Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Mileham achieves repeat win
Tennis
There were some familiar names on the roll of honour when Herne Bay Lawn Tennis Club held their finals day.
In a repeat of last year’s ladies’ singles final, Nicola Mileham came up against the improved Emily Bundock.
The match produced some excellent rallies but the experience of club coach Mileham proved key as she won 6-1, 6-2 to claim her fourth successive title.
Ben Keighley and Dan Walker both reached the men’s singles final for the first time with Keighley winning 6-2, 6-2.
The men’s singles plate went to young Josh Deverson, whose tactical awareness and excellent net play handed him a 6-1, 6-2 victory over the more experienced Steve Howard.
Keighley teamed up with Graham Miles in the men’s doubles and they reached the final but lost to newcomers Patrick Thomassen and Matt Newman.
Keighley and Miles took the first set 6-0 but an early break in the second helped Thomassen and Newman to level.
In the decider, Keighley and Miles raced into a 4-1 lead but Thomassen and Newman won six of the next seven games for a 7-5 win.
There was another close match in the ladies’ doubles final as Anne Gibbs and Louise Tucker faced Mileham and Danielle Miles.
After taking the first set 6-3, Gibbs and Tucker won the second on a tie-break to take the title for the 15th time in the last 17 years.
The mixed doubles final was a repeat of last year with Peter Elsden and Louise Tucker up against the father-and-daughter team of Graham and Danielle Miles.
Elsden and Tucker, having been broken right at the start of the match, only lost two more games on their way to a 6-1, 6-2 win.
Mark Townsend and Denise Parrett beat Rob Catterick and Helen Lipyeat 6-2, 6-3 in an entertaining mixed plate final.
Fore more information about the club, visit www. hernebaytennis. co. uk or email club coach Nicola Mileham on just.tennisnic@ yahoo.co.uk.
Left, mixed doubles finalists, from left: Peter Elsden, Louise Tucker, Danielle Miles and Graham Miles. Right, mixed doubles plate finalists, from left: Mark Townsend, Rob Catterick, Helen Lipyeat and Denise Parrett