Young Herefordshire tennis players star at regional and national level (From Hereford Times)

Young Herefordshire tennis players star at regional and national level

6:00pm Wednesday 19th September 2012 in Sport

HEREFORDSHIRE’S young tennis players have been making a big impression at regional and national level.

There have been some impressive results in the national rankings with many players also picked for the LTA talent ID scheme, the tennis equivalent of national trials.

Alicia Williams, who works with Tennis Hereford head coach Andrew Griffiths and new trainee coach Callum Treasurer, has followed in Alex Parker’s footsteps after an invitation to the national under-12 trial in Bolton.

She will embark on 12 months of extensive training and tests with the aim of holding a place in the squad until she is 16.

Alicia has been playing in national competitions since she was nine and is winning grade three titles with ease. She will now start playing national and international tournaments.

Ryan Price has also been invited to regional level ID courses in Loughborough for under 8s.

He is about to start playing the national tournament tour and has been recommended to start playing up an age group in orange tennis this month.

The Herefordshire and Worcestershire county closed tennis tournament produced some fine performances.

Lucy Austin won the girls under-10 title against another Herefordshire player Mia Price in a tense final.

Alex Parker beat Worcestershire’s Ryan Gaskin in the u-14 final and also reached the u-16 final where he lost to Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School’s Adam Bowen.

Adam took full-time player Jamie Marks to a third-set tie break before a cruel code violation cost him the match in the under-18 final.

He is now in the top 20 in the country alongside Alicia Williams and Alex Parker.

The Tennis Hereford-sponsored Hereford Whitecross club championships saw Callum Treasurer remove Harrison Probert from the winners’ board for the the first time in four years.

The ladies final was won by Fi Hanks who also teamed up with Rita Orr to win the ladies’ doubles.