Dodd holds his nerve to win

GARRY DODD became probably the youngest winner in the 40-year history of the Capelles Open singles tournament last night. The 15-year-old defeated Jez Powell by three sets to one in the best-of-five final, but an hour or so earlier was within a point of losing to a player four years younger than himself.

The eventual champion was two sets down and saved a match-point in the deciding set to the prodigious Alice Loveridge, before eventually going through 13-11 in the decider.

The left-hander had far less trouble in defeating Kay Chivers and Powell in wrapping up his first big senior tournament win and afterwards admitted he was more nervous about losing to Loveridge than playing the final.

'The fifth set against Alice was the hardest and I was more nervous there,' said Dodd, also a promising footballer with North.

In beating Powell he also over-turned a thrashing he suffered last month.

'I have played him once before in the top 12 and he creamed me,' said Dodd who profited from a change of serving tactics and winning a lot of third ball attacks.

Dodd was given a helping hand when Powell, 9-10 down, served into the net to lose the first and although the youngster dropped the second 12-14, he hit back to take the next two 11-9, 11-9.

Sadly, many of the island's elite players either left their entry too late or scratched, but their absence made for an open tournament.

Peter Powell, the first winner of the tournament in 1967, reached the quarter-finals before losing to fellow super-veteran Len Bretel.