STEVE Darlington and Laurie Clark are the town's tennis champions after winning the Bolton Tennis Tournament singles titles on Saturday.

Darlington beat under-18s champion Will Hart 6-2, 7-6 while his Holcombe Brook club-mate Clark romped to the ladies' title with a resounding 6-1, 6-1 victory over Rebecca Baldwin.

Clark was finals day's star performer as she came away with three titles at the Leverhulme Pavilion, Bolton School.

She had to work harder in the ladies doubles where, partnered by Bellingham’s Annabel Rowlands, Lostock’s Maria Fallon and Louise Taylor fought hard.

Clark and Rowlands edged the first set 7-5 before winning the second 6-2.

Clark also took the mixed doubles title with her partner Charlie Foley in an all-Holcombe Brook final against Darlington and Sue Lawson.

The wildly fluctuating match ended 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.

Markland Hill’s Hart had already won the boy’s under-18s title by the time he came up against Darlington in the senior final.

The teenager was a little nervous in the first set before settling in and taking the second to a tie break which Darlington just edged to take his first title at the tournament since winning the inaugural boy’s singles event in 1983.

Holcombe were again represented in the men’s doubles final, but were this time on the losing side.

Charley Foley and David Waring started slowly with Danny Philbin and Dean Moore taking the first set 6-1.

Foley and Waring forced a second set tie break but could not take it to a final set.

Luke Jones just beat Joseph Jackson 7-5, 7-5 in the under-14s boy’s singles and the girl’s under-18s was won by Amy Hadjinicolaou who beat last year’s winner Emily Digby 6-2, 6-3.

In the girl’s doubles Lucy Ault and Miranda Whitby beat Lucy Beavean and Hannah Vosper 6-1, 6-3.

The junior mixed title was retained by Mark Rushton-Woods and Annabel Rowlands who beat Sam Muller and Emily Digby 6-4, 6-2, the third final defeat for Muller and second for Digby.

Three sets were needed by Ben Coop to win the handicap singles in which he beat Scott Williams 6-5, 2-6, 6-3.

The longest final was in the senior mixed handicap event in which Bill Roscoe and Sue McClelland took nearly three hours to beat Bruce and Diane Hardman 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a match noted for many long deuce games.

On court even longer was Kath Taylor, who was in action for four hours split between two matches.

With partner Bob Woodcock she lost an all-Lostock veterans mixed final to Paul Cashmore and Gill Pearl 6-2, 6-2.

Then after a short break Taylor and Pearl teamed up in the veterans ladies final against Janet Riley and Glenda Maxwell.

The first two sets went the full distance, the first 6-5 to Taylor and Pearl, the second to their opponents by the same score after they had to save four match points to take the set.

Taylor and Pearl then opted to go for more shots, a tactic that proved successful as they took the final set by a comfortable 6-1 margin.

Results

Friday

Under-18s boys doubles: semi-final: Richard Garcia and Samuel Muller (1) bt Luke Charnock and Chris Galley 6-1, 6-4.

U18 boys' singles semi-final: William Hart (5) bt Sam Hassall 6-3, 6-2.

Ladies' doubles handicap semi-final: Maria Fallon and Christina Millington bt Natalie Sweet and Ruth Walmersley 6-4, 5-6, 6-4.

Men's doubles handicap semi-final: Luke Charnock and Daniel Philbin bt Steve Percy and David Wride 6-1, 6-0.

Men's singles handicap semi-final: Scott Williams bt Jordan Hall 6-4, 6-5.

Mixed doubles handicap semi-final: Keith Robinson and Fiona Wheeler bt Steven M Knowles and Theresa Mccarren 6-3, 6-1.

Open men's doubles semi-final: Charlie Foley and David Waring bt Richard Garcia and Charles Otigbah (1) 7-6, 6-4.

Open mixed doubles semi-final: Steven Darlington and Suzan Lawson (3) bt Ross Smith and Louise Taylor 6-4, 7-6.

Veterans ladies' doubles handicap semi-final: Glenda Maxwell and Janet Valerie Riley bt Lesley Burton and Marilyn Sweet 6-2, 6-3.

Veterans men's doubles handicap semi-final: Roy Caswell and Jackie Smith bt David Bedford and Martin Finch 4-6, 6-5, 6-3.

Veterans mixed doubles handicap semi-final: Paul Cashmore and Gill Pearl bt Nick Hadjinicolaou and Anne Vosper 6-4, 6-2.

Saturday

(seedings in brackets)

Open men's singles final: Steven Darlington (10) bt William Hart (16) 6-2, 7-6.

Open ladies' singles final: Laurie Clark (1) bt Rebecca Baldwin (4) 6-1, 6-1.

Open men's doubles final: Dean Moore and Daniel Philbin bt Charlie Foley and David Waring 6-1, 7-6.

Open ladies' doubles final: Laurie Clark and Annabel Rowlands (1) bt Maria Fallon and Louise Taylor (4) 7-5, 6-2.

Open mixed doubles final: Charlie Foley and Laurie Clark (2) bt Steven Darlington and Susan Lawson (3) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.

U14s boys' singles final: Luke Jones bt Joseph Jackson (2) 7-5, 7-5.

U18s boys' singles final: William Hart (5) bt Samuel Muller (6) 6-3, 6-3.

U18s boys' doubles final: William Hart and Sam Hassall bt Richard Garcia and Samuel Muller (1) 6-1, 6-3.

U18s girls' singles final: Amy Hadjinicolaou (1) bt Emily Digby (2) 6-2, 6-3.

U18s girls' doubles final: Lucy Ault and Miranda Whitby bt Lucy Beaven and Hannah Vosper 6-1, 6-3.

U18s mixed doubles final: Mark Rushton-Woods and Annabel Rowlands (1) bt Samuel Muller and Emily Digby (2) 6-4, 6-2.

Ladies' doubles handicap final: Maria Fallon and Christina Millington bt Katharine Abbott and Rachel Egan 6-4, 6-3.

Men's singles handicap final: Ben Thomas Coop bt Scott Williams 6-5, 2-6, 6-3.

Men's doubles handicap final: Joshua Sabery and Ewan Smith bt Luke Charnock and Daniel Philbin 3-6, 6-5, 6-0.

Mixed doubles handicap final: Keith Robinson and Fiona Wheeler bt Richard Morley and Luisa Morley 6-0, 6-3.

Senior veterans' mixed doubles handicap final: Bill Roscoe and Sue Mcclelland bt Bruce Hardman and Diane Hardman 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Veterans ladies' doubles handicap final: Gill Pearl and Kathryn Taylor bt Glenda Maxwell and Janet Valerie Riley 6-5, 5-6, 6-1.

Veterans men's doubles handicap final: Dominic Kneafsey and Rob Lister bt Roy Caswell and Jackie Smith 6-5, 6-3.

Veterans mixed doubles handicap final: Paul Cashmore and Gill Pearl bt Bob Woodcock and Kathryn Taylor 6-2, 6-2.