WINYATES Green ace Michael Crooks is heading for the Orange State after finishing runner-up in a national competition.

Alcester Grammar School pupil Crooks crowned an impressive season by finishing second in the Sunday Telegraph Junior Grand Prix despite competing in only two of the qualifying events.

The Telegraph ran a number of competitions since the summer but the points awarded depended on the number of entrants and Crooks won and came runner-up in two of the most popular competitions.

And by finishing in the top five he will head for Florida at the end of October together with three wild card finalists where the eight will compete in a tournament.

Crooks had a superb summer in junior and senior tennis starting with the Hereford and Worcester senior mixed doubles for the third successive year with fit-again Charlotte Lines.

In July he won the prestigious Solihull Arden International U18 Championships without dropping a set in six matches and beat Leicester's Sam Preston 6-1 6-3 in the final.

He was selected to represent Hereford and Worcester men in the County Cup doubles competition in Nottingham where he was the most successful player, winning 7 out of 15 matches.

In the process he defeated Justin Layne and Nick Gould, both ranked in the top ten men in the country and their partners.

Crooks moved on to the Bournemouth Open where in an incredible run he reached the final of the U18 boys' competition and the semi-final of the mens competition.

Unfortunately, a muscle strain meant he had to withdraw from the Torquay Open but he continued his run of success by retaining his Junior County U18 doubles and mixed doubles titles.

He is hoping to go to America to university so that he can continue to play a high standard of tennis and study for a degree in either electronic engineering or music technology.

But his outings will be limited next season because school commitments will limit his appearances in the Girobank Tour, the only tour he can compete in as an adult.