In-form Dean has a smashing weekend (From Basingstoke Gazette)

In-form Dean has a smashing weekend

1:00pm Wednesday 3rd August 2011 in Tennis

TOTALLY Tennis Mini Performance player Dean Cooper-Kirby, pictured, had a great weekend of high level competition.

He won a Grade 3 Red Boys Singles eight-and-under event in Oxford and finished runner-up in the eight-and-under mixed singles Grade 3 event in Winchester the next day.

In the Penny and Sinclair Junior Tennis Championships eight-and-under boys’ singles event held at the Esporta Oxfordshire Health and Racquets Club in Oxford, Cooper-Kirby won all five of his Group A matches.

He beat Daniel Sutton 11-9, Jack Pinnington-Jones 10-1, Joshua Hills 10-5, Alexander Okonkwo 10-3 and Bobby Harry 10-8.

In the semi-finals Cooper-Kirby defeated James Okonkwo 10-3, followed by a convincing win over Charlie Watson 10-5 in the final to win the event overall.

The following day Cooper-Kirby travelled to the Winchester Tennis and Squash Club along with club teammates Eliza Wheeler, Hannah Smith and Ben Eaton to compete in the Grade 3 Winchester Slazenger Open eight-and-under mixed singles.

This event attracted lots of young players from throughout the region, who were divided into four groups in the early stage of the competition.

In Group B, Wheeler defeated Jack Barton 10-7 and Bailey Riches 11-9 but lost to Oscar Boyle 10-7.

Smith won three matches in Group C, beating teammate Eaton 11-9, Ryan Thomas 11-9 and George Russell 10-8. Cooper-Kirby also won three matches in Group D, defeating Gemma Lane 10-3, Toby Green 10- 7 and Archie Callaghan 10-8.

At the quarter-final stage, Cooper-Kirby beat Wheeler 10-4 and Zach Corner beat Smith 10-2.

Cooper–Kirby beat Estella Hurlock in their semi-final encounter but lost out in the final to Corner 10-1, taking the runner-up medal overall.

Head coach Oli Meager said: “These Grade 3 events at this age group attract the very best players from the region and I am delighted with Dean’s and all the other players’ performances over the course of the weekend.

“Over the past year, all of these mini players have improved tremendously as a result of their hard work and are now competing and winning tournaments where the best players in the region attend.

“Dean is a fantastic competitor and all the players shone through in different areas of their game and I am very proud of them all.”