SUE Sergeant marched to three titles at Leigh & Westcliff LTA’s annual championships.

The Thorpe Bay player retained her veteran ladies’ singles title and won the ladies singles for the first time, beating Leigh’s Lisa Gordon in both finals.

Winning was the order of the day for Sergeant in the mixed doubles too, where she successfully defended the crown with Martin Needs of Kent Elms.

The duo defeated Gordon and Kent Elms’ Pat Taylor.

And Gordon’s luck was not any better in the ladies’ doubles.

She partnered Leigh club-mate Claire Elliott and they were narrowly beaten by the title holders Ann Murray and Annemiek Binnendijk from Thorpe Bay.

Rayleigh coach Ryan Wilson was attempting to defend his men’s singles and doubles crowns.

He was successful in the singles, where he defeated Hadleigh Park’s James Holloway in a replay of last year’s showdown.

But Wilson, partnering Rayleigh’s Bill Cooper, lost his doubles trophy to Wickford duo David Goodman and Cliff Warwick.

The annual championships formed part of the Leigh & Westcliff diamond anniversary celebrations.

To help mark the league’s 60th birthday, a special mixed doubles competition for players aged over 60 was held.

Morris King and June Pearce, from Westcliff’s Invicta club, faced the Southend Lawn pairing of Tim and Laurel Padbury.

But King, who last won a L&W final in 1988 in the veteran mixed doubles, was unable to add to his long list of tournament success as he and well-known coach Pearce were beaten by the Padburys.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, championship tie-breaks were used instead of a deciding third set in the veteran and plate events. Four matches were settled by tie-breaks.

L&W tournament secretary John Tanner said: “Overall, it was a very successful diamond anniversary tournament.”