The Tentec Herefordshire & Worcestershire County Closed saw Colin Bennett take his 15th consecutive Mens' Open Title.
Jamie Marks pictured here with Colin made a gallant attempt to dislodge the champion losing 4-6 1-6 in the final.
Felix Goodbody reports on the event.....
Adults and juniors from all over Herefordshire and Worcestershire arrived at Manor Park Tennis Club this week for a celebration of local tennis at the Tentec H&W County Closed Tournament. High level competitors entered in singles and doubles events across all age groups and were able to enjoy the friendly atmosphere, bright sunshine and excellent tennis at the club.
The tournament opened on Sunday with a win in the Mens’ Open for Colin Bennett, adding his name once again to the championship cup he has held for over a decade whilst competing internationally to achieve his top world ranking in the Over 35s age group. In spite of this enviable pedigree the champion was pushed in a close final by Manor Park favourite Jamie Marks in front of a vocal crowd.
Wins for Malvern players came later in the week, Jamie seized the the Under 18s singles and Under 18s doubles alongside Seb Timmermans - with another win for doubles specialists Tobie Timmermans and Adam Stanton in the Under 16s doubles.
Impressive performances across age groups came from Alex Parker from Ross on Wye with victories in the Under 14s and Under 16s singles while popular local Ellie Fleming of Manor Park seized the girls Under 16s trophy in a tense final clash with Kate Horsburgh from Worcester.
Finals day on Friday was a magnificent occasion for both players and spectators - with the picturesque grass of the club attracting an impressive cheering section hungry for high quality tennis. A great turnout for the Under 8s and 9s events gave the older players an indication of the future standard of junior tennis in the county and wins for Isabelle O’Connor, Stuart Shannon, Paulina Jurkowska and Patrick Niedzwiedz amid tight competition have surely begun friendly rivalries to be continued in subsequent years of play.
Beautiful conditions during the week and a supportive ethos amongst the players was crowned with a presentation of prizes from Ian King, President of H&WLTA and former president of the Lawn Tennis Association, and stirring words of encouragement to the young players eager to make their mark in tennis after an inspirational summer for the sport.
H&W Boy and Girl Player of the Year went to Jamie Marks and Kirsten Campbell-Ferguson respectively and Team of the Year was won by the 12U Girls following their magnificient bronze medal in the Aegon 12U County Cup event at Bolton.
All results can be seen here
The county, as always, is grateful for all the hard work put into this event by the Referee, Ed Bradford with help from Felix Goodbody, Jane Smallwood and Lucy Simper and behind the scenes Doreen Aubrey and Jo Marks