Tournament serves up real treat on court

THE UK’s largest tennis tournament for visually-impaired players proved a smashing success at Newcastle’s Jesmond Tennis Club.

Forty-nine players from across the country took part in the event, which was overseen by Britain’s leading tennis charity the Tennis Foundation.

The tournament featured five medallists from the recent World Championships in Dublin – with the standard of play higher than ever.

Tournament organiser and chairman of the North East Visually Impaired Tennis Club Graeme Manwell was delighted with the quality, camaraderie and sportsmanship on show - and has already set his sights on the 2019 event.

He said: “The strides the game has taken and the improvements which players have made over the past few years is quite staggering.

“The Newcastle tournament is committed to maintaining this momentum by hosting an even bigger event next year.”

The B1 final (blind players) saw reigning world and British ladies’ national champion Rachel Eve Morgan take on current British men’s champion Roy Turnham.

Liverpool-based Turnham, who will be playing in the GB Blind football team at the upcoming World Cup in Madrid, won by five games to three.

Samantha Murray from Seaham – playing in her first visually Impaired competition - captured the ladies’ B4/5 (partially-sighted) title, beating recently-crowned world silver medallist Rosine Pybus along the way.

North East duo Sidney Tambin (Newcastle) and Anthony Harrison (Hartlepool) combined to claim the B1 doubles competition with a string of impressive victories.

Tees Valley Sound Tennis member Stephen Norcott also upset Neil Fradgley from the Isle of Wight to clinch the men’s B4/5 event.

The North East Visually Impaired Tennis Club, supported byThe Tennis Foundation and the Newcastle-based Adderstone Foundation, runs weekly sessions at The Northumberland Club in Jesmond.

To find out more about the game, contact NEVITC chairman Graeme Manwell. Email: gmanwell@googlemail.com.