AFTER battling it out for team honours throughout the season, it was time for a bit of individual and doubles glory at East Lancashire Tennis League’s annual knockout competition.

Held at Accrington Tennis Club, three adult and four junior finals were held on the day in a court battle to find the league’s top players.

The swelting conditions made sure all the competitors were put to the test but it made for a fantastic day of tennis for the players and watching spectators.

  • Mens Singles Final Matthew Honey (Parkwood TC) beat Andrew Moore (Whalley TC) 6-3, 6-4 THE men’s singles final set the tone for a day of top tennis as Andrew Moore surged in to a 3-0 lead after an early break of serve.

However, Honey began to find his range and started to get a foothold in the final, playing some very superb tennis, winning the next six games on the trot to win the first set.

The second set was more of the same, and it was Honey who triumphed in the end to win the second set, 6-4 and claimed the title.

  • Men’ s Doubles Final Stephen Palmer and Chris Rowell (Burnley LTC) beat Peter Bradley (Blackburn Northern) and John Waddicor (Darwen TC) 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 THE Men’s Doubles final proved to be the match of they day with the balance of power swinging one way then the next.

Palmer and Rowell always seeming to be in control but Bradley and Waddicor, came back at them to win the first set on a tie-breaker.

The second set was a repeat of the first, again going to a tie break. But this time it was Palmer and Rowell who won to force the decider.

In the third set all was going with serve and looked like another tie break was inevitable.

But then Bradley lost his serve to make it 5-4 to the Burnley Tennis Club pair. Rowell was now left to serve for the set. And he saved his best service game until last to hold convincingly and take the set 6-4 to win the title.

  • Mixed Doubles Final Elaine Varcoe and Danny Taylor (Burnley Tennis Club) beat Alison Padgett and Stephen Palmer (Burnley LTC) 6-3, 6-1 ELAINE Varcoe and Danny Taylor were always favourites to win the final – especially as Palmer had just finished his gruelling men's doubles final.

And although there were some eye-catching long rallies, Varcoe and Taylor went on to win the all-Burnley encounter in straight sets.

  • Girls Under 16s Final Rachael McCrae (Feniscowles TC) beat Francesca Moore (Whalley TC) 6-0, 6-0 Although the scoreline suggests one-sided final, it was not as easy as it looked on paper as Moore made McCraie work to win the points –never mind the games.

But in the end, the Feniscowles player was the better player on the day andbeat her Whalley rivel 6-0. 6-0.

  • Boys Under 12s Final Sam Hardwick (Whalley TC) beat Dominic Brown (Whalley TC) 7-5, 6-2 THE Boys Under 12s Final was an all Whalley affair and it turned out to be a cracking advert for junior tennis with some outstanding hard hitting and long rallies.

There was little to choose between the two boys – with the first set especially going down to the wire – but it was Hardwick who came out on top.

  • Boys Under 14s final Richard Garcia (Darwen TC) beat Cameron Brown (Whalley TC) 6-1, 6-0.

Richard Garcia proved he is one of the top yonng players in the league and played some super tennis beating Cameron with ease – losing just one game on his march to the title.

Brown, who plays for Whalley, tried his best but he had no answer to Garcia’s superior all-round game.

  • Boys Under 16s final Richard Garcia (Darwen TC) beat Sam Muller (Darwen TC) 6-2, 7-6 Garcia made it a double of junior titles after beating club-mate Muller. Again this was a great match and most of the time very even. Richard coming out winner.