South Yorkshire Times August 28, 1948

A Thurnscoe Double

By winning the North of  England Junior Lawn Tennis Championship on Saturday at the end of the Scarborough tennis “festival” David Mann, of Co-op House Thurnscoe, had the biggest thrill in his 17 years, for this was his first attempt honours.

As reported in our last issue David and his friend, Brian Windle of “Ashlea,” Shepherd Lane, Thurnscoe, won the Yorkshire Junior Doubles Championship the week before and Brian won the Yorkshire Junior Singles Championship. Both are pupils of Wath Grammar School.

Writing home to his mother, David said “I am pleased at Brian’s success in the singles, but it would have been great had we met in the final.” Unfortunately, David had been beaten in an earlier round by R. Henson (Hull).

Nothing daunted, David went into the North of England championship, and on reaching the final was elated to find that his opponent would be his own colleague, Brian. In the final David won 6-2, 6-4, and so each will hold an important singles and doubles junior title for one year.

In the semi-finals Brian confirmed his previous defeat of Henson by winning 6-4, 6-1, and David got through by beating P. L. Edwards, a promising 15-year-old Doncaster schoolboy, 6-0, 9-7.

Brian is awaiting the result of the Higher School Certificate examination, and David is hoping to take the examination next summer.

The magnificent performance of these two lads will be noted with approval by sportsmen in South Yorkshire. They are the first local boys ever to make their mark in these County and North of England events. Members of the Hickleton club, both live very close to the courts, and most of their spare time is spent practising. The victory will certainly give them confidence to try again at Scarborough, though they will be too old for the junior championships next season.

Mrs. Mann told a “South Yorkshire Times” reporter on Wednesday “They have done wonderfully well, and I hope they will do better in future.”