ROCHFORD tennis club played host to the opening round of the Southend & District LTA mini tennis and girls’ grand prix events.

The mini tennis, featuring boys and girls under 10, comprised mainly players from the host club and Westcliff Hard.

Jessica Bunting of Westcliff Hard took the early top spot with a 4-0 4-0 win over both Zoe West and then James Anson-Parkin, while James Needs sits joint top with a 4-0 4-0 over James Anson and then 4-1 4-0 over Zoe. Abbie Rex only played the one match for Rochford as she was playing a game in the U12s later. She beat Hannah Piper 4-0 4-0 and sits third in the table after the first round. Several players were unavailable due to the bank holiday and other commitments.

The girls’ U12 and U14 event followed and saw Rayleigh’s Amelia Reeves earn an opening round win of 6-1 6-3 against Rochford’s resilient Abbie Rex.

Hannah Jones of Thorpe Bay won 6-0 6-2 over Emma Newman. Thorpe Bay dominated the U14s round, with Amy Sergeant winning both her matches 6-0 6-0 to defeat Olivia Woolston and Ellen Flanagan, while Hayley Jones also won 6-0 6-0.

But the match of the day was between Thorpe Bay’s Molly Randle and Anna Beckwith of Rayleigh. Anna took a 6-3 first set lead, before Molly claimed the second by the same score. Even in the tie break they were difficult to separate, but at 6-6 Molly went on to claim the match victory 10-7. Jessica Colbear and Harriet Hemming produced a marathon of a match. Even though it was a 6-2 6-3 straight sets victory for Harriet 6-2 6-3, they were on court for a 90 minutes in the blazing sun.

In the final match of the day, Rochford’s Olivia Woolston stepped up to U16s to take on Thorpe Bays Emily Crowe and won 6-2 6-2.

The second round of the Mini Tennis & Girls Grands Prix is on the weekend of June 20 and 21, although the venue is yet to be decided. Both Westcliff Hard & Westcliff Lawn have been approached. Rayleigh and Thorpe Bay are hosting the third and fourth rounds respectively.

For more information and up to date league tables visit www.southenddistrictlta.org.uk. The Southend & District LTA is sponsored by Dennis Raynor and is affiliated to the Lawn Tennis Association.