Category B Open Championship 2017
The Category B Tournament was eventful as ever with plenty of excellent Tennis. James Ryan played very well against stiff opposition in the quarter-finals, and fought off three set points to win the Semi-Final of the 15-19 tournament. Meanwhile two Hatfield players were competing in the other semi-final. Both James Law and Chris Aley would be the first to admit that they had been sub-par in their respective quarter-finals, but Mr Law served Chris off the court to earn the right to play James Ryan in the Final. James Ryan, arguably a little jaded from his Birthday celebrations didn't have an answer for the Hatfield pro's railroad, and James Law who went from strength to strength through out the tournament won the final convincingly.
Neil Mackenzie with father John
In the 10-14 range Levi Gale and John Woods-Casey met in the Semi-Final having both won their quarter-finals in an emphatic fashion. They were neck and neck going into the first six games, but Levi's home court knowledge gave him the edge he needed to progress to the Final. Both Neil Mackenzie and Nino Merola had dispatched with their quarter-final opponents as a formality. Nino put up a great fight against Neil, but once again the former Hyde assistant took advantage of the familiarity he had for the court. So the final saw two juniors from the Ben Ronaldson era at the Hyde come head to head. Levi played with great energy and great heart, and had Neil worried during the first set. However this was Levi's first tournament in over three years and the newly appointed Queen's Pro was hitting grilles and dedans with fury. Neil Mackenzie having gone into the tournament as favourite, was a convincing champion.
Many thanks goes to all the competitors for making the effort to travel to Bridport, and as always we would like to thank the Tennis & Rackets Association for all their hard work and support.
James Law