaching their allotted seeding positions. In the first Semi-Final Richard Wire, seeded 1, overcame Matthew Pearce, seeded 4, 6-3, 6-1. The second Semi-Final saw Rob Carter, seeded 3, edge out Marshall Tutu, seeded 2, 6-3, 6-3. 

The Final produced some great tennis, with a resurgent Richard Wire finally overcoming the youth of Rob Carter in 3 sets, the final set was a Champions Tie-Break, the score being 3-6, 6-2 [10-7]. The quality of tennis in this Final Match rivaled anything I have ever seen in a Final involving Essex Players with a very different playing style of the 2 Finalists.

We wish the Essex Men's Team every success in the forthcoming LTA Inter-County Singles Championship.

Graham Ray

See the photographs from the Tournament