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The 2010 AEGON Junior Nationals Championship has drawn to a close at the West Hants Club in Bournemouth with the conclusion of the 16 & Under event in which Katy Dunne, who trains at Everyball International Academy based at Halton Tennis Centre, was No. 1 seed in the girls singles event.

 Katy defeated Georgia Craven in the final despite conceding the opening set to love. However the 15 year-old rallied in a closely fought second set before maintaining her composure in the deciding set to eventually secure the title 0-6, 7-5, 6-1.

“She played an unbelievable first set so I knew I just had to stick in there and wait for her to drop her level” said Dunne after the match.

“She played a good second set and it was pretty close but I managed to pull through and in the third set I found my rhythm. Credit to her though because she was unplayable in the first set and thoroughly deserved to be in the final. It’s been a great week for me and I'm very happy with the way I have played”, added Dunne.

CHAIRMAN'S CUP AT HALTON TENNIS CLUB
17th August 2010

Halton Tennis Club held its annual Summer tournament – The Chairman's Cup – on Sunday in glorious sunshine.  There was a good turnout for the tournament – players changed partners after each round and accumulated points during the morning, with the four top scorers going through to the final.  The Final between Pauline Shorthouse & Andy McGrath and Mike Shorthouse & David Evans was extremely close but Pauline and Andy had the edge and were presented with the Chairman's Cup by the Club Chairman, John Walker.  All the players then stayed on for a delicious buffet lunch.

Several of Halton's teams were also in action over the weekend.  In the Bucks Shield Division 1B, Ladies 2 played their final match of the season against Gerrards Cross Bull Lane 3.  After 2 rounds the match stood at 3-3 so the team of Vicki Walker/Heather McNeill, Pam Knight/Christina Sjoberg and Camilla Hayward/Hannah Russell had to dig deep and after some very close sets Halton won 5-4.  In Division 1A the Ladies 3 team of Audrey Deane/Emma Strong, Gill Roe/Hannah Russell and Penny Jeffery/Janis O'Connor lost an extremely match against Stoke Poges when the score was 3½-5½.  In Division 2B Mens 3 also played their last match of the season against Iver Heath 1 when the team of Ben Mayhew/Rob Pearce, Rufus Jackson/Craig Rose and Ralph Holliday/David Hayes won 6-3 which means that the team will be promoted to Division 1 next year.  In the Mixed 2-pair event the Halton team of Ellen North/Chris Duffin and Penny Jeffery/Peter Riddick had a close match against Farnham Common 1 and came through to win 5-3.  On Saturday Halton's Ladies 2-pair team of Carolyn Dewhurst/Stacey Taylor and Kaye Lillycrop/Emma Barrow lost to Penn & Tylers Green 1st team.

The finalists, left to right: David Evans, Andy McGrath, Pauline Shorthouse and Mike Shorthouse

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester met injured servicemen and women at RAF Halton Tennis Centre, Buckinghamshire, on Monday, as the Tennis Foundation (TF), the official charity of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), launched its partnership with the Ministry of Defence’s ‘Battle Back’ programme for injured service men and women.

Around 30 servicemen and women at different stages of rehabilitation, were given an opportunity to try out tennis at the launch, not only as an aid to their recovery but hopefully encouraging them to a longer term involvement in the sport. 

Amongst them was Lance Corporal Stephan van Niekerk, from 3 Rifles, who was injured on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan, last October. “Battle Back is brilliant at showing you what you can do, rather than what you cannot do,” he said. “It gives you motivation and a big morale boost.”

The Tennis Foundation is looking to build relations with rehabilitation centres for injured servicemen around the country, and Halton Tennis Club is establishing a tennis programme with links to the armed forces rehabilitation centre at Halton, as well as Stoke Mandeville spinal unit nearby.

“Tennis is a sport that is accessible to all,” said Claire Lavers, Director of Disability Tennis for the Tennis Foundation. “Our partnerships at Halton, and with ‘Battle Back’, will really help us to spread that message.”

Nick Leighton, a Halton Tennis Centre Trustee, added: “Halton Tennis club is delighted to become involved in supporting disability tennis. We have the people, facilities and passion to take on this new challenge. Our members have been particularly supportive of the Battle Back day and are delighted that the club has become involved."

Her Royal Highness, who is Honorary President of the Lawn Tennis Association, was entertained by wheelchair athletes demonstrating the standard of play at the elite end of the sport, at the start of what the Tennis Foundation hopes will be an ongoing relationship with ‘Battle Back’, and the Ministry of Defence’s rehabilitation programme.

For more information on the work of the Tennis Foundation, visit www.tennisfoundation.org.uk

HALTON LADIES AT NATIONAL FINALS
26th July 2010

Halton's Ladies 1st team came up against strong opposition on the first day of the National Finals of the Aegon Team Tennis Competition which took place at West Hants Club, Bournemouth last weekend.  Clubs all over the country have been competing in the competition since April divided into 4 regional groups, with just 8 teams qualifying to go through to the Finals.  Halton qualified as winners of the South-West Division.

Halton's first match was against No. 4 seeds Esporta Croydon.  In the singles round Halton's No. 4 Celia Bristow got off to a good start against Janet Kim but lost 5-7 3-6; Helen Hales (at No. 3) lost 0-6 5-7 and Kathryn Sharples at No. 2 lost to Victoria Brooks 1-6 1-6.  The team needed Jemima Hayward (at No. 1) to win her match against Jade Curtis to keep the team in with a chance.

Despite being ranked higher than Jemima, Jade lost the first set 6-4 after Jemima broke her serve.  Jade stepped up her game in the second set and won it 7-5 and then raced to a 4-0 lead in the final set.  However, Jemima kept calm and gradually clawed back some games and served out the set to win 6-4.  At 1-3 down, Halton needed to win both doubles matches to force a tiebreak shoot-out, but the Esporta team were too strong and beat Helen Hales/Heather McNeill in straight sets.  On Saturday Halton came up against Tennis World in the play-offs for the 5-8 places.  Celia Bristow and Helen Hales got the team off to a good start – Helen beat Heather Robinson in straight sets and Celia was winning by a set and 4-3 when her opponent had to retire injured.  Kathryn Sharples lost to Claire Smnith 4-6 1-6 but again Jemima Hayward proved too strong for her opponent and beat Lynsey Davison 6-4 6-0.  Tennis World conceded both doubles matches which meant that Halton finished the competition in joint 5th place. 

The team were presented with a crystal vase to commemorate winning the South-West Division.

Jemima Hayward and Celia Bristow then travelled to Eastbourne to join the Buckinghamshire Ladies team to compete in Group 1 of the LTA Summer County Cup where the team had a successful week, finishing a creditable 3rd place behind Hertfordshire and Surrey, retaining their place in Group 1 for 2011.

The Halton team of Celia Bristow, Helen Hales, Jemima Hayward, Heather McNeill, Kathryn Sharples, Emily Quin

MIXED RESULTS FROM HALTON TEAMS
13th July 2010

Several of Halton's teams have been in action over the last week.  In the Bucks Shield Premier Division Mens 1 travelled to play High Wycombe 1 on Saturday.  The team of Pete Thorne/Sam Humphreys, Alan Hutcherson/Ben Start and Gavin McKinlay/Jack Mordey were too strong for their opposition and only dropped one set to win 8½-½.  In Division 1 Ladies 2 played at home against Wooburn Park 1 and the team were delighted to secure their first win when the team of Wendy Shute/Christina Sjoberg, Vicki Walker/Debbie Jenkins and Trudie Drake/Claire Roberts won 6½-2½.  Ladies 4 had a tough time when they came up against Wolverton in Divison 2 and lost the match 6½-2½, while Mens 5 lost to Penn & Tylers Green 3 by 6-3. 

In the Bucks Shield 2-pair league the Mixed team travelled to play David Lloyd, Milton Keynes when the match was extremely tight, ending in a 4-4 draw – the Halton team was Gill Roe/James Tottle and Ellen North/Hasan Parvez.  Halton's Ladies team of Susie Mathew/Pat Parker and Stacey Taylor/Carolyn Dewhurst played consistently to beat Little Chalfont 5-3.

In the Aylesbury & District League, Ladies 3 had a 5-3 win against Cuddington with the team of Mariko Francombe/Dharshi Maheswaran and Sally Felton/Caroline Clarke.

MINI TENNIS CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HALTON
5th July 2010

Halton's Mini Tennis Club held their Red & Orange Club Championships on Saturday in glorious sunshine.  Around 50 children entered the two competitions.  In the Mini Red Boys tournament the boys were put into 4 boxes and the winners of each box then progressed through to the Semi-Finals.

In the first Semi-Final Nicholas Blagg played some very creative tennis to beat Alex Kessell-Holland 10-2 and in the second match Joel Good and Nicholas Stols had some excellent rallies, with Joel winning 10-3.  The Final between Joel and Nicholas produced some very good tennis, with Joel showing more consistency and winning the Mini Red Boys title 10-3.

In the Mini Red Girls competition the winners of the 2 boxes – Gabrielle Ireland and Louise Hosking – met in the Final.  The girls played some great rallies but Louise had the edge and won the Mini Red Girls title.

The Mini Orange Championships produced some extremely long and closely-fought matches.  As in the Mini Red competition the winners of each of the 4 boys' boxes progressed through to the Semi-Finals.  Joe Curliss beat Oliver Brownlee 7-2 7-5 and Ben Cooper fought back from losing the first set 5-7 to win the next two sets against Matthew Bird 7-1 7-5 to set up his place in the Final.  In the match for 3rd/4th place Matthew Bird beat Oliver Brownlee 7-6 7-6.  The Final was extremely close – Joe Curliss took the first set 7-6, but again Ben Cooper fought back and he won the next sets 7-6 7-3 to take the Mini Orange title.  In the girls event, they  all played each other in one box – the title was decided in the match between the two top seeds – Molly Curliss and Isla Duguid.  Molly won the first set 7-4, but Isla fought back to win the second set 7-5.  In the final set the score was tied at 6-6 all and Molly won the deciding point to win 7-6 and take the title.

Mike James, Director of Tennis at Halton Tennis Club presented the prizes to the winners and runners-up.  Halton has been running Mini Red and Mini Orange Matchplays for Halton Mini Tennis members since September 2009 and special awards were also presented to Joel Good and Ben Cooper for being top of the Mini Red & Mini Orange Matchplay Leader Boards for 2009/2010, having accumulated the most points during the season.

The 4 Mini Red Finalists: Joel Good, Nicholas Blagg, Louise Hosking and Gabrielle Ireland

The Mini Orange Boys Semi-Finalists Oliver Brownlee, Matthew Bird, Ben Cooper and Joe Curliss

The Mini Orange Girls Isla Duguid and Molly Curliss

HALTON HOSTS CHARITY EVENT
28th June 2010

Halton Tennis Centre hosted a charity event - “Love Changes Everything” - in aid of the missions charity Interserve who support women  and street children in  India.  West End actress and singer, Tabitha Webb, who plays the lead role of Christine in Phantom of the Opera, visited Halton in a unique match-up between tennis and West End.

 The afternoon started off with free tennis clinics from Halton's coaching team for several juniors of all ages from 4-18.  This was followed by an exhibition match between Halton's Katy Dunne and former British No. 1 Lucie Ahl.  The game was played in great spirit, supported by 4 of Halton's juniors who volunteered to be ball boy/girls and Mike James (Halton's Director of Tennis) in the Umpire's chair.  After several close games, Mike decided Katie needed some assistance and brought on Jemima Hayward – and then evened things up by calling on Pete Thorne to team up with Lucie.  The tennis finished off with more and more players being called  up to play “piggy in the middle” - producing some very interesting tennis!

The evening continued when everyone moved to a created stage in the Mini Tennis Zone where Tabitha Webb sang song from the shows and shared something of her recent trip to Mumbai with  Interserve.  She spoke of her visit to a slum community as well as her time running singing workshops for women trafficked into the sex industry.  The evening raised £340 (+ gift aid) for the charity.

Halton Tennis Director Mike James commented, “This was an imaginative way of bringing people together and then presenting them with an important message to think about, delivered by a top class performer who combined the message with some fantastic songs. I know that the Halton members appreciated this partnership with Interserve and as a club, we are looking forward to working with them again in the future.”

Interserve’s Alastair McIver was delighted with this pioneering event, commenting, “The linking of trafficking and tennis is not a natural one but I think that this event proved that you can bring an important message into the community and I am grateful to the Club for allowing us to do it.”

See images below and click here for full gallery.

(Left to right): Mike James (Director of Tennis), Katy Dunne, Lucie Ahl and Tabitha Webb

Tabitha when she was singing in the Mini Zone

In the Bucks Shield 2-pair competition Halton's Ladies team of Dharshi Maheswaran/Caroline Clark and Caroline Craddock/Carol Bird beat Iver Heath by a convincing 6-2 margin.  The Mixed 2-pair team were also successful when the team of Ellen North, Sarah Butcher, Andy McGrath and  Hasan Parvez beat Gerrards Cross Bull Lane 2.  In the 3-pair competition  Ladies 4  lost against a  very experienced Chesham 1879 1st team in their Division 2 match, with the team of Mariko Francombe/Christina Sjoberg, Camilla Hayward/Flo Glenister and Karen Fisher/Stacey Taylor.  Ladies 2 had a similar experience when they travelled to play Burnham 1st team in a Division 1 match – the team of Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins, Claire Roberts/Camilla Hayward and Wendy Shute/Tracey Strong lost 2-7.  In the Aylesbury & District League Ladies 1 had a very close match against Thame which ended in a 4-4 draw.  The Halton team were Wendy Shute/Sarah Butcher and Bridget Andreas/Grace Russell.

HALTON LADIES REACH NATIONAL FINALS
13th June 2010

Halton Tennis Club's Ladies 1st team booked their place at the National Finals of the Aegon Team Tennis Competition when they won their final South-West Division  group match against West Hants, Bournemouth.  The team got off to a good start when they won 3 out of the 4 singles matches – Jemima Hayward beat Lisa Radford 7-6 6-4, coming back from 1-4 down in the first set; Kathryn Sharples proved too strong for Chrissie Birtchnell winning 6-0 6-3; Heather McNeill lost to Anna Woosley; Celia Bristow won a tight first set 6-4 and then dominated the second set to win 6-1.  With the score at 3-1, the team needed to win one doubles match to secure victory.  Halton's No. 1 pair of Jemima and Celia won in two tight sets 6-3 7-5 and Heather teamed up with Emily Quin, also winning in straight sets 6-4 6-4.  The result was a 5-1 win for Halton, putting them at the top of the group and giving them a direct place in the National Finals for the top 8 clubs in the country which will take place at West Hants on the weekend of 16-18 July.

Mens 1 also finished their season on a high when they beat Maidenhead 1in a very tight match.  Their victory puts them at the top of the Regional Open South-West group having won all their matches and they now hope for promotion to the National Open competition next year.  The team of Simon Childs, Peter Thorne, Owen Richards and Alex Barnes had to dig deep to secure the win.  In the singles round Childs and Thorne won comfortably against Phil and Richards Downs respectively in straight sets but Richards and Barnes lost – putting the score at 2-2.  The doubles round was also a draw with one win for each team which meant the result had to be decided by a tie-break shoot-out – 2 singles and one doubles and Halton won all 3, giving them a 4-3 win overall.

Ladies 2 also travelled to play Maidenhead in their final match in the Regional competition.  The team of Emilia Osborne, Jacqui Wingfield, Sarah Butcher and Alice Patch won comfortably 5-1.

WINS FOR HALTON TENNIS
6th June 2010

Halton's Mens 1st team had a very convincing win in their match against Salisbury 1 in the Aegon Team Tennis Regional Competition.  In the singles round Peter Thorne, Stuart Pugh, Owen Richards and Alex Barnes all won their matches without the loss of one set.  Alan Hutcherson came in to play the doubles round with Peter Thorne against Salisbury's first pair Rory Smith and Chris Chapman.  The Salisbury pair were stronger in the first set, taking it 6-3, but Halton re-grouped and fought back in the second set to win it 6-2 and then went on to dominate the deciding tie-break winning it 10-3.  Alex Barnes/Stuart Pugh also won their doubles match against Tim Gadenne/Francis Smith with a score of 6-1 6-4, which gave Halton a 6-0 win.

Ladies 2 had a tougher time against Esporta  Royal Berkshire 1.  In the singles round the team of Jacqui Wingfield, Sarah Butcher, Claudia Marsala and Victoria Pisani went 3-1 up after comfortable wins from Jacqui, Claudia and Victoria.  However the Berkshire team proved to be stronger in the doubles round, winning both matches, bringing the match to a 3-3 draw.  In the deciding tiebreak shoot-out Berkshire had the edge winning all 3 tiebreaks and winning the match 4-3.

In the Bucks Shield two of Halton's teams had success over the weekend.  Mens 5 played at home against Great Missenden 4.  After some very close sets, the team of Paul Hayes/Paul Henry, Kevin Clausner/Rob Pain and Simon Jennings/Alex Peacock won 5½-3½.  Ladies 4 travelled to Iver Heath on Sunday with the team of June Mordey/Tracey Strong, Flo Glenister/Mariko Francombe and Sam McCaffrey/Emma McGrath.  The team were delighted to secure a 6-3 win.

HALTON'S TEAMS CONTINUE TO PROGRESS
11th May 2010

Halton's 3 senior teams competing in the Aegon Team Tennis competition continued to progress this weekend with wins for both the Ladies 1st and 2nd teams and Mens 1.  In the National Open Division Ladies 1 travelled to Bath University with the team of Jemima Hayward, Kathryn Sharples, Celia Bristow and Helen Hales. In the singles round Jemima and Kathryn won their singles matches comfortably, but Celia and Helen had tougher opposition and lost, so the match stood at 2-2 going into the doubles round.  Happily both Halton's pairs won in straight sets, giving Halton a 4-2 win.
In the Regional Open competition, Mens 1 played at home against Avenue 1 and dominated the match, winning 6-0.  In the singles round Peter Thorne, Stuart Pugh, Alex Barnes all won in straight sets, with Owen Richards coming back from losing the first set to win the next two sets 7-6 6-4.  Thorne/Barnes won their doubles in straight sets and Pugh/Richards also came back from a set down to win the deciding tiebreak.  Ladies 2 had to go to a tiebreak shoot-out to decide the result against local rivals Chesham Bois.  After the singles round Halton were trailing 1-3, but fought back in the doubles – Sarah Butcher/Jacqui Wingfield won the first set 6-3, lost the second set but won the deciding tiebreak and  Claudia Marsala/Ruby Brady won in straight sets, which meant the match was a 3-3 draw.  Halton showed fighting spirit in the tiebreak shoot-out and secured a win for Halton.

In the Aegon Team Tennis junior competition, Halton's Boys Under 12 team beat Exeter in the Premier Division without losing a set with the team of Toby Rogers, Barney Smith, Michael Shaw and Sam Gough.  The Boys Under 18 team had a tougher time when they travelled to play Bristol – James Gammell won both singles and doubles with Jack Mordey, but Jack, Daniel Lewis and Sam Frost lost the remaining matches, resulting in a 4-2 win for Bristol.  The Boys Under 14 team  had a close contest against a team from White Horse, Abingdon – in the singles round Alex Fage and James Marchant won and Joe Tingey and Calum McKinlay lost, leaving the team needing to win both doubles.  Joe and Alex won their match and James and Calum finished their match in style – serving an ace to win – resulting in a 4-2 win for Halton.  In the Under 8 event Halton played Iver Heath and the team of Nicholas Blagg, Joel Good, Joshua Bright and Louise Hosking proved too strong for their opposition, winning 11-5.

In the Bucks Shield Division 2 Ladies 3 had a tough match against Aylesbury 2 on Saturday.  The team of Debbie Jenkins/Bridget Andreas, Becki Tricks/Audrey Deane and Chreistina Sjoberg/Jo Euston-Moore lost a strong Aylesbury team 0-9, despite some very long close games.

ADULT & CHILD TOURNAMENT AT HALTON TENNIS CLUB
10th May 2010

27 pairs entered Halton's Spring Adult & Child Tournament on Bank Holiday Monday, including several family groups taking part at all levels – from Mini Red, played in Halton's indoor Mini Tennis Zone, Mini Orange (on a three-quarter sized court) as well as competition on the full-sized courts. There was a great family atmosphere all day, despite some of the matches having to be played in the unseasonable cold/wet weather, but the players kept going with the help of the barbecue run all day by the club's catering team.

 In the Mini Red competition, 7 pairs competed using sponge balls and mini tennis rackets and after all the pairs had played each other, the winning pair were father and son Mark & Joshua Bright, who won all 6 matches.  The runners-up were more difficult to decide, with 3 pairs all on 4 wins (Gavin McKinlay & Max Struthers, James & Joel Good and Mimi & Louise Hosking) – after a count-back James & Joel claimed the runners-up prize, having 2 points more than Mimi & Louise. 

In the Mini Orange Competition Paul & Daniel Dean won, with Andrew & Ben Howell runners-up.
There were 5 pairs in the Junior Green competition, with very some close matches but Andy Maclean & Lauren McKinlay were undefeated, winning all 4 matches.  Again, the runners-up prize had to be decided by a count-back with Mark and Anna Hosking losing out to Becky & Elliott Abdey.

10 pairs entered the open competition, divided into 2 groups of 5 and then there was a play-off to decide the final placings.  In the play-off for 3rd/4th place Ellen North & Oscar Glenister beat Vicki  Walker & Edward Hart.  In the Final the winners of Group 1, Steve & Ben Willis, played the winners of Group 2  Bridget Andreas and Sean Strong and after an extremely tight game, Steve & Ben won 4-3.

Winners and runners-up in the Mini Red & Mini Orange competition of the Adult/Child tournament - from left to right: Paul & Daniel Dean, James & Joel Good, Andrew & Ben Howell and Mark & Joshua Bright

SEVERAL HALTON PLAYERS REPRESENT BUCKINGHAMSHIRE IN INTER-COUNTY COMPETITIONS
10th May 2010

Several players who train at the Everyball International Academy at Halton Tennis Centre were selected to play for Buckinghamshire in the Aegon 14 & Under County Cup and the Lionel Cox Inter-County Competition for 12, 11 and 10 & Under players last weekend.  In the Boys 14 & Under team 5 of the 6-player team train at Halton -  Joe Tingey, Alex Fage, Luke Williams, Calum McKinlay and James Marchant.  The team were competing in Group 2 at Edgbaston, Birmingham against Lancashire, Warwickshire & Oxfordshire.  On the first day they beat Lancashire 4-2, lost to Oxfordshire 5-1 and  lost to group-winners Warwickshire 0-6 – which meant they came 3rd and retained their place in Division 2.  The Girls 14 & Under team had a similar experience when they travelled to Batley, Yorkshire to play in Group 2 against Lancashire, Cheshire & Essex.  Halton players Alice Patch and Annabel Westermann helped the Buckinghamshire retain their place in Group 2 – after losing to Lancashire and Cheshire 1-5 and 2-4 respectively, the team fought back to beat Essex 5-1. 

In the Lionel Cox Inter-Competition at Queenswood School, Hertfordshire – the Bucks Girls U10 team, who included Lauren McKinlay and Amelia Barton from Halton, beat Cambridge and Essex on their way to the final against Norfolk.  It was an extremely tight match with the result depending on Amelia Barton's match which she duly won, resulting in a 5-4 win for Bucks.  Halton's Elliott Abdey was in the Boy's U10 team who came 6th. The Girls U11 team – Sophie Russell, Olivia Ray and Poppy Rogers (all from Halton) came 4th.  Halton's Oxcar Glenister and Jake Williams were in the Boys U11 team who came 5th.  In the U12 event – Halton players Laura Hope and Natasha Commins were in the Girl's team who came 6th and Barney Smith and Michael Shaw in the Boys' team who came 4th.  Buckinghamshire finished 4th overall.

BELGIAN ALLIANCE
5th May 2010

The Everyball International Academy has created a new alliance with the Carl Maes Academy, Macten, just outside Oostende in Belgium in the small rural town of Gistel.  Carl, former coach to Kim Clijsters and Head of Women's Tennis at the LTA has recently set up his new Academy which boasts 8 Red clay courts and 6 indoor hards.  This new alliance will enable us at Halton to run clay court training camps there and club visits whilst also taking our top players to work with Carl and make use of his substantial experience.  Macten is only a 45 minute drive up the coast from Calais and can be reached by Eurotunnel or Ferry.

Halton's 3 senior teams won their matches in the Aegon Team Tennis Competition this weekend. In the National Division both Ladies 1 and Mens 1 had comfortable wins.  Ladies 1 played Taunton at home.  In the singles round Jemima Hayward beat Debbie Hale 6-2 6-0, Emily Quin won the match of the day winning 6-4 in the 3rd set against Katie Miles, Helen Hales lost in 2 close sets to Zoe Leach and Celia Bristow beat Elizabeth Thorpe 6-2 6-2.  Halton needed to win one doubles match to secure the match and in fact both pairs – Jemima/Celia and Helen/Emily won 6-2 6-1 and 6-2 6-2 respectively, resulting in a 5-1 win for Halton. Mens 1 were equally successful when they travelled to Beckford in Gloucestershire.  The team of Pete Thorne, Stuart Pugh, Owen Richards and Alex Barnes won 5-1, only dropping the 2nd doubles match.  

In the Regional group Ladies 2 had a very tough encounter against local rivals Aylesbury and the result had to be decided in a tiebreak shoot-out.  After the singles round the score was 2-2 after Jacqui Wingfield beat Sue Dunn, Sarah Butcher lost to Katie Houghton, Annabel Westermann lost to Rebecca Burns and Becki Tricks beat Hayley Tallyn.  The match was still tied after the doubles round so the match had to be decided by a tiebreak shoot-out -  3 tiebreaks – 2 singles and 1 doubles. After the singles tiebreak it was still a tie, with Jacqui winning and Becki losing, leaving Sarah/Annabel to play the doubles which they won 10-8, resulting in a 4-3 win for Halton.

In the Junior Aegon Team Tennis competition Halton's Boys 18 & Under team secured a superb win against a highly-ranked team from Team Bath.  Stuart Pugh won a thrilling singles match against Bath's No. 1 player – he lost the first set in a tiebreak, came back and won the 2nd set and won the 3rd set tiebreak; James Gammell and Gavin McKinlay also won their singles matches and James Blane lost a tight match.  In the Doubles round McKinlay/Blane lost but Pugh/Gammell won, resulting in a 4-2 win for Halton.  The Boys 14 & Under team had a tougher time when they travelled to Maidenhead.  In the singles round, Joe Tingey and Alex Fage lost in close matches to higher-ranked players but Calum McKinlay and Luke Williams both won.  Unfortunately Halton lost both the doubles matches, which meant that Maidenhead won 4-2. Girls 18 & Under team also played against Team Bath when the match had to be decided by a tie-break shoot-out.  In the singles round Kathryn Sharples and Claudia Marsala won but Heather McNeill and Victoria Pisani lost, with the score at 2-2 the doubles round was equally close with one win and one loss.  Unfortunately Kathryn and Heather lost 10-6 in the deciding tie-break shoot-out, giving Team Bath a 4-3 win.

In the Under 9 Event Halton travelled to play Chesham Bois when the team of Ben Cooper, James Weller, Isla Duguid and Molly Curliss won 8-2.

In the Aylesbury & District Winter League Division 3, Ladies 2 need to win their final match of the season against Cublington to secure promotion next winter season.  The team of Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins and Claire Roberts/Camilla Hayward won 7-1 and now look forward to playing in Division 2 next year.

Katy Dunne followed up her first ITF 18 & Under title with a second consecutive win this week at the Aegon Junior International Under 18 Tournament at Nottingham.  15 year-old Katy, who trains at the Everyball International Academy at Halton Tennis Centre, captured the title in a repeat of last week's final when she beat Ruth Seabourne 6-4 6-4.  Her coach Mike James commented “Winning back to back titles is a significant achievement and a genuine indication of world class ability.  An exciting Summer beckons but the hard work must continue, and I know Katy has the appetite for it.”

BARNEY SMITH REPRESENTS GREAT BRITAIN IN FRANCE
20th April 2010

Barney Smith, who also trains at the Everyball International Academy at Halton Tennis Centre, was selected for a 2-player Great Britain team to compete in an 11 & Under Tennis Europe event in Bressuire France last week.  Barney progressed all the way to the semi-finals of the singles event and the finals of the doubles against a strong international field.

HALTON'S JUNIORS EXCEL AT RICKMANSWORTH
20th April 2010

Halton's Juniors also had considerable success at tournaments held over the Easter holidays.  At the Rickmansworth Grade 3 Junior Open Tournament Halton players dominated the Finals. Victoria Pisani beat Sophie Marriott to win the Girls 16 & Under singles.  In the boys events Michael Shaw won the 12 & Under singles event, coming back for a set down to win in a 3rd set tie break and  in the 14 & Under event it was an all-Halton final with Alex Fage beating Joe Tingey. In the 14 & Under Boys doubles, Halton's Joe Tingey teamed up with Jack Turley  from Hertfordshire to beat  Halton pair Calum McKinlay & Alex Fage.  In the 18 & Under final Dean Kelleher & Jack Mordey beat Gavin McKinlay & James Blane in a tense 3rd set tie break.  Calum McKinlay also won the 14 & Under boys singles consolation final.

Daniel Dean put in a superb performance to win the Grade 3 Under 9 tournament at Cambridge.  At the Grade 4 tournament at Gosling Park, Hertfordshire,  Jack Clark had 3 good wins to reach the Semi-Final in the Boys 14 & Under event when he lost in a tight match to the No. 1 seed.  In the 3rd/4th play-off Jack beat Halton's Ben Willis in two tight sets.  Halton players also competed well at Chesham 1879 Grade 4 event.

The Aegon Team Tennis Premier Division started this weekend with Halton's Boys 12 & Under team of Toby Rogers, Scott Duguid, Sam Gough and Michael Shaw losing a tie-break shoot out to Esporta Bracknell, resulting in a 4-2 loss.  On Sunday the boys 14 & Under team of Alex Fage, Joe Tingey, Luke Williams and Jack Clark were beaten 5-1 by a strong team from Southampton.

The LTA Aegon Team Tennis Competition got underway this weekend throughout the country.  In the Open competition, Halton have 3 teams.

Halton's 2 top teams had a successful start in the National Division, both Men and Ladies 1 playing against teams from Gerrards Cross Bull Lane.  Ladies 1 travelled to play their match and won 6-0 without dropping a set.  In the singles round Kathryn Sharples beat Selena Coburn 6-3 6-1, Helen Hales beat Sarah Burrows 6-2 6-2, Celia Bristow beat Lauren Webb 6-2 7-6 and Heather McNeill beat Kate Todd 6-1 6-3.  In the doubles round Kathryn & Celia won 6-4 6-2 and Helen teamed up with Emily Quin to win 6-1 6-2.  The Mens team were equally dominant when they played at home, winning all their singles matches with the loss of very few games.  Pete Thorne beat Martin Sedzmak 6-3 6-2, Stuart Pugh beat Alex Trill 6-2 6-0, Owen Richards beat Connor McHale 6-0 6-0 and Alex Barnes beat Matthew Wood 6-1 6-0.  The doubles round was a bit tighter but the Halton pairs of Thorne and Andy McGrath  and Richards/Barnes both won in straight sets, resulting in a 6-0 win for Halton.

 Ladies 2 are in the Regional division and had a tough start when they played Caversham at home.  One of Halton's players was stuck abroad because of the currently flying restrictions so a last-minute substitute was brought in.  In the singles round Jacqui Wingfield lost to Heather Bates 2-6 1-6, Victoria Pisani lost to Gill Galloway in a rollercoaster match 2-6 7-6 1-6, Grace Russell lost to Alison Longfield 0-6 2-6 but Hannah Russell (who stepped in at the last minute) won 6-4 6-2 against Carol Mewson.  The doubles round was very close but Halton lost both matches, resulting in a 5-1 win for Caversham.

HALTON AND EVERYBALL INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY PLAYER KATY DUNNE WINS HER FIRST JUNIOR ITF TITLE AT NOTTINGHAM ITF GRADE 4
14th April 2010

Katy Dunne, aged 15 and training at Halton's Everyball International Academy, won her first ITF 18&U junior title on Saturday in a tough fought 3 set final against Great Britain's Ruth Seaborne (seeded 15) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.

On route to the final the unseeded Dunne defeated the 6th, 9th, 14th, and 3rd seeds, playing a seed in all but the second round. As a result of this event, Katy will see her current 18&U world ranking of 673 move up as she hopes to break into the higher grade ITF events in the near future.

Congratulations to Katy and all of her supporting team at Everyball.

TOUGH WEEKEND FOR HALTON TEAMS
21st March 2010

There were some tough matches for some of Halton's teams this weekend.  In the Aylesbury & District League Division 3 Ladies 2 and Ladies 3 were both in action.  Ladies 2 secured a win over Tring 2 when the team of Wendy Shute/Bridget Andreas and Trudie Drake/Emma Strong won 6-2.  Ladies 3 had an extremely tight match against Wendover 1 with the team of Gill Roe/Tracey Strong and Christina Sjoberg/Jo Euston-Moore losing by the narrowest of margins 4½-3½.

In the Bucks Veterans Shield Division 2 Ladies 2 came up against very stiff opposition when they played Hazlemere – the team of Gill Roe/Tracey Strong and Janis O'Connor/Kathy Hill lost 8-0 despite some close sets.  Ladies 3 also had a tough time in their Division 3 match against Gerrards Cross Bull Lane 2 when the team of Sarah Tricks/Karen Fisher and Mariko Francombe/Trisha Hartley also lost 8-0.  Mixed Vets 2 completed their season in Division 3 on a winning note when they beat High Wycombe 6-2 with the team of Ralph Holliday/Claire Roberts and Phil Mayhew/Debbie Jenkins.

GOOD RESULTS FOR HALTON TEAMS
8th March 2010

Several of Halton's teams had success in their matches over the last week.  In the Aylesbury & District League Mens 1 confirmed their place at the top of Division 1 when the team of Andy Maclean/Andy McGrath and Kirk Redford/Dean Kelleher beat Chesham Bois 2 7½-½.  In Division 3 Ladies 2 had two matches over the weekend – the team of Ellen North/Wendy Shute and Bridget Andreas/Debbie Jenkins lost a very tight match against Cheddington 3-5 on Saturday.  On Sunday they were up against Halton 3, with mother and daughter Tracey and Emma Strong having to play opposite each other.  The match was so evenly balanced that the result was a 4-4 draw.

Emma Strong/Trudie Drake and Ellen North/Camilla Hayward played for the 2nd team and Gill Roe/Tracey Strong and Trisha Hartley/Janis O'Connor made up the 3rd team.

In the Bucks Veterans Shield Halton's teams excelled themselves this weekend.  Mixed 1 travelled to play David Lloyd, Milton Keynes 1 and came away with a 6-2 victory.  The team was Mark Trojacek/Vicki Walker and Peter Strong/Gill Roe.  Mixed 3 were equally successful when the team of Andrew Brockington/Tracey Strong and Gerry Walsh/Penny Jeffery won 7-1.  Ladies 1 secured a win against Burnham 1 thanks to Nicky Lambell stepping in at the last minute to play when one of the team dropped out at the last minute – the team of Bridget Andreas/Jacqui Wingfield and Wendy Shute/Nicky Lambell won 5-3.  Mens 3 completed the success for Halton's Veterans teams when the team of John Steel/Chris Roberts and Paul Henry/Paul Hayes beat Great Missenden 2 by 5 sets to 3.

U18 COUNTY CUP REPORT
1st March 2010
by Jemima Hayward

GROUP 4A - BUCKS, DEVON, AVON AND DORSET

TEAM: Captain Jemima Hayward, Kathryn Sharples, Heather McNeill, Sarah Spanswick, Alex Clark, Grace Russell, Claudia Marsala, Tor Pisani, Hollie Davies

The girls and I traveled to Taunton on Thursday 19th February to compete in the U18 County Cup tournament.  After an initiation for the freshman in the team (1st year players) which involved a Scottish accent, we arrived safely for afternoon practice.

On Friday we played Devon. We were prepared for a tough match because the opposition had a lot of depth in their team. The girls put in a superb performance with Claudia, Tor and Hollie producing singles wins on their debut County Cup match.  Kathryn and Heather also won their singles.  The veterans of the team (Kathryn, Heather and Sarah) displayed some magical doubles points during the day and destroyed the opposition.  Grace and Claudia lost a tight match at 3 doubles in a 10 point tie break, I guess you cant win them all.  Player of the day: Kathryn for playing a superb inside out backhand drop shot. Day 1 over and Bucks win 7-2.

Saturday, Dorset was our opposition, who had lost the previous day. We knew if we could beat them then we were safe, however we were looking for the win in order to play for the title on Sunday. The line up stayed the same except for Tor replacing Claudia in the 3rd pair doubles team.  The girls showed no mercy in a 9-0 win.  A gutsy performance in the 3rd pair doubles where Grace and Tor came from a set down to win the third set tiebreak 10-6.  Day 2 over.  A special thanks to the Seniors of the team for providing the evenings entertainment, an awards evening, including song, dance, balloons, laughter and tears!!

Sunday, the day we have been all waiting for. Avon was also undefeated so it was a plane shoot out for 1st and 2nd place.  It was time to bring in our secret (not quiet) weapon, Alex Clark, who was only allowed to play one singles due to coming back from a back injury.  There was a bit of confusion at the beginning of the day as their number 6 was refusing to play and they did not have a sub.  After patiently waiting,  Tor finally got to warm up against their number 6.  The girls completed their warm up, but before Tor had a chance to spin her racket, her 12 year old opponent pulled out!!!!! 1-0 Bucks.  Claudia had a tough opponent at 5. Games went back and forth at the beginning until they were at a stand still at 3-3. The game went from deuce to ad over and over again but then Claudia played a gutsy drive volley to win the game and take the lead. Claudia then did not look back and won the next 10 out of the 12 games. 2-0 Bucks.

Sarah and Heather then took to the court.  Sarah’s opponent had a blinding start and literally was hitting winners from anywhere on the court. Sarah went 4-1 down. But showed true Bucks spirit and reeled off the next 5 games to take the set.  The second set was close but Sarah managed to hold on by hitting some beautiful backhands and won in a 2nd set tie break . Bucks 3-0. 

Heather came up against a stronger player on the day, put in a fighting performance but came 2nd.  3-1 Bucks. 

Clarky and Kathryn took to the stage against two nationally and internally ranked players.  Alex was pumped for her match and served beautifully throughout the match, She stayed calm during some lengthy games with her opponent keeping the pressure on.  Alex however became more aggressive and took control of the match and won. 4-1 Bucks.  All we need now is one more match to win group 4.

Kathryn took advantage of her opponent’s slow start and took the first set and went 3-0 up in the 2nd very quickly.  However it felt too good to be true and Dominique Covington suddenly switched her game back on and Kathryn found herself at 3-3.   All the teams were now watching and the Bucks swans were behind her.  Both girls displayed some high quality points, trading backhands to backhands. Kathryn found herself 5-4 down and returning.  Luckily Kathryn’s return is a strength of hers and she broke back straight away. After a lengthy service game Kathryn held her nerve and led 6-5.  One more game, and with 2 return winners and a few forced errors Kathryn had won. Bucks 5-1. WINNERS OF GROUP 4A.

A special thanks to the team. All the girls supported each other throughout the weekend and acted like a team at all times. Lots of fun had by all.

Thank you to all the balloons that provided amusement to the team, and of course Geoffrey for supporting the team all weekend.

Good Luck to Kathryn, Heather and Sarah with their senior tennis and University.

MATCH RESULTS FROM HALTON TENNIS CLUB
21st February 2010

Halton's Mixed 2nd team had a tough match against Gerrards Cross Dukes Wood in Division 3 of the Bucks Veterans Shield.  The team of Mark Trojacek/Debbie Jenkins and David Herring/Ellen North both lost to Dukes Wood's first pair Phil Daniel/Suzanne McGuiness and drew one set all against their second pair Laurence Green/Jane King, resulting in a 6-2 win for Gerrards Cross.

 Mixed 1 had more success when they played Stony Stratford 1 in a Division 1 match.   Stony Stratford are current leaders of the Division, having won all their matches so far but Halton's team of Nick Leighton/Sarah Butcher and John Hinchliff/Claire Roberts proved stronger and won the match 5-3.

Ladies 3 came up against a very strong team when they played Beaconsfield 1 in a Division 3 match on Sunday.  Despite some close games the team of  Jill Dodds/Judy Fitch and Mariko Francombe/Trisha Hartley lost 0-8. 

In the Aylesbury & District League Division 3 Ladies 3 also came up against a very strong team when they played Aylesbury 2 – Kathy Hill/June Mordey and Gill Roe/Janis O'Connor also lost 0-8.

Halton High Performance Centre hosted the 2nd  Grade 4 12 & Under Tournament during half-term in the Centre's Indoor Courts, sponsored by the RAF Careers Service.  Boys and girls entered from as far away as Dublin as well as Buckinghamshire and the surrounding counties.  The boys event was played as a 2-way knock-out draw, with each player guaranteed 4 matches over the 2 days.  The Consolation Final was between Halton's Oscar Glenister and No. 2 seed Edward Kandell.  Oscar fought back from losing the first 6-2 by winning the second set in a tie-break (having been 5-2 down).  The deciding tie-break was extremely tight but Edward just had the edge and won 10-7. The main-draw Semi-Final featured two Halton players -  Ben Hedger and Nicholas Smart.  Ben put up a brave fight against No. 1 seed Mark Konieczny (Chesham 1879) but Mark had the edge to win 6-3 6-4.  In the second semi-final Nicholas was up against Michael Silvester, who had travelled from the Dublin for the tournament and had already put out the No. 2 seed.  Michael was more consistent and won 6-2 6-4. Ben went on to beat Nicholas 6-2 7-5 to secure 3rd place. The Final between Konieczny and Silvester was extremely close with some very long rallies.  Mark dominated the first set, winning 6-2, but Michael came back in the second set to win it 6-3, which meant it needed a 10-point tie-break to decide the match which Michael Silvester won 10-6.  

The four finalists with their trophies from left to right Mark Konieczny, Michael Silvester, Molly Hawker and Laura Hope

In the Girls competition, the initial rounds were played in a round-robin format, with the winners of each box playing the Final.  Last year's runner-up Laura Hope, who trains at Halton, went one better this year after a marathon match against Molly Hawker.  Laura won the first set 6-4 but Molly came back in the second to win it in a tiebreak.  In the deciding tie-break there was nothing to separate the girls for several points until Laura eventually secured a 12-10 win. 

The RAF were very generous in their support, with all the players being given “goody” bags and the finalists were presented with extra gifts. Sgt Simon Williams from the Motivational Outreach Team (South East) RAF Careers Service presented the winners and runners-up with their prizes and trophies.

Girls Runner-Up: Molly Hawker

Girls Winner: Laura Hope

Boys Runner-up: Mark Konieczny

Boys Winner: Michael Silvester

MATCH REPORT FROM HALTON
15th February 2010

In the Bucks Veterans Shield Ladies 1 travelled to play Stony Stratford 1 in a Division 2 match. The team of Wendy Shute/Debbie Jenkins and Claire Roberts/Sam McCaffrey came up against stiff opposition and lost 1-7. Mens 2 had greater success in their Division 3 match against Chalfont St Peter 1 – David Herring/Alan Pickett and Peter Taylor/Simon Jennings won by a convincing 6-2.

In the Aylesbury & District League Ladies 2 had a very close match against Wendover 1, the current leaders of Division 3. The team of Claire Roberts/Camilla Hayward and Wendy Shute/Ellen North were 3-1 up after the first round and managed to keep ahead the second round, despite some very close games and very heavy weather conditions, to secure a 5½-2½ win. Mens 1 also had a good win against Chesham 1879 1st team when the team of Andy Maclean/Andy McGrath and Kirk Redford/Gavin McKinlay won 6-2.

ENCOURAGING RESULTS FOR HALTON TEAMS
7th February 2010

There were some encouraging results for some of Halton's teams over the weekend.  In the Aylesbury & District League Division 1 Halton's Mens 1st team of Alex Barnes/Kirk Redford and Andy Maclean/Andy McGrath proved too strong for their opposition from Long Crendon and won the match 8-0.
Ladies 3 had a closer encounter against Tring 2 in Division 3 – Tracey Strong/Christina Sjoberg and Gill Roe/Hannah Russell were 1-3 down after the first round but managed to turn the match around and won all 4 sets in the second round to win the match 5-3.

In the Bucks Vets Shield Mens 1 had a close encounter against Chesham 1879 1st team when the team of Nick Leighton/John Hinchliff and Neil Block/Ralph Holliday won 5-3 in a Division 1 match.  Mens 3rd team were superb against High Wycombe 3rd team – Chris Roberts/Simon Napier-Munn and Gerry Walsh/John Steel didn't drop a set and won 8-0.  Ladies 2 came up against very tough opposition when they travelled to Burnham and the team of June Mordey/Julie Turner and Jane Chambers/Trisha Hartley lost 0-8.  Mixed Vets 2 were all square at the end of their Division 3 match against Chesham Bois – the team of June Mordey/Mark Trojacek and Julie Turner/Ralph Holliday drew 4-4.

HALTON TENNIS CLUB TEAMS BACK IN ACTION AFTER SNOW
24th January 2010

Several of Halton's teams were back in action over the weekend now that the snow has disappeared from the courts.  In the Aylesbury & District League Mens 2 had a convincing win over Widmer End in a Division 3 match.  The team of Ian Prior/Hasan Parvez and Chris I'Anson/Craig Rose won 7-1.  Mens 3 won their Division 6 match against Long Marston 2 without the loss of a set – the team of Luis Soares/David Herring and Trevor Dean/Peter Strong won 8-0.  In Division 3 Halton's Ladies 3 had a very tight match against Cublington when the team of Amanda Thompson/Gill Roe and Hannah Russell/Jo Euston-Moore won 5-3.

In the Bucks Vets Shield Division 1 Halton's Mixed 1 team of Neil Block/Wendy Shute and John Hinchliff/Ellen North had to settle for a 4-4 draw against Beaconsfield 1, with both pairs winning 2 sets each.  In Division 3 Mixed 2 had some very close sets against Richings Park but in the end were the stronger team and won 6-2 with the team of Colin Read/Claire Roberts and Chris Roberts/Camilla Hayward.  Ladies 4 had an extremely close match against High Wycombe 3 in a Division 7 match which also ended in a 4-4 draw.  The Halton team was Christine Stones/Caroline Clark and Flo Glenister/Sally Felton.

GREG RUSEDSKI UNVEILS NEW FACILITIES AT HALTON TENNIS CENTRE
22nd January 2010

LTA Talent Ambassador and former British number one Greg Rusedski was on hand yesterday to unveil the new facilities at Halton Tennis Centre near Aylesbury, following a major £379,000 grant from Sport England through the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

The facilities, which include an airhall covering three new indoor courts and a mini tennis zone, are the first of their kind in the country and will provide enhanced access to tennis for the local community.

Greg Rusedski, who works with the LTA to identify and develop British Tennis talent, took the opportunity to work with some of Halton’s junior squads and do a Q&A with players and parents. Speaking at the unveiling he commented:

“This is fantastic news for the area and will improve tennis facilities for local clubs and players. I am delighted to officially open the airhall which will get more people involved in the sport through this world-class facility."

Nick Leighton, Director at Halton Tennis Centre added: “We would like to thank the LTA and Sport England for their generous support with the new facilities, which aside from the new airhall and indoor courts also includes two outdoor tarmacadam courts, a new gym and associated infrastructure work.

The LTA have also been instrumental in supporting performance tennis at Halton, more recently through awarding us High Performance Centre status, and all the opportunities this brings to talented youngsters in the local community.”

After being awarded High Performance Centre status in 2007 in recognition of its high standard of performance programmes, Halton Tennis Centre is now the base for a number of national and international standard players. These include two AEGON FutureStars and one Team AEGON player in Katy Dunne, recognised as some of the best juniors in the country for their age group.

Richard Lewis, Sport England’s Chair, said: "It's vital that public funding for sport goes into facilities that meet the highest standards, are welcoming, and cater for everyone. That's how we’re going to get more people using them every day. Halton Tennis Centre will help our most talented young tennis players fulfil their potential and at the same time, offer the local community some of the very best sporting opportunities available."

HALTON FIGHTS BACK SNOW!
16th January 2010

On Friday 15th January, after 8 hours digging, courts were ready for play!

BEN POPE WINS THE  U9 BOYS SINGLES TITLE AT THE LETCHWORTH INDOOR OPEN TOURNAMENT OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
15th January 2010

He won through his box of 3 matches having a 3 set match against a  tough Middlesex opponent and a win over his friend from Chesham Bois, Finlay Barret and then in the final won 7-0, 7-1 against a Hertfordshire boy.

HALTON'S KATY DUNNE REACHES FINAL IN FLORIDA
6th December 2009

14-year old Katy Dunne, who trains at Halton Tennis Centre at the Everyball International Academy reached the final of the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in Florida at the weekend, knocking out the 4th and 6th seeds on the way.

The Eddie Herr, held at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, is a warm up event for the Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships (one of the top junior events in the International tennis calendar) – it has served as a springboard to the professional tennis tour for such players as Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick. 

16th seed Katy moved through the initial rounds comfortably, without the loss of a set:- 

Round of 64 – beat I Fantanorosa of France 6-2 6-2
Round of 32 – beat Carol Zhao of Canada 6-1 6-4
Round of 16 – beat 4th seed Josie Kuhlman of USA 6-2 6-3

In the quarter-finals she came up against tough opposition in the form of 6th seed Domenica Gonzalez from Ecuador – Katy Dunn raced the first set to win 6-0 but then lost the second set 2-6 but fought back again and won the final set 6-3.  In the Semi Finals Katy was in control throughout the match and beat Madara Straum of Latvia 6-3 6-2.

In the Final, played on Sunday 6 December, Katy played unseeded Spenser Liang of USA which she lost 6-2 6-2.  Her coach Mike James, Director of Tennis at Halton's Everyball International Academy, commented that Katy found it tough in the final to maintain her focus on the job in hand, and played an opponent who out-smarted her at the key moments. Mike went on to say that 'Katy has had a very positive week in getting to the finals of Eddie Herr, and this should boost her confidence as she goes into the Orange Bowl next week. She is clearly competitive with the very top international girls in her age-group, and as she matures she will learn to put the finishing touches to an event such as this.  Her focus remains on developing a great game for the future, but results like this along the way only support she is on the right track.'

With a great string results under her belt, Katy now looks forward to competing in the 14 & Under Orange Bowl Championships next week.