Cruise for top seed Lawes in Weymouth tournament
THE Weymouth Town Tournament got underway at Greenhill in front of a good crowd thanks once again to the heroic efforts of organiser and referee Rhose Lawes.
The men’s singles was the primary focus on the opening night and fittingly it was number one seed Julien Lawes who kicked off proceedings with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Elliot May. Talented shotmaker May acquitted himself well in what was always going to be a tough match against last year’s runner-up but Lawes controlled the game with some heavy hitting and attacking play, easing through into the last 16.
Fellow coach Chris Westhead was also in action, only dropping two games against Jon Samuelson and will fancy his chances of making an impression on the draw.
Pete Notley weighed in for Dorchester by beating promising youngster Chris Davis 6-0, 6-2 with his trusty forehand attack doing the damage.
Game of the night was an epic battle between Adam Fraser and Jordan Frederick, which swung back and forth throughout the three hours it took Frederick to finally vanquish his opponent.
The youngster raced out of the traps to lead 5-1 in the first set with some massive serving but somehow Fraser neutralised his power and roared back to take it 7-5. Shocked by the run of games against him, Frederick steadied himself, adapted his game and took the second set 6-4.
The final set was a battle of wills in the fading light. Fraser attempted to advance forward and impose his net game but Frederick upped the ante from the baseline and found some brilliant lobs that curved over his despairing prey and inside the court to get what turned out to be a crucial break for 4-2. He then went on to find the energy to serve out the match, taking it 6-3.
The men’s doubles also got underway in a round-robin format, and Clif Moreton and Clive Stow eeked out a good win against Mark Henman and Ed Evans after losing the first set on a tiebreak in a match that lasted two and a half hours. Moreton’s serve seemed to gain bite and power and Stow’s level upped noticeably as the match went on to result in an important win in a tough group.
Andy and Hugh Lawes also won their opening match against Dave and Dan Morgan.
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