Bitts Park February Half Term Competition Week 2010

The second Bitts Park Mini Tennis and Full Ball match plays took place over February half term, with extra events from last time to meet player demand!!  A great opportunity to play matches for all our budding Andy Murrays. Great tennis and sportsmanship meant all the events ran smoothly and enjoyably for all the participants.
In the Mini Red event on Monday, 14 players competed in round robin boxes to win a place in the playoffs. The October Mini Red event saw James Hale of Chatsworth defeat Ali Hassan also of Chatsworth in the final. The same two boys appeared in the final this time but Ali was victorious on this occasion in a closely competed match finishing at 14-12!! Mitchell Proudfoot and Gemma Harris, both of Chatsworth came third and fourth respectively, so excellent results for Chatsworth!!  For some it was their first ever experience of competing and for others their first time in the tennis dome!! All the players received a certificate and a sticker.
The Mini Orange event followed straight on from the Red on the Monday afternoon. Again this was a round robin box followed by a playoff for the winners.  Ali Hassan made the final in his first Mini Orange event but was defeated 4-1 by more experienced player, Naomi Welch of West Cumbria. A photographer and journalist from the local press attended and the players featured in the News & Star on Tuesday.
Tuesday saw the Mini Green event for 8 players.  The players played full sets in two round robin boxes and then playoffs for 1st-8th standings. Third and fourth were Jacob Proudfoot and Eve Driver both of Chatsworth. Kerren Cotterall of Chatsworth made his second final appearance in the Bitts Park matchplays but was beaten but Aaron Postlethwaite 6-1 in a very emotional match.
Boys and Girls events were split up this time in the full ball section and this attracted more highly rated players. The boys event received 12 entries and these were split into ratings groups. In the morning Vincent Wong triumphed over James Armstrong 10-2 in a match tiebreak. Both boys were relative newcomers to competition so their success was even sweeter. In the afternoon the more experienced players, mostly with 9.1/9.2 ratings competed and Matthew Little of Silloth triumphed over George Cresswell of Penrith, with George Hollings and Daniel Dobson as runners up.
Finally on Thursday the girls event took place and this was attended by 8 players – an increase of 6 female players on last time. Harri Proudfoot from Carlisle took on Emily Wise of Silloth in a closely contested final. One of the best matches of the week saw Harri win 14-12 on a match tiebreak.
The event was for the most part a referees dream as all the players were well behaved and showed good sportsmanship. Bitts Park thank the players and their parents for their continued support. More tournaments and matchplays are being planned for the summer. 

Various photos are also available to view in the Photo Gallery.