Lillington Free Church dominate Closed Champs

Lillington Free Church youngsters were in fine form at the Warwickshire (including Birmingham) Closed Championships for juniors and veterans at St Nicholas Leisure Centre.
Jack Green beat Lillington Free Church clubmate Tom Fletcher to win the restricted junior boys' singles.Jack Green beat Lillington Free Church clubmate Tom Fletcher to win the restricted junior boys' singles.
Jack Green beat Lillington Free Church clubmate Tom Fletcher to win the restricted junior boys' singles.

The junior boys’ event saw four Lillington Free Church youngsters contest the semi-finals.

Timmy Cooper accounted for Adam Cofler in four and Jack Green pipped Ricardo Bolanos 11-9 in the fifth. Cooper then went on to win the final 3, -4, 9, 10.

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The junior girls’ semis were contested by Livvy Fletcher and Milly Green, both of Free Church, with Fletcher winning in four, and Colebridge’s Lisa Rinnhofer who beat another Church player in Emily Beasley, also in four. In a final that ebbed and flowed, Fletcher got home 11-6 in the decider.

Ricardo Bolanos (Free Church) beat Diarmuid Gaffney of Beechwood in straight games in one under-15 boys’ semi-final, with Nikit Sajiv overcoming clubmate Eduardo Bolanos in four to set up an all-Free Church final. The elder Bolanos then wrapped up the showpiece 8, 6 and 9.

In the girls’ equivalent, Emily Beasley overcame Bethany Wootton of Birmingham 6, 9, 3 before a four-set win over clubmate Ciara Hancox, who had a walkover, in the final.

In the under-13 boys’ event, Eduardo Bolanos beat young Free Church colleague Tom Yarrow in four in the semi-final, while Colebridge’s Nathaniel Saunders proved too strong for Joe Shrimpton (Free Church), who nevertheless had played exceptionally well to win a strong group.

In an exciting final, Bolanos took the crown -9, 10, 9, 9.

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The under-13 girls’ event was played in a round-robin with winner Sophie Rinnhofer of Colebridge defeating runner-up Erin Darwen (Free Church) in four in the pivotal match.

The under-11 boys’ was also played as a round-robin, with Nathaniel Saunders beating runner-up Wafiq Wajid, also from Colebridge, -5, 7, 13, 5 in the crunch match.

There was no under-11 girls’ event due to lack of entries.

In the restricted junior boys’ singles, Jack Green accounted for clubmate Tom Fletcher to land the title and the junior girls’ restricted final also went Free Church’s way with Emma Kilpatrick defeating Milly Green.

Ricardo Bolanos paired with Timmy Cooper to clinch the junior boys’ doubles against Rugby’s Callum Ball and Sam Cafearo.

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However, it was the girls’ doubles that provided the drama in the semi-finals where top seeds Milly Bradshaw and Livvy Fletcher fell in the fifth to Free Church clubmates Milly Green and Jenny Singleton.

This was followed by the elimination of the second seeds, Lisa Rinnhofer and Emma Kilpatrick (Free Church) at the hands of Beasley and Hancox.

Beasley and Hancox went on to grab the title in straight sets.

The over-40 singles’ attracted a good entry and St George’s veteran Mark Jackson secured a final place after beating Smithswood’s Michael Browne in the last four.

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His opponent proved to be another Smithswood representative in Pat Glynn who knocked out Colebridge’s Mike Rinnhofer in the other semi.

Jackson won a close final 11-9 in the fifth.

The over-5os’ was contested by Hamstead’s Stephen Robinson, who defeated Browne in the semi, and County Council’s Simon Griew, who eliminated Glynn, with Robinson taking the title in five.

The over-60s’ finally saw Glynn lay his hands on a county title as he defeated Phoenix’s Paul Calloway in straight games.

Terry Cooper of Streetly overcame Roger Ellerington of Smithswood 3-0 to land the over-70 singles’ title.

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In the veterans’ doubles, Browne and Glynn overcame County Council’s Phil Paine and Murray Stevenson in one semi-final, with fellow Council duo Simon Griew and Nilton Green beating Free Church’s Jeff Harris and Martyn Todd to earn the other final spot.

Browne and Glynn went on to win the final in five.

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