Time for juniors to enter Totally Tennis Open

4:35pm Tuesday 12th February 2008

ENTRY forms are now available for the Totally Tennis Open, formerly the De La Rue Tournament.

Now sponsored by Prince, the tournament will be held at the indoor centre from May 3 to May 5.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) Grade 4 singles tournament is open to boys and girls in two age groups - 14 and under (born 1994 or later) and 10 and under (born 1998 or later).

The entry cost is £9 per event and the closing date is Friday, April 18.

Prince, who are backing the event for the first time as part of the Totally Tennis Prince Plugged In (PPI) status, will be on site during the event with a play test day where competitors can test the latest range of rackets.

The tournament was originally on a circuit of three annual De La Rue-sponsored junior tournaments set up by Old Basing player Joan Cole to provide competitive opportunities locally.

The Totally Tennis event is the sole survivor after Manydown and Centrecourt withdrew several years ago.

Last year, tournament organiser Shane Deacon added the under-10 competition to the established under-14 event to encourage younger players to take part.

All entrants must be members of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) Registered Membership Scheme and have an LTA rating.

The format of the tournament is designed to give players as many match opportunities as possible and any prospective entrants must be prepared to play more than one match per day.

Previous winners of the event include Totally Tennis performance players Luke Miles and Aimee Paterson.

Deacon said: "It would be really great this year if we had players entering from all the local tennis clubs.

"Last year, no one except Totally Tennis players entered from Basingstoke. I hope that more players will enter this year."

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