Promising prospects

THE Ipes Island Mini Tennis Championships proved to be the highlight of the minis development calendar once again.

There were 41 competitors, 12 of them from Alderney and chaperoned by their coaches, Rosemary James and Kerry Wedd.

Lauren Smeed and George Galins were the overall winners of the under-eight mini tennis red competition, played on a badminton-size court with sponge balls.

Twelve boys and six girls were competing for the title.

In the boys' final, Galins beat Ben Foss 7-5, 7-5 in a quality match. Both players understood the need to make each other move and some of the retrieving shots both players pulled off were spectacular.

Two words sum up Galins - speed and determination. He led by a point or two throughout the match against courageous and tenacious Foss.

The girls' final was contested between Smeed and Nicolle Forrest.

The girls know each other well from the mini series played throughout the winter.

Smeed raced off to a good start winning the first 7-3.

In the second Forrest made a more consistent start only to fall behind again at 4-all when her opponent showed what a determined player she is. Placing the ball into the corners, she won it 7-5.

Ben Garrard and Solomon Shand, both aged under six, won the youngest participants medals.

Harry Jones won the consolation event for players finishing third/fourth in their group matches.

Following on from the success of the first under-10 orange event last year, held on a three-quarter size tennis court, the boys' entries this year were up again and the competition was split into under-nines and under-10s.

There was just the one competition (under-10) for the girls.

Ben Foss, Max Galins and Milly Wood emerged the winners of the three finals.