IT’S not easy to win three titles at the Kent Messenger Winter Tennis Tournament and it becomes particularly difficult if you are a veteran competing against talented youngsters in the open events.

But Sally Holmes from Herne Bay proved what an accomplished all-round player she is, when she pulled off a remarkable hat-trick at the finals of the tournament played on Sunday at the Bearsted & Thurnham club.

Sally’s first success came early in the day when she and club partner Anne Gibbs defeated Jane Gentle and Jayne Humphries 6-1, 6-4 to take the vets ladies’ doubles title.

The Kent county player was then straight back on court, again with Gibbs, in the open ladies’ doubles.

Despite dropping down an age group, they proved too strong for Bearsted’s Julie Palmer and Theresa Flay winning that title 6-1, 6-3.

The mixed doubles event is traditionally one of the toughest to win, so when Holmes and partner Dominic Wood from Canterbury faced the younger powerful pairing of Giles Davey and Faye Tagg from Tunbridge Wells, few in the crowd would have put money on their chances of success.

But Holmes and Wood played some fine serve and volley tennis and managed to win most of the crucial points as they ran out winners 7-5, 7-5.

Sally Holmes wasn’t the only player to put in a gutsy performance on a day that provided the usual quality entertainment for the good-sized group of spectators.

For the past three years, 18-year-old Abby Cheeseman has been beaten in the finals of the ladies’ singles by her older sister Holly. All of the matches between the Maidstone girls had been hard fought but Holly always had the edge and came out on top.

But this time it was Abby’s turn. She played some great tennis to defeat Holly taking the title 6-3, 6-4.

In the men’s singles, there was a repeat of last year’s final and the same outcome. Zane Cheeseman, the Horsmonden club coach who is no relation to the girls, again defeated fellow coach Dan Betts. But the 6-2, 6-1 scoreline did not reflect a much tighter match.

In the men’s doubles final, Cheeseman teamed up with Giles Davey to take on Margate’s Steve Mayer and Brian Mileham.

This was one of the best matches of the day with plenty of power hitting and deft touches. Mayer and Mileham ultimately proved the stronger pair winning 6-3, 6-1.

There is a new name on the vets men’s singles trophy for 2008 after Herne Bay’s Keith Clark defeated tournament newcomer Stephen Wright from Gravesham 6-1, 6-2.

In the vets men’s doubles there were also first-time winners with Maidstone’s Kevin Holmes and Alan Cleaver playing consistently well to defeat former champions Dave Craddock and Terry Clare from Medway 6-3, 7-5 in an entertaining match.

The vets mixed title was once again contested by Alan Wilmshurst and Sarah Van Doren from Tunbridge Wells and Dave Balow and Alison Meakin. Wilmshurst and Van Doren retained the title with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

There are now three junior events in the tournament and once again the youngsters put on some superb performances.

In the under-12 boys’ event Tom King defeated his Maidstone Tennis Academy colleague Eliot Blythe 6-4, 6-1, in the under-16 boys’ Bromley’s Karl Wimble beat Robert Humphries from Higham 6-3, 6-1 and in the under-14 girls’ Atlanta Wright from Whitstable was a worthy 6-0, 6-1 victor over Medway’s Clara Brooks.

This year, hard-working Maidstone Tennis club official Gillian Howard, who has been organising the junior events for the KM tournament for several years, took over most of the organising of the main draw and it proved a great success.

After the finals tournament, referee Alan Mole thanked the Bearsted & Thurnham club for their superb hospitality and said he hoped to see all of the players entering the popular event again next year.