LAST weekend Tavistock Tennis Club hosted the first stage of the Tavistock Open Junior Tennis Tournament 2005 LTA Sanctioned Series 5 ? Rating and Ranking, scheduled for two consecutive weekends, for the eleventh year after a lapse of two years. There are 64 entrants (51 boys and 13 girls) from the South West. From surrounding areas there are 8 from Tavistock/Whitchurch, 3 Lifton, 2 Okehampton and 2 Yelverton. The tournament is run under ratings 10.2-8.1 with age groups 18U, 16U, 14U & 12U for boys and girls singles, 16U and 12U for boys and girls doubles with Consolation (like the Plate at Wimbledon) competitions so that first round losers are guaranteed at least two matches. In the first stage preliminary rounds the weather was kind enabling all matches to be completed, where the standard of play was generally high with some hard fought matches and many tie breakers. Local players who performed well were: Tavistock; Josh Brown in the final of boys 18U and semi finalist in 16U, Phil Webb in semi final of boys 18U Consolation, Lewis Belcher in semi final of boys 16U Consolation, Sarah Lucas in final of girls 14U, Robyn Osbourne in semi final of girls 12U, Liz Brown final of girls 12U Consolation and Tom and Charlie Bury in the semi final of the boys doubles 16U whose quarter final was an exceptional match going to a tie breaker with Tom and Charlie surviving a match point in the longest match of the weekend finishing under floodlights. The remaining semi finals and finals are to be played in the second stage this coming weekend.
