Barcelona-bound Ogier does treble

PATRICK OGIER has made it a hat-trick of Guernsey closed men's singles titles. The 18-year-old, who next month flies off for a lengthy spell at the Sanchez-Casal tennis academy in Barcelona, beat Jimmy Wood in a tight final at the Guernsey Tennis Centre to get his hands on the trophy for the third year running.

'It was a good match,' said Ogier afterwards.

'We both played really well. I was serving well and he was finding it difficult to break my serve, but his ground strokes were brilliant and in turn I was finding it difficult to finish off points.

'He is a really solid player and it is always difficult to finish off points against him.'

To get to the final, Ogier had edged another close match in the semi-finals against New Zealander Chris Hickling.

The young Sarnian won the first set 7-5, lost the second 4-6 and scraped through to take the third 7-6.

Wood on the other hand had an easier run of things in his semi when he beat Andy Privett in two sets, dropping only two games in the process. Rain before the final made the conditions damp on the astroturf court.

Consequently the balls fluffed up which served to slow them down.

This seemed to suit Wood's play more than Ogier's, yet the younger player took the lead by grabbing the first set 6-2.

Wood rallied in the second set to win 7-5, but Ogier's punishing serves came to the fore as he won the third 6-4 and the match.

Later in the day Ogier was looking to claim another hat-trick in the men's doubles with new partner Bob Strappini.

However, Ogier, partnered by Tim Creasey in 2003 and Dom McLuskey in 2004, was to be denied another trophy success by Wood and Hickling.

After a close first set that went 7-6 to Wood and Hickling, the second set was a whitewash.

'We started well but then they ran away with it in the second,' said Ogier.

'They play together all the time whereas it was the first time for me and Bob.

'To be honest Bob played really well.'

Ogier and his new partner had beaten Creasey and Richard Smeed in the previous round, while their opponents had got the better of veterans Ian Robinson and Privett.

In the other finals staged on the day, Andy Hart and Louise Inder took the mixed doubles crown from Smeed and Megan Hearse, while the over-45s equivalent went to Graham Martin and Marg Le Page and the over-45s men's doubles to Quinton Rose and Chris Chalmers.