THE junior members of Usk Tennis Club came out in force for their annual tournament on Saturday 15th November.

With players ranging in age from seven to 13 years of age, there were games at all four junior levels – red, orange, green and yellow ball.

"All five courts were used for the tournament and it was great to see the juniors playing such good tennis and having lots of fun at the same time", commented club coach, Matt Brown.

"We run group coaching for juniors each week at the tennis club and seeing them put their growing skills and confidence into practise during the event was rewarding for the players, the parents and the coach."

The red ball winner was Max Hoad with runner-up Albie Howe. Orange ball was won by Bill Hoad with Henry Allott runner up. In the green ball, Oliver Ruddall was the winner and Martha Price-Smith runner up. Oliver Dean won the yellow ball, with Ben Bailey runner up.

This year, the juniors were lucky enough to have both the ladies and the mens (adult) club champions with them during the tournament.

Amy Peacock and Tom Davies, who themselves were junior players at Usk only a few years ago, helped the groups with scoring and, after the prize giving, played a short exhibition match before being challenged to a game by three pairs of juniors.

"There is a big emphasis on participation and ensuring the juniors enjoy playing, and we saw this on Saturday.

"The atmosphere was great, with plenty of smiles from players and parents alike. We even managed to avoid the rain, so that was an added bonus!", said Malcolm Wallace, Usk Tennis Club Junior Development Officer.

For further details of junior tennis contact Matt Brown, Usk Tennis Club coach, via email  at [email protected]">[email protected]