Nottingham players are stars at the National Learning Disability Tennis Event

Nottingham Tennis Centre, 20-21 November 2010

Players from across the UK took part in the Tennis Foundation's seventh annual National Learning Disability Tennis Event over the weekend of 20/21 November at Nottingham Tennis Centre, in association with Special Olympics Great Britain.

The players contested six men's singles groups and two women's singles groups as well as men's doubles and women's doubles events over the two days of competition, in keeping with the format used in Special Olympics national and international events of banding athletes together in groups of like tennis ability.

Nottinghamshire's Michael Clarke, a singles silver medallist and mixed doubles gold medallist in Poland, claimed another silver medal in his home city in the Men's Group 2 Singles, while his fellow Nottinghamshire athletes Alex Eustace and Joseph Eccles finished third and fourth respectively. A good weekend for Nottinghamshire-based players also saw Luke East, Leigh Foster and William Haynes collect gold medals in the Men's Group 4, Group 5 and Group 6 Singles events. Peter Norton won a gold medal in the Men's Doubles Group 2 with fellow East Midlands player Tom Styles, Steven Uttley won a silver medal with Leigh Foster in the Men's Doubles Group 3 and Katherine Ashcroft won two bronze medals in the Ladies Singles Group 2 and the Ladies Doubles.

While there was plenty of success in Nottingham for players from the East Midlands Special Olympics Tennis Squad based at the nearby West Bridgford Tennis Club, their coach Lesley Whitehead and her son Matthew Whitehead were on hand during the weekend to give all the players plenty of encouragement as they coordinated the on-court activities. Lesley and Matthew recently accompanied the Special Olympic Great Britain tennis squad on their successful visit to the European Summer Games in Poland and both are set to accompany the squad that will go to the 2011 Special Olympic World Summer Games in Athens. Clarke, Eustace and Eccles have already been selected for Athens alongside three other players from the UK.

Players will next be competing in the West Bridgford Learning Disability Tournament on 16th & 17th April 2011. For more information on disability tennis at West Bridgford Tennis Club please contact Lesley Whitehead on 0115 9811699