Men’s Summer League

Mmmm. Sweaty men...

It has been a triumphant return to bottom flight tennis for Chagford’s Men. After a decade in the wilderness, we returned to Division 8, which turned out to be a tough group of 8 teams including the likes of Newton Abbot C, Lympstone B, Seaton C and Tunnels. At one point in the season, only 2 points separated the top 3 teams.

In the end, we finished Runner Up in the group just behind Lympstone, and way ahead of Seaton in third. This was an excellent first campaign, and is down to the hard work of everyone involved – our peerless coach and spiritual guru Grant Notten, Captain Marvel Ian Renwick, and all 12 players, who have gone from strength to strength this season.

We must make a special mention of James Newton, our ringer, er, talisman from Australia, who remained unbeaten throughout the season; a player of great guile and skill, whose calm temperament saw us through a number of squeaky-bum tie breaks. He will be missed, but we wish him well.

Mixed League

The Mixed Team also had a great inaugural campaign, finishing 4th in their group. Given it was the first time the men and ladies had played competitively together, there is much to be proud of and to build on. Every match was played in great spirit, and a special menion to Jo for playing so committedly in one match that she actually made herself unwell!

Many thanks to Rachel for captaining and everyone who took part.

Winter League - Men's

We are now gearing up for the Winter League, which begins on Sunday. The leaner, meaner Winter League has us mixing with the Big Boys of Newton Abbot, Budleigh, Sidmouth, Sidford and Exeter Golf and Country Club. Our matches are front loaded to the clement end of the winter, so we will be all done and dusted by December and will be spared the new year deluge. Home matches take place on Sundays, so do come and support, or if you want to get involved, contact Ben, our Winter Captain: davisbenjaminjames@gmail.com

Winter League - Ladies

We are also very excited to enter a Ladies’ Team to the Winter League, to which there has been an enthusiastic response from a number of players, including many coming up through the Rusty and Silver ranks to bolster the squad numbers. A warm welcome Sadie, Gemma and Chloe - the delights of Cranford, Sidmouth and Teign Valley await!

If you are keen to play, please contact Captain Liz on lizziejoseph67@gmail.com. Plans are afoot for Coach Martin to coach the Ladies on Fridays 1-2.30pm.

Coaching

Speaking of the devil, Martin has done a great job with the Juniors and Rusties. He led two sessions of Juniors on Saturday morning, with over 15 children attending.

He saw huge improvements in the Rusties, and the camaraderie in the group was exceptional. ‘What a lovely group to work with!’ says Coach Martin.  His coaching sessions continue on Fridays at 10am.

We also thank Grant for his ongoing help with the Men's League team - he continues to dedicate a slot in his busy schedule to helping the team improve, and the results speak for themselves. We know there was some good interest in more non-league training, and we will work to carve out more training time next season and make it clear which training is the most appropriate.

Matthew Cup

The Matthew Cup was a great success, as always. Jackie ran a competitive tournament with over 20 people taking aprt, played in a generous spirit on a beautiful day. Congratulations to Coach Martin and Mark Harbour who defeated Crispin and Ben Clarke in the final. We are assured that this was not fixed in any way. Thank you to all those who took part.

Court booking

Please note that courts are now available for non-members to book directly through the LTA website too. You can go here to the LTA Play, and search for Chagford. Please tell you family or friends who come and visit what a lovely place it is to play!

Clubhouse

Please can we ensure the ball machine is always put back in the cupboard after use. And can we ensure that the Clubhouse is kept as tidy as possible. Coach Martin did a heroic clean up after it reached a nadir of Withnailian squalor over the summer. Please can we ensure it is kept as tidy as possible.

AGM and Christmas Do

Following on from the noble tradition of last year, we will be holding an end-of-season Christmas drinks, awards and AGM night for all members. Please save Friday 1st December 6pm in your calendars, and we will fix more details later on.

That’s all for now. The sun has just stopped beating down on our beautifully repainted macadam, and the breeze has finally returned. Now really is the perfect time to play tennis.

See you on the courts!