Back in the old routine and a lot of news to catch up with!
The Isle of Man Senior Closed Championships held at Ballaughton and Douglas LTC have been played this week and, whilst the overall entry was low, our Juniors have supported the event but with some interesting results so far. One which caught my eye was in the Mixed Doubles where Roch Mirski (13) and Charlotte Clarke (12) beat the “more mature” pairing of Nerijuis Gricevicius and Katsuyo Yamasaki 6/1 6/2. Roch has so far had a good tournament winning a Men’s Doubles with Jack Christian versus Kevin Drury and Nerijuis 6/2 6/1. It’s good to see our Juniors entering Senior events as there is not enough Junior competition on the island. To gain experience they have to travel to the UK. Finals Day is Sunday at the Albany with Women’s and Men’s Singles at 1pm and Women’s and Men’s Doubles at 3pm.
The next event at the club would have been the Equiom Junior Open but referee Ian Watson has suggested this be held in September due to a clash with other events and non-availability of some players, mainly Juniors going on holiday. A new date will be announced in next week's news.
There are still other events for our juniors i.e. the Road to Wimbledon at Douglas LTC on Saturday 14th July. Players must be 14 and under i.e. born 1st September 2003 to 31st August 2007 and be rated 10.2 to 7.1 or have no rating as of 17th April 2018. This is Boy's and Girl's Singles. Albany juniors please e-mail your entry to iomtennis@manx.net. This the IOM County Final. The Boy’s and Girl’s winners will qualify for the National finals at Wimbledon and the runners-up are invited to a day’s coaching at Wimbledon. Also for juniors the IOM Closed Junior Championships will be held from14–22 July at Kensington Road. Enter on line or e-mail iomtennis@anx.net.
The ball machine has arrived at last! This has been sponsored by Nedbank Private Wealth and club coach Ian Watson. The committee are planning an official launch/open day, probably with social tennis and a barbeque. More details soon. The club is very grateful to Nedbank Private Wealth, especially Cathy Cowin, for supporting this idea. This will be a great asset for members young and not so young, coaching sessions or private use.
Charlotte Clarke (12) is still travelling to pursue her tennis career. She played in a 16 & under event at Holcombe Brook, Lancs. Her travel costs were kindly sponsored by Tower Insurance Ltd and she won her first two matches before having to withdraw from the semi-final with a wrist injury. She is fit again and playing in Nottingham this weekend in an 18 & under event. That will be tough at her age but she is strong and skilful for her age. This trip is again sponsored by Tower Insurance Ltd. She will return to the island for Sundays Senior Women’s Final at Albany. So let’s have a few supporters to cheer her on. Then next weekend she is off to Warrington for a 16 & under event. This trip is sponsored by Cubbin& Bregazzi Ltd. Charlotte and her parents are extremely grateful for the sponsorship she is receiving. If any of our other talented juniors (or seniors) are playing in the UK or Europe please let me have details – date, venue, event and results and are you looking for sponsorship. There may be help available once I have some publicity.