Welcome to the Spring issue of the newsletter. With the weather getting warmer and the league season around the corner, in this issue we share dates for the coming season.
Spring Fun Tournament
On Saturday, the 11th. of April we held our first Saturday Fun Tournament of the year. A full complement of 24 players braved the grey skies to fill all the courts and demonstrate their skill and energy. There was a nice mixture of newish members and familiar faces. The level of play seems to go up every year.
The ladies’ competition was particularly close, with Sarah Gardner, Wendy Pagden and Fran Shaw all scoring 20 points or more and Fran coming out on top with 24. In the men’s competition, Kevin Eastaugh was a worthy winner with 22 points. There were also special prizes for the most memorable shots of the day, which were won by Sabina Hinchliffe and Dusty Wilken.
We aim to provide new balls to play with and some worthy prizes for winners and would welcome suggestions for prizes for future tournaments.
Do players like the traditional choice of drinks or would they prefer something more tennis-related or even small trophies? All suggestions to the committee please.
The tournament balls should go to the club sessions afterwards, but unfortunately some seem to have disappeared this time. There should be six black tubes of newish Soderling RS Pro Edition tennis balls somewhere in the club, so if anyone can locate them, we would be grateful.
Our next Saturday tournament is on the 16th. of May and this is followed by our Charity Fundraising Tournament on the 15th. of August, so please get those dates into your diary.
2026 Colchester & District League
In February, the committee met to discuss squads for the upcoming season. Captains and squads have now been confirmed. Fixtures for all squads have been posted on the Noticeboard and our Facebook page.
The full protocol we use is posted on the Tennis Noticeboard.
Friendly League Fixtures have been made and the relevant Captains will be looking for participants.
Ladies Captain – Sam Fitzpatrick
Mens Captain – Kieren King
Mixed Captain – Karen Ainley
Individual Friendly League Tournament
The Colchester and District Individual Friendly Tennis League was established in 1960 by 10 local clubs and exists to give players of a moderate standard a chance of competitive play. Hence, it is intended specifically for older or less experienced players, or for those who simply wish to enjoy less intensive competitive tennis. It is open to players who do not regularly play in the Premier or First Divisions of the Colchester and District League.
Categories are :
Boys & Girls Singles under 16 on 30.09.26
Men's Singles
Ladies Singles
Men's Doubles
Ladies Doubles
Mixed doubles
Married Couples
Veterans Men's doubles over 60 on 30.09.26
Veterans Ladies Doubles over 60 on 30.09.26
Veterans Mixed Doubles over 60 on 30.09.26
Finals day is on Saturday 12th September, which will be held at Kirby tennis club this year. Entry fee is £3 pp per category.
Closing date for entries is Sunday 14th June.
An entry form can be found on the Friendly League Website.
(www.friendly-tennis-league.org.uk)
Ladies Day Tournament – 20th May
The OC is introducing a Ladies Day Tournament an initiative from Christine Long, C Team Captain.
Our first Ladies Day has been organised with 12 members from other Clubs and 12 OC ladies of a similar standard to have a friendly tournament with lunch.
If this is a success we hope to launch similar for other ladies, mens and even mixed tournaments.
Club Sessions
The Club Sessions continue to be very well attended with the Sunday Club Session being moved to 9.30 am due to popular demand, and is continuing to be well received.
- Saturday Morning: 9.00am – 11.30am
- Sunday Morning: 9.30 am – 11.00am
- Tuesday Morning: 9.30am – 11.00am
- Wednesday Evening: 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Box Leagues
A gentle reminder that our Members’ Box League is quite time consuming, so it would be appreciated if any changes to entries are sent via email to : christinelong49@gmail.com in a timely manner before the end of the current League.
The Box League is a great way to have competitive tennis in a friendly and sportsmanlike manner, so please bear this in mind when playing.
Safeguarding
The Colchester Officers' Club is committed to prioritising the well-being of all children and vulnerable young adults at risk, promoting safeguarding in our club at all times. All types of abuse that occur in society also occur in tennis and the sport is not immune from it.
Our coach, Tom Perry has LTA accreditation, which means he has a recognised qualification, DBS check, safeguarding and is first aid trained. We also have several members who hold enhanced DBS checks.
The responsibility falls to us all. If you have any concerns, please report this to Peter Halliday.
You can report directly to the LTA via the secure online form or via email (safeguarding@lta.org.uk). If the concern is urgent or out of office hours ring 999, or 101 for non- emergencies. You can also contact the NSPCC on 0800 800 5000.
Tennis Mingle
Our much-anticipated unofficial start to the tennis season, the Tennis Mingle, took place on the evening of Saturday 14th March—and what a fantastic evening it was!
This year, name badges were handed out at the door, sparing everyone those all-too-familiar awkward moments of forgetting the name of someone you’ve partnered with countless times on court. A small touch that made a big difference!
With an impressive turnout of 55 attendees, the clubhouse was buzzing with energy. Members enjoyed drinks, lively conversation, and some delicious nibbles.
Organiser Ken warmly welcomed everyone, giving a special mention to our newer members and introducing this year’s tennis committee. He also invited everyone to pause for a few moments of reflection in memory of Guy Wynter, a much-loved and long-standing member who sadly passed away last month.
With such a wonderful evening, the tennis season has truly begun in style. Here’s to a fantastic summer of great matches and friendly competition. We look forward to seeing you all out on court and at the upcoming tournaments!
Children’s Camps
The Officers' Head Coach Tom Perry once again delivered a successful Easter tennis camp, welcoming 60 children from both the club and the local community.
Over two lively weeks, children aged 4–16 enjoyed a mix of games, drills, and coaching, supported by junior coaches across six full days. Flexible sessions allowed families to choose between morning and extended day options.
These holiday camps continue to promote junior tennis, helping children develop their skills, build confidence, and have fun in a safe and friendly environment.
If you would like to know more about the Officers' Club holiday camps that Tom will be holding, please call or text on 07947667183.
We welcome children already involved with the club and friends and families from across the community.
Future Dates
Other important dates for your diaries:
- Fundraising tournament – 16th May
- Ladies Day Tournament – 20th May
- Pimm's and wooden rackets tournament – 4th July
- Charity tournament – 15th August.
- Club Championships Finals Day - Sunday 13th September
- Back up Club Championships Finals Day - Sunday 20th September
- End of season dinner – 10th October
- Christmas jumper tournament – 28th December
Reminders
We have a members facebook page -
There have been situations recently where members who have booked courts have not turned up and courts were not cancelled. It is everyone’s responsibility to cancel a court if it is no longer required, as court time is precious.
Committee Changes
There have been a few changes to the tennis committee recently to make you aware of.
Loess and Sarah both stepped back due to other commitments and they have been thanked for their inputs over their time with the Committee.
Joining the Committee we have Ken Aldred, Sam Fitzpatrick and Sabina Hinchliffe.
They will be joining:
- Peter Halliday – Co-Chair
- Kevin Eastaugh – Co-Chair & Club Captain
- Tom Perry – Club Coach
- Karen Ainley – Ladies Captain