Essex takes on best of British (From Echo)

Essex takes on best of British

6:20pm Thursday 18th August 2011 in Tennis

MORE than 100 young tennis players from around the country gathered at Westcliff Hard for the Stellisons Junior Open at the weekend.

Fans saw a number of winning performances from rising local stars, including Southend’s Vicky Wilson, who took the senior girls’ title and shared the senior girls’ doubles title with Isabella Wolfe.

Leigh’s Luke Read triumphed in the under-12 final shortly after his top-seeded brother, Jake, had narrowly lost out to Ben Good in the under-14s.

But arguably the star performances came from Peter Alam, the under-nine title winner who used the tournament as a warm-up for the nationals and Swede Peter Eriksson of the under-eights, both of whom greatly impressed on the new astroturf mini-tennis courts.

There was success for Westcliff Hard, too, as their very own Nat Turner and Eleanor Baglow took the under-10 boys’ and girls’ titles respectively, with Baglow’s efforts earning her the award for most promising junior at the club.

Finlay Milner, of the same club, won the under-16 boys final and partnered Daisy Ronn, girls’ under-16 winner, in their mixed under-18 doubles victory.

Westcliff Hard also provided the girls under-12 and under-14 winners in Jessica Bunting and Hayley Needs.

Danny Sanderson of Westcliff Lawn produced a string of determined displays reach the senior boys final but could not muster the strength to overcome favourite and recent Essex Open winner Harry Randle.