Yates breaks the run of island winners

A LARGE entry of 53 players took part in the Investec Guernsey Junior Open Tennis Tournament at Kings Life.

The ages of the children ranged from from seven to 18 and the referee was John Treleven from Jersey.

Apart from the Tuesday afternoon, when the courts were flooded, play continued throughout the week. Most events were round robins so there was lots of tennis for all.

The courts at Kings Life were 'new' to most players, and this was a new venue for the event. It is the first time Investec have sponsored tennis.

The under-10 age group use green balls, which bounce less than normal and are slightly slower, giving the players time to prepare to play their shots.

Robert Yates from Warwick/Exporta gave a good demonstration of a high standard in this age group, beating all the local players.

Jack Lucas, ably helped by Imogen Oldfield, Di Hudson, Hugh Raymond and Seb Smeed, ran the under-eight and nine events indoors at GTC. He also played in the under-18 events.

For his organisation he was presented with the Watson Cup, which is presented annually for any outstanding happening during the tournament.

The under-12 boys' singles is yet to finish but Jack Oldfield, Sean Lambert and Simon Johnson are all in the Jersey Open this week, so it is hoped to finish it over there.