Last Sunday (24 March) was a huge landmark and the biggest day in recent memory for Charnwood Tennis Club.

Both their ladies and men's teams kicked off their National League campaigns with home fixtures, while their A and B teams met in Division 1 of the Leicestershire Indoor Leagues at The Dan Maskell Facilities at Loughborough University.

The format of the National League is four singles matches followed by two doubles, all the best of 3 sets, and further tennis required to determine the overall winners of matches tied at this stage.

The ladies, promoted to this level after their last campaign, hosted Boston Tennis Club.

Their team comprised Emily Rodbourne, Isabella Cockrell (a new addition this season), Rachael Slaymaker and Holly Cheeseman. 

In the singles round, Cockrell won her singles in a decisive two sets 6-1 6-2, while Slaymaker also won in straight sets.  Rodbourne and Cheesman were both victorious in tight matches that went to three sets, leaving Charnwood 4-0 up and an overall win secured. 

Charnwood therefore decided to trial some new doubles pairings.  Rodbourne partnered Cockrell while Cheesman played with Slaymaker.  Both pairs won their matches in two sets to complete a clean sweep for the home side.

Men's team see off Boston

Charnwood’s mens national league team hosted Grantham in their eagerly awaited fixture.

The match was tied 3-3 after the competitively fought singles and doubles were completed, with James Ison and Ashton Zaranyika winning their singles matches, and pairing up to win their doubles in straight sets.

After losing out in their singles matches, Steve Mears and Jack Hallam went all the way to a champions tie-break in their doubles match after sharing the spoils in the two full sets, before ultimately going down 10-4.

But the home side ultimately took the spoils as Charnwood won the match tiebreak shootout 3-0 to seal the overall win.

Bragging rights shared in Indoor League clash

Meanwhile, bragging rights were at stake in the Leicestershire Winter Indoor Mixed Doubles Tennis League at the weekend, as Charnwood A took on Charnwood B.

The A team were represented by Kevin Leck, Chris Cottrell, Anna Randall and Caroline King, while the B team consisted of Ash el Menshawy, Lucy Matthews, and father and daughter Richard and Bea Cooper.

In the timed medley format, the first round featured men's and ladies' doubles. Leck and Cottrell were always in control of the men's doubles, despite some fine serving from el Menshawy, and ran out 8-4 winners.

The ladies' doubles was extremely close, with several breaks of serve, but with the score at 5-5, time ran out with Cooper ahead in her service game. The final game was therefore credited to the B team as they were leading, giving them a 6-5 victory.

The first mixed rubber was similarly close, but an early break for el Menshawy and Bea Cooper gave them what ultimately proved a decisive edge over Leck and Randall.

Cooper spent at least half of the match time serving as her service games were so long and fluctuating, but she showed great determination to hang on, resulting in the B team ultimately claiming a 5-4 victory.

In the second mixed rubber, despite a battling performance from Cooper senior and Matthews, Cottrell and King ran out winners by the margin of 8-4.

A 2-2 draw keeps both teams in with a chance of avoiding relegation. All will be decided in the final round of matches on Sunday 21st April.