Chichester show their young aces at tennis tournament

It featured nine-and-under mixed, ten-and-under mixed, 12-and-under boys and 14-and-under boys’ events and all entrants had to be British Tennis members.

More than 20 youngsters from the club and across Sussex participated.

Each age group played a round-robin format which guaranteed at least four or five matches each, played over two days.

The scoring system for the orange event (nine-and-under) was best-of-three-sets with each set the first to seven points.

In the other age groups they played best of three short sets, first to four games in each set (at 3-3 it was 1st to 5 games and 4-4 it went to tie-break next game) and if the match reached 1-1 in sets a match tie-break to ten points was played.

In a very strongly-contested orange event there were several three-set matches and Jacob Harding from the Chichester club won all four of his matches, including two close three-setters, and defeated Matthew Langley 7-3, 5-7, 7-3 to win his round-robin draw.

Another member of the Chichester School of Tennis coaching programme also won the ten-and-under mixed event - William Broom winning it in style and losing only two games in all of his four matches.

Guy Brown was made to fight for the 12-and-under boys’ event with a close deciding match against Elliot Cameron (CRAFC) with Brown eventually winning a match tie-break third set 10-5.

Oliver Troy, also coached by the club’s team of coaches, completed a hat-trick for Chichester by winning the 14-and-under boys’ title. He won all five of his matches in straight sets.

Gill Anderson from the county association Tennis Sussex organised the draws, refereed the tournament and presented the prizes and certificates.