Three titles each for Hinks & Minnis

Devon Minnis and Tom Hinks both became triple county champions at the Ashaway sponsored Under 15 & 17 Championships held at Sewell Park College. In the Under 15s event, 13 year old Devon Minnis, nationally ranked 28th, opened her hat trick with a 21-7, 21-6 singles victory over Kathryn Adamson and then the two girls teamed up to win the girls doubles from Lauren Mortimer and Georgia Moyes.

The boys singles was more competitive with top seed, Dominic Ely, being stretched all the way in the first semi-final by Robert Fletcher before coming out on top 16-21, 21-17, 21-18. Second seed, Olivier Widdowson, had a much easier route to the final by beating unseeded Ben Page. In the final. Widdowson kept Ely on the back foot and his determination saw him to victory, 21-11, 21-14.In the boys doubles Ely and Page won all their games to take the title , whilst Widdowson and Sean Lott clinched second place from Ed Benton and Ben Sharman.

The event finished with the mixed doubles, which was decided in the last match of the day when Ely and Minnis faced Widdowson and Adamson, with both pairs unbeaten. Widdowson and Adamson took the first set 15-9, but Ely and Minnis struck back to take the second 15-13 and then won the third 15-12 to take the title and give Minnis her county treble

In the Under 17s event, the boys singles went with seeding, with top seed Tom Hinks beating Josh Kent in the first semi-final and second seed Chris Parrott beating Ed Allen in the other. In the final, Hinks emerged a comfortable winner 21-8,21-7.

In the girls singles top seed, Louise Thacker, faced 13 year old, triple Under 15s champion, Devon Minnis, in the final. In a hard fought battle, Thacker took the first set 21-15, but Minnis fought back to win the second 23-21 and then pressed home her advantage to win the match and the title, 21-8.

The boys and girls doubles were both played in single round robin groups. After a number of close three set matches, the boys doubles was won by Hinks and Kent from Parrott and Allen. The girls doubles was won by Amy Sharman and Lauren Read ahead of Thacker and Rebecca Leers.

In the mixed doubles, the final group game between Hinks and Minnis and Allen and Thacker proved to be the title decider. The older pairing of Allen and Thacker took the initiative by winning the first set 17-15, but Hinks and Minnis rallied to take the second 15-8. In a nail biting final set, which could have gone either way, Hinks and Minnis edged home 15-13 to win the trophy and give Hinks his third title of the day.