Well – not quite Wimbledon but something for the grassroots player! The first Palmerston Hackers Open Tournament took place on Saturday March 26th attracting 16 competitors of limited experience.

The aim was to attract the ‘fun’ player who would not otherwise play competitive singles and of course for players to meet new playing partners!

Supervised by Head Coach David Simms the competitors battled through round robin groups to knockout stages. Surprise package was local central heating engineer and club member Mike Norris who only began tennis on the club adult courses last year .  Mike turned up the heat on a succession of opponents to battle through to the final where he lost a close encounter to the powerful Peter Fowler from Mossley Hill, 32 years his junior.

Our thanks go to Hilary Craig from the Mossley Hill Club for supporting the event and bringing players. Palmerston’s own Geoff Hawkins took the consolation event.

The next Hackers Open is on Saturday 17th April at 4pm followed by a barbeque and costs £5. Contact David on 07900 955155 to book your place!