Learning Disability National Tennis Championships hailed a success in Sunderland
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Sunderland played host to the LTA’s Learning Disability National Tennis Championships for the first time last weekend, as over 60 players headed to the North East to compete in the 16th edition of the tournament.
Taking place at Silksworth Tennis Centre from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 November, over 140 matches were contested over the three days, with players entered into different divisions depending on their level of ability.
Organised by the LTA and hosted in partnership with Special Olympics GB, the Championships featured both singles and doubles competitions, with the likes of GB stars Dominic Iannotti and Oliver Beadle in action, alongside five members of the Special Olympics GB team who all competed in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
With matches played across yellow, green and orange ball divisions, results from the event were as follows:
Yellow Ball
Division 1
- Dominic Iannotti (Scotland South)
- Luke Turnbull (Scotland West)
- Oliver Beadle (Essex)
Division 2
- Blake Cuthbertson (Scotland West)
- Joseph Eccles (Nottinghamshire)
- Matthew Copley (Scotland West)
Division 3
- Matthew Brough (Yorkshire)
- Robert Fisher (Glouestershire)
- Laura Campbell (Yorkshire)
Division 4
- Ben Tyler (Hampshire & Isle Of Wight)
- Jack Dickson (Scotland South)
- Keigan Freeman-Hacker (Yorkshire)
Division 5
- Alastair Ramsey (Scotland West)
- Dominic Hubner (Nottinghamshire)
- Sam Dale (Yorkshire)
Division 6
- Greg Coultas (Scotland West)
- Tomos Bevan (Warwickshire)
- Mark Cooper (Kent)
Green Ball
Women’s Singles
- Lucy Porteous (Scotland South)
- Frances Smiley (Ayrshire)
- Bethany Wilson (Scotland South)
Mens Division 1
- Aidan Bennett (Scotland South)
- Ashley Hawkins (Derbyshire)
- Ciaran Bevan (Warwickshire)
Mens Division 2
- William Farrow (Yorkshire)
- Paul Godfrey (Ayrshire)
- Cameron Long (Yorkshire)
Orange Ball
Womens Division 1
- Emmie McGeown (Shropshire)
- Laura Wells (Yorkshire)
- Mary Nolan (Yorkshire)
Womens Division 2
- Emma Lindsay (Yorkshire)
- Shannon Bennett (Lincolnshire)
- Emma Birley (Dumfriesshire)
Mens Division 1
- Darrell Stark (Dumfriesshire)
- Lane Stow (Wiltshire)
- Alex Hopkinson (Nottinghamshire)
Mens Division 2
- Joseph Scott (Dumfriesshire)
- William Smith (Dumfriesshire)
- John Byrne (Kent)
Speaking about the event, LTA Tournament Director Claire McCulloch said:
“The Learning Disability National Championships is one of the most inspiring events in the tennis calendar and it was great to bring the tournament to Sunderland. Tennis is an adaptable and welcoming sport that can be played by anyone, with record numbers of disabled people now picking up a racket and enjoying playing. This event didn’t just see the country’s very best learning disability tennis players battling for titles, it saw players of all ability having fun and competing, with everybody leaving with a certificate.”
Learning disability tennis is part of the LTA’s Open Court programme, which is one of the biggest disability-specific sports development programmes in the country.
It supports over 500 venues across Britain to offer disability tennis sessions to their local community. Find out how to start playing via the Play section of our website.
Silksworth Tennis Centre is part of the network of community indoor tennis centres across the countrcy supported by the LTA, providing superb facilities for the local community to get active as well as the opportunity to bring national and international tennis events to the region.
