Paralympic Dream Still Alive

THE London 2012 Paralympics remain the long term goal for Dalepak sponsored wheelchair tennis ace Dermot Bailey after he won three titles in the Esporta Welsh Open at Cardiff in October.

As well as being successful in the junior singles event, the Kettering based Brooke Weston College student reeled off a B division (adult) double in both singles and doubles at the Welsh National Tennis Centre.

It was a case of gritting his teeth through the pain barrier as the left hander continues to be troubled by the elbow injury which has plagued him during the summer. However, Dalepak has pledged its support to help Dermot fulfil a dream he has cherished since being cruelly struck by a hip disease when he was just six years old.

His latest success though, had an ironic twist as his elbow injury inadvertently helped his cause in Cardiff, as his mum Sarah explained: “They held a buffet on the Saturday night but some of the players went down with food poisoning. However, we went straight back to the hotel so we could pack Dermot’s elbow in ice.”

That might have been a blessing in disguise given the nagging injury, while it meant one of his scheduled doubles opponents was unable to get on court. The Northants lad and his Edinburgh partner John Gilbert were handed the event based on count back results in the build up to the final.

However, Bailey still needed to show some dazzling form on court to win his singles matches, winning his B Division adult final in straight sets against an opponent from Jersey.

 That set him up perfectly for an international event in Nottingham later in October where he was once again planning to team up with Gilbert in the doubles. As well as receiving coaching from his long time mentor Wayne Tideswell at Kettering, Dermot has also benefited recently from working with a new French coach Kevin Hoey at the Corby Indoor Tennis Centre. His plan is to maximise his hours on court while hoping further physiotherapy will allow the elbow problem to settle down .