Hignett Registers Regional Result

Continuing his run of recent tournament successes,  Performance player Liam Hignett won his first regional tournament playing at the two-day Grade 3 Windsor Junior Open Under 14 event.

Eighth seed Hignett beat Tom Watts from Hertfordshire 6-3, 6-3 in the first round followed by the defeat of Alex Targett after a shaky start in a three set battle winning in the third set tie-break 4-6, 6-2,12-10. Next up was the quarter finals where he played Surrey’s James Gibbens, who was the number one seed. Hignett played very well and defeated James with an amazing 6-0, 6-2 scoreline.  In the semi finals he played Rittik Anand from Essex winning 6-2, 6-1.

On Saturday he went back for the finals and played Under 12 National number one Harry Wendelken from Cambridgeshire, but Hignett being at the end of the Under 14’s was too strong and won the event 6-2, 6-1 and collecting a trophy and Head Racket bag as his prize as well as a t-shirt for entering.

Congratulations Liam!

County Cup Success For Totally Tennis Mini Performance Players

Totally Tennis Mini Tennis players Kirsty Da Silva and Aaron Dawson were part of the Hampshire 9 and under Mixed team who were victorious in the Aegon 9 and under County Cup event last weekend. Playing in Group I the team of Da Silva, Dawson, Daniell Prickett, Louis Bowden, Emma Appleby and Martyna Ciubatiuk were overall winners after they defeated teams from South Wales, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire but lost to Berkshire in the event held at the David Lloyd Club in Southampton.

The Hampshire team lost against Berkshire in their first match 10-8 but went on to beat Wiltshire 12-6, Gloucestershire 14-4 and South ~Wales 12-6 finishing in joint first place with Berkshire on a total of six points each but Hampshire were declared overall winners after winning the higher number of rubbers of 46 to Berkshire’s 44.

The victorious 9 and Under Hampshire County Cup team

Each fixture was a mix of singles and doubles. Both Totally Tennis players lost their singles and doubles matches in the Berkshire match but won in the Wiltshire fixture with Dawson beating Lewis Chatley 7-2, 7-5 and Da Silva won against Amelia Pirt 7-4, 7-4. In the Gloucestershire fixture Dawon/Prickett won their doubles match 7-2, 4-7, 7-3 and Da Silva/Bowden beat their opponents 7-0, 7-4 and it was the same story in the singles with Dawson beating Joshua Gordon pulling back the three set match 3-7, 7-4, 7-5 and Da Silva defeating Alisha Tejrar 10-8, 7-4. In the final fixture against South Wales Dawson beat Jethro Dela Vega 7-5, 7-3 but Da Silva was unlucky to lose in a close match against Elina Pickerd-Barua 13-11, 7-5. In the doubles Dawson/Prickett won 7-4, 9-7 and Da Silva/Appleby won in another three setter 3-7, 7-4, 12-10.

Head Coach James McIntosh said “Congratulations to Aaron and Kirsty for their part in the fantastic win for the Hampshire County Team!. Its a great honour to represent the county and a amazing opportunity to be involved in a County Cup event and play against so many players from different counties.”

Hignett on Road To Wimbledon

Totally Tennis performance players Liam Hignett and Miles Bromilow were two of the thirty-two players who were selected, according ranting and ranking, to compete in the South West Regional Road to Wimbledon event that was held at the East Gloucestershire club over a weekend in mid July. 

Both boys played their first matches on Saturday but with Bromilow losing to Dorset’s Thomas Powell 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 he was unable to qualify and just played a ratings match against James Blair which he won 5-3, 4-1. Fifth seed Hignett won his first match was against Alex Styles from Devon convincingly 6-1, 6-0 and followed that up with another win against his next opponent Avon’s Marcus Witt 6-1, 6-3 which put him in the final round of qualifying against number four seed Joel While from Devon.

 

Hignett and While has previously played at the end of May in the quarter finals of Darren Toop competition where Hignett had won 6-4, 6-3 in a close match so was expecting another tough match. In a close first set While broke away at 4-4 and won the first set 6-4 which prompted Hignett to refocus for the second set realising he needed to be more aggressive and consistent. He got off to a good start in the second set which he maintained winning the set 6-1. Luckily for both boys, it was a full set, not a championship ten-point tiebreak and once again Hignett got off to a good start at 2-0. While levelled at 2-2 but couldn’t keep up with Hignett as he took some close games and eventually won the last set 6-2 to be one of the four qualifiers.

 

Top seed Hampshire’s Jake Norris also qualified as did second seed Callum Findlay from South Wales and third seed Pierce Widdecombe from Devon. All twenty-eight qualifiers plus two wild cards and two players from India will playing at Wimbledon in National Finals from the 11-16th August.

Donella, mother of Hignett said ” Liam was delighted to qualify this year, especially as he was first reserve last year.”

 

The format was different for the Road to Wimbledon this year with clubs, parks and schools holding internal tournaments for players rated 10.2 to 7.1. Winners and runners up got invited to Canoe Lake, Southsea and winners of the county event got through to Wimbledon for a Grade 3 event. Players rated 6.2 and above entered themselves into a Grade 2 qualifying event for their region. There are seven regions all together, each had four people qualifying to a grade 2 event at Wimbledon 

 

 

 

Tennis Fun At The Seaside

Totally Tennis Mini Performance players Isla Hignett, Tillie Reid and Jasmin Bromilow along with three other Hampshire girls, Anna Vinnell (David Lloyd, Southampton), Martyna Ciubatiuk (Thornden) and Lucy Davis (Kingsgate) were all entered by their respective clubs to compete in the 10 and Under Grade 4 Road to Wimbledon event played at Canoe Lakes in Southsea.

Mini Performance player Hignett was runner-up

The girls played in two boxes with Hignett, Ciubatiuk and Bromilow in one box and Reid, Vinnell and Davis in the other.  Hignett won her box winning both her matches beating Ciubatiuk 4-1, 4-0 and Bromilow 4-1, 4-1. Ciubatiuk was runner-up after she beat Bromilow in a close match 4-1, 0-4, 10-6 in the tie break. In the other box Vinnell defeated both Davis 4-0, 4-0 and Reid 4-1, 4-0 to win and Reid was runner-up after beating Davis 4-0, 4-0. In the semi-finals Hignett defeated club mate Reid 4-1, 4-0 and Vinnell beat Clubatiuk 4-0, 4-0. Vinnell went on to win the event defeating Hignett 4-0, 4-1 in the final.

Winner Vinnell with her trophy and runner-up Hignett

Donella Hignett, mother of Isla said “It was a lovely day. The girls each received an HSBC Road to Wimbledon cap, wrist band and sweatband as well as a certificate. Anna also received a trophy. No one goes through to Wimbledon as it’s not the same as the Under 14 event.”

The girls make the most of the event by the sea

 

Secondary Schools Tournament A Success

The annual Secondary Schools Tournament took place at the indoor centre earlier this month with forty player from three local schools, Costello Technology College, Robert Mays School and Brighton Hill Community College taking part.

All the Secondary Schools Tournament participants 

In the Under 13 competition the Boys Singles was dominated by Robert Mays with winner Dan Nightingale and the runner-up was Ryan Golesworthy both representing the school. In the girls event it was a similar story with both girls from Roberts Mays finishing in the two spots. Helena Mason was crowned Under 13 Girls Singles winner and Chole Tarling was the runner-up. Nightingale and Golesworthy won the Boys Under 13 Doubles title with Costello’s Owen Robinson and Matthew Berry finishing as Runners-up. Mason and Tarling were the Girls Doubles winners and teammates Alice Belcher and Julie Horobin were runners-up.

Will Flynn receives his medal from Head Coach James McIntosh

Robert Mays pupils also dominated all the top positions in the Under 16 events. Will Flynn was Boys Singles winner and Charlie Flynn was runner-up. The Flynn’s paired up to win the Boys Doubles and the runners-up were Joe Blewett and Andy Grant. Antonia McPhee was Girls Singles winner and Vicky Waterfield was runner-up. Under 16 Girls Doubles winners were McPhee and partner Natasha Hargreaves and Waterfield & Emily Merrit were runners-up.

Charlie Flynn (above) and Matthew Berry (below) with McIntosh

McIntosh said of the event “It was a great day with some really good matches. Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up.”

All the winners and runners-up from both age groups

Theo’s Finishes Third

Mini Performance player Theo Harrison finished in third place in the Greenacre 9U Mixed Singles County Tournament that took place at the Greenacre Club in Newbury.

Harrison competed in the Compass draw event beating Charlie Charles in the quarter finals 7-3, 4-7, 7-5 but then losing in the semis to eventual winner Max Harriosn-Gillon 7-4, 7-4. In the third/fourth playoff match Harrison defeated Jazmin Lilley 7-2, 11-9 to finish in third place overall. Clubmate Melissa Toner also played in the event losing in her close quarter final match to Lilley 7-5, 9-7.

 

 

Hampshire Court Ladies Retain Unbeaten Home Record

The Hampshire Court Ladies Vets team won two matches and lost one in their final fixtures as the Babolat Hampshire & IOW Veterans Doubles League season came to a close. The ladies won their away match against Winchester on the astroturf courts. Sally Cackett and Elaine Whitham won 6-1, 6-4 and 6-2, 6-0. Sandie Benham and Bev Cleaver 7-5, 6-3 and 7-5, 3-6, (10-4).

(L to R) Sandie Benham, Elaine Whitham, Lesley Miotto and Chris Tudor played at Milford-on-Sea

The team of Benham, Whitham, Lesley Miotto and Chris Tudor were unlucky in their last away fixture losing to the Milford-on-Sea who are top of the league. Benham and Whitham lost 7-6 (5), 7-5 in their first match and drew in their second 5-7, 6-3, (6-10). Miotto and Tudor lost 6-3, 6-1 and 6-2, 6-1.The Milford ladies had won all their matches in the league at that point so were in the top position with the Hampshire Court ladies sitting in a very respectable second place with a good chance to be promoted back to Division 1 next season. The Hampshire Court ladies had a walkover against the Virgin Active who were unable to get a team to play.

(L to R) The victorious home team of Benham, Lisa Allen, Whitham and Julie Frankland.

The ladies got their own back on home turf, winning their final fixture against the Milford-on-Sea team and retaining their unbeaten home record while breaking Milford’s 100% success rate.  The ladies won by 3 rubbers to 1, with Benham and Lisa Allen losing 4-6, 1-6 and winning 7-5, 5-7 (10-6). Whitham and Frankland wontheir two marches 6-1, 6-1 and 6-3, 6-2

The ladies have now completed all their matches in a very successful season overall and should be playing in in Division 1 again next season. Congratulations Ladies!

Unbeaten Record Intact In Euskirchen

Totally Tennis are still the only unbeaten team in the history of the annual Festival of Sport twin town exchanges between Basingstoke and Euskirchen in Germany, after an 14 -7 victory in this year’s tennis event. Head coach James McIntosh accompanied the Totally Tennis team to Germany as they participated in the annual Festival of Sport which is in its  22nd year and was won by the home team with an overall score of 23–17. The all male team made up of eight Totally Tennis players included Ali Olrog, Loic Armstrong, Nick and Andrew Dingwall, Alex Dawson, Liam Hignett, Miles Bromilow and Dylan Allenby-Ryan played singles and doubles matches throughout the two days of competition.

In the doubles, the team won four matches with Dawson/Dingwall (A) beat Lawrence Bork/Hendrik Becker 6-3, Hignett/Allenby-Ryan beat Johannes Bachem/Becker 7-5, Olrog/Bromilow beat Bork/Max Loick 6-3, and Hignett/Dingwall (A) beat Loick/Becker 6-2. In the singles they won ten matches with Hignett defeating Loick 6-2 and Paul Loick 6-2, Bromilow beating Bachem 6-4 and Miriam Becker 6-2, Allenby-Ryan beating Bork twice 6-3 and 6-2, Loic beating Loick (P) 6-2, Dingwall (N) beating Henry Faber 6-2 and Dawson beating Alex Karhoff 6-2 and Bachem 6-0 to give the team the overall victory.

McIntosh said “All the players had a great time on the trip. It was a great experience for them to play on the clay and make new friends.There was some good tennis played over the weekend and it was great to maintain our unbeaten run in the festival of Sport.” He added “We look forward welcoming the players from Euskirchen next year when they visit us in Basingstoke.”

The four-day annual event, organised by Kevin Laing from the Basingstoke Sports Council, included training and competition in athletics, judo, football, taekwondo, volleyball, dance, martial arts, table tennis and tennis as well as participation from Everest Community School and St Mary’s Junior School. The players also enjoyed a day out at Phantasialand, swimming and trampolining at a local lake, a bbq and a final presentation and a disco.