The Rye LTC annual closed tournament took place on Saturday, August 12 with 27 entrants. Thanks to the hard work of Adam Stunt and Freddie Menzies the eight grass courts were immaculate as always.
Mark Hadley, winner of the open men’s doubles the previous weekend, was victorious in the men’s singles, coming through an entertaining final against board member Michael Gradon. The ladies’ singles final was an epic battle, pitting thirteen-year-old junior member and Sussex county junior Esme Brady-Rogerson against Melanie Baynton-Perret. The match was of a high standard and swung back and forth, with Esme finally prevailing in a third set championship tie-break.
Mark Hadley and Michael Gradon then joined forces to win the men’s doubles. The final saw some magnificent tennis, with Phil Harper and Jonny Leslie putting up some spirited resistance.
Congratulations go to Heather Mott and Vicki Lowe for winning the ladies’ doubles again. They saw off strong opposition from the junior pair Esme Brady-Rogerson and her partner Lara Lambert in the semi-final and Melanie Baynton-Perret and Sarah Walsh in the final.
In the junior event, Harry Whitfield prevailed against Kit Larkin in the boys’ final and Esme Brady-Rogerson was the winner against Lara Lambert in the girls’ final.
The Farmer Tournament, an invitation mixed doubles named in memory of Rye LTC board member John Farmer, followed on Sunday, August 13. A mixture of cold gusty winds, sunshine and showers were the order of the day for the 33 couples who had entered – and the many spectators who turned up to show their support. The bar did an excellent job of quenching everyone’s thirst and the Pink Kitchen provided a delicious barbecue lunch.
With all group matches completed, the semi-final saw previous winners Scott Brotherton and Vicki Lowe battle it out against Charles and Harriet Taylor. After a tight match, the former champions went on to face Fiona Lepine and her son Jason, who had come through the other semi-final against David Brooks Miller and Claire Lane. Facing a handicap of Love 15 every game, Scott and Vicki nevertheless stormed ahead in the final to take the trophy, which was presented by the tournament organiser Amy Maynard.
Open Day at Rye LTC
On Saturday, September 16 Rye LTC and HotshotZ Tennis will be hosting an open day at the club, alongside the end-of-season grass court tournament. This is open to all ages, members and non-members, and will include cardio tennis, coaching tips, fastest serve machine and an introduction to Padel. For more details of the day, go to https://www.ryetennisandsquashclub.org.uk/event/closing-grass-court-tournament-and-open-day/
Image Credits: Zoe-Richmond Watson .