Leading players push themselves in new series

GUERNSEY'S top eight players now have an extra competitive focus during the autumn and winter. The Powerade Premier league pits the leading lights against each other to keep the best at the peak of fitness.

'Due to the emergence of juniors and influx of overseas workers into the island, Guernsey tennis has seen its standard and depth grow to the strongest ever,' said Richard Smeed, of the Guernsey Lawn Tennis Association.

'This league has been set up to give the island's top players competitive tennis throughout the winter, so that they are match-fit for the National Club League, in which they compete against the top sides in England.'

The first round of clashes saw two extremely tight matches, with Jimmy Wood and Andy Privett edging a very close tussle with Richard Smeed and Neil de Kock 7-6, 6-4.

In the other match, Ian Robinson and Chris Hickling overcame the newly-crowned island champions Dominic McLuskey and Patrick Ogier 7-6, 6-2.

These matches are played weekly and each pair plays the other pairs twice in each series, at the end of which the pairs will be re-drawn and the new set of premier league matches will begin.