I&FTC currently participates in a number of local tennis leagues.

 

The 2024 summer season is just about concluded now - we had 3 CDLTF teams, 1 BDLTA Team and 2 in CDLTF Seniors.

Latest fixtures and results here, and league tables here.  Final results are awaited from the leagues' secretaries.

 

Chelmsford & District LTF 2024 

Our women (Division 3)  started with a 4-4 draw at Hamptons II, then a 5-3 home win v Southminster, a 3-5 loss at Great Baddow III, a big 8-0 home win v Hamptons II, then an 8-0 loss at Southminster.  They started July with a 8-0 home win v Grove IV, and followed this up with an impressive 8-0 home win v Grove III, and another 8-0 home to Chelmsfordians III, then wins 7-1 at Grove III and 6-2 home to Great Baddow III;  a 6-2 defeat at Chelmsfordians III means they will finish in 2nd place to Southminster.  The season ended with a big 8-0 win at Grove IV.

The men (Division 4) won 8-0 at home to Danbury III, then secured a walkover v Great Baddow V due to a no-show, followed by a 6-2 win at Hamptons III , a 4-4 draw at Great Baddow IV , a close 5-3 win home to Grove V and a 4-4 draw in the reverse fixture at home to Great Baddow IV.  The first defeat came in late July - 6-2 at Great Baddow V in a long and very competitive match. Then a good 6-2 win at Danbury III, and an easy 8-0 win at home to Hamptons III.  In the last match we won 5-3 at Grove V.  We finish 3rd., but very close behing the two Baddow teams.

The mixed (Division 2) lost their 2 opening matches both 1-7 at home to Grove III, then Hamptons I.  Then followed a good 7-1 win home to Southminster I, but a 2-6 loss away to the same opponents, then a 2.5-5.5 defeat at home to Danbury II, a draw at home to Chelmsfordians II, then a 6-2 loss at top team Hamptons I. A second win of the season came 7-1 at Danbury II.  In the final match we lost 6-2 at Grove III, but just escape relegation (again!), as Southminster finish below us, having left their final match unplayed.

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The CDLTF is a summer league, in which we have been participating continuously since 2008, initially with a mixed team, then a women's team in 2009.

About Us - Chelmsford & District Lawn Tennis Federation (chelmsfordtennisleague.co.uk)

The mixed team won Division 4 in 2008 and Division 3 in 2013.  

The men joined the league in 2015 and won Division 4 in 2016 and were promoted.   In 2017 they were promoted again, up to Division 2, after winning 9 matches out of 10.  In 2018 they achieved an excellent 3rd place in a very tough Div 2.  In 2019 they secured the 2nd promotion place and reached Division 1 for the first time ever.  This league was cancelled in 2020 due to coronavirus, but took place in 2021 in a shortened format with no promotion or relegation at stake.  Final results and tables for 2021 never emerged, but the latest available details are in our match archive page.   The men withdrew after 2022 and switched their attention to the Brentwood League, but returned with a new team in 2024.

For 2022 we had a women's and mixed team., and both were promoted, from Division 4 and Division 3 respectively.

In 2023:

The women's matches were initially more challenging.  We started with two defeats, away to Wickford and Grove III, but achieved a good 4-4 draw at Hamptons II, then a 4-4 draw home to Danbury III.  A first win came at home to Hamptons II on 26th June, and a second on 8th July, 5-3 in a close contest home to Wickford.  The best result this summer followed on 10th July - 6-2 at home to Southminster I.  The winning team celebrate (below).  Another win came on 17th July, 5-3 home to Grove III, and a big 8-0 win on 24th August away to Danbury III.  In our final match a 4-4 draw would actually have given us the divisional title and promotion, but we lost it 8-0 at Southminster I.

The mixed team, promoted to the dizzy heights of Division II, lost 7-1 away to a strong Hamptons I team, followed by a 6-2 loss at Chelmsfordians II, although we had 4 very close sets, then a 7-1 defeat at Great Baddow I.  On 31st May we achieved our best result so far, a 4-4 draw at Hamptons II, but lost the return match at home to them 6-2.  There followed a 7-1 home loss to Chelmsfordians II and a close match on 30th June losing 3-5 to Danbury II.  However, there followed a very good home win (5.5-2.5) on 13th July v a strong Hamptons I team.  On 21st July a competitive match v Gt Baddow I but we lose 6-2.  In the final match we get a 4-4 draw at Danbury II.  But  we just escaped relegation.

 

Brentwood & District LTA 2024

The men, newly-promoted to Division 4, started with a 4-4 draw against a strong Thurrock side - helped by 4 walkover sets!  We then prevailed 7-1 in a competitive match at home to Stockbrook.  However, then followed a 7-1 away defeat at Bentley II.  In June we started with two good 8-0 home wins v Brentwood Hard II and Billericay IV and a 5-3 win at Thurrock.  Then a 4-4 draw home to Brentwood Lawn III, an 8-0 win to Billericay IV, then a 7-1 win at Stockbrook and a 6-2 win at Brentwood Lawn III.  In September there was an impressive 7-1 home win over fellow title contenders Bentley II, and finally a 6-2 victory at Brentwood Hard II.  The season ends with 9 wins and 2 draws out of 12, which hopefully should be enough for promotion.  (Final results are awaited - they tend not to arrive very speedily!)

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The Brentwood League is a competition we have participated in, often with several teams, from 2002 - 2014, then again from 2016-2018, then 2022-date.

Brentwood & District League | tennis (stockleaguesec.wixsite.com)

2023 campaign:

We started with a narrow 3-5 loss at Billericay IV, then a 1-7 loss at Bentley II.  Their first win came on 24th May at Hutton V - a competitive match but we triumphed 7-1.  At home to the same opponents a couple of weeks later we won 6-2.  Then followed an easy 8-0 home win v Hutton VI on 15th June (photos below), then a good 5-3 win home to Bentley II on the 19th., and a 7-1 home win on 23rd v Brentwood Lawn IV.  On 19th July we overcame Billericay IV 8-0 and on 27th another 8-0 home win, v Blackmore II, to keep us in the promotion hunt. In August we drew 4-4 at Hutton VI, then a 8-0 win at Blackmore II.  In the final match we won 8-0 at Brentwood Lawn IV - Ingatestone  were champions (although as at April 2024 were still waiting for their trophy!) & with Bentley II and Billericay IV were promoted.

 

 

CDLTF daytime midweek seniors' league 2024

 

This summer we have a mixed team and a women's team.

The women kicked off with a 5-1 home win to Hutton & Shenfield, a 3-3 draw at Chelmsfordians, then a good 5-1 win home to Writtle and a 2-4 loss home to Wickham Bishops B.  In August there was a 5-1 loss at Danbury, then a 5-1 loss at champions Wickham Bishops A.  The matches v Grosvenor and Southminster look like remaining unplayed, and we should finish 4th.

The mixed team won their first match at Hutton 6-0, and three days later enjoyed a 6-0 win at Stock.  In July they won 6-0 at home to Kelvedon Hatch, then a 4-2 win in the reverse fixture in August.  There followed a 3-3 draw home to Hutton, and finally a close and enjoyable 3-3 home draw v Stock, all of which means that we are champions by 12 points - a 6th title in 9 years.

 

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The Seniors' League is a new competition, introduced in 2015.  

We entered the mixed event in 2015, and achieved a win, a draw and two defeats. 

We entered again in 2016, winning the title by 4 points.

In 2017 we added a women's team to our mixed team.  The mixed team finished 3rd, 3 points behind the winners, but the women's team were bottom, and ceased participation until deciding to return in 2024.

In 2018 our mixed team won the title, for the 2nd time in 4 years, achieving a league record points total.  In 2019 we were champions again.  2020 didn't happen due to covid.  In 2021 things resumed and we finished 2nd. 

We again entered the mixed in 2022.  In the first match we beat Danbury 8-0 at home, followed by an 8-0 win at Stock, a 5-3 win at Danbury, a 3-5 loss at Forrester Park, an 7-1 win at home to Forrester Park (photo in gallery) and finally an 8-0 home win v Stock - the last of which confirms us as champions of this little league for the 4th time in 7 years.  We won 39 sets out of the 48 contested.

In 2023 we started with a good 6-0 win at Hamptons on 7th June, but lost 4-2 at the new league team, Kelvedon Hatch on 28th June.  On 10th August we had a competitive match against old rivals Forrester Park at home, and secured a 6-0 win.  Then another close contest v Kelvedon Hatch at home on 16th August, but we managed another 6-0 win, followed by another 6-0 win home to Hamptons on 22nd.  On 12th September we triumphed 5-1 home to Stock, then won the return fixture 4-2 away.  This was enough to confirm us as CHAMPIONS for the 5th time in 8 years (photos below).  The final match was played out in November and, somewhat under-strength, we lost 5-1 at Forrester Park, but this didn't affect our status as champions.

 

 

Main photo at the top shows the CDLTF mixed seniors' cup.  There are some photos in the gallery pages  of our various seniors' teams over the years.

 

 

Stock Floodlit Winter League - 2024/25 fixture dates now out - see calendar here , results here, league tables here.

 

Men - matches commenced with a 6-2 win at Brentwood Hard II, then two 7-1 home wins v Stock II and also Chelmsfodians III.  On 13th November we secured a 5-3 win at Brentwood Lawn III.  Then followed a good 8-0 home win v Southminster, and a 6-2 win at a cold and frosty Stock B.  December started with a 5-3 home win v Danbury II, then 7-1 v Brentwood Hard II to make it 8 wins out of 8.

Mixed - the season commenced 16th October, but after winning two sets at Blackmore the heavens opened and the match was abandoned.  On 23rd they secured a good home win 7-1 v Hamptons II, and followed this with an 8-0 win at Ongar.  The good start to the season continued with a 7-1 win at Bentley, followed by a 5-3 win v Thurrock II, an away match played at home.

Women - in the first match, we triumphed in a close 5-3 win at home to Brentwood Hard II.  (However this match subsequently became void as B. Hard decided to withdraw from the league).  We then drew 4-4 at Grove III,  lost 3-5 at Writtle II and drew 4-4 home to Danbury III.

 

 

2023/24 results here - final league tables here

Men

The 2023-24 campaign started on 10th October with a 7-1 loss at Ongar I.  In the second match, there was a good 6-2 win at Danbury II, but then a close 2-6 defeat at Grove III.  Then followed good wins, 8-0 at Brentwood Lawn III , 6-2 at Hutton V, 7-1 at Grove IV and in our first home matches 5-3 v Great Baddow IV and 5-3 v Grove IV.  There was then a 6-2 home loss to Danbury II.  In March, a good 7-1 home win v Ongar then an away win 5-3 at Great Baddow, home wins 6-2 v Hutton V, 7-1 v Brentwood Lawn III and 8-0 v top team Grove III, kept us in contention in a close 3-horse race with Grove III and Ongar, but ultimately we fell just one point short of the automatic promotion zone, in 3rd place.

Mixed

The season started with a useful 4-4 draw at Writtle, but this was followed by a big 0-8 defeat away to the strong Old Brentwoods I,  a close 3-5 loss at Mountnessing II, then a 2-6 loss to them at home, followed by a 2-6 loss home to Danbury II and a 3-5 away loss in the return match.  Then a very close match home to Writtle, including three 7-5 sets and two 7-6s, but we lost 3-5 overall.  And then a 1-7 loss at Chelmsfordians II and a narrow 3-5 defeat in the return match.  Our first win came at Blackmore, 6-2, but with a 0-8 home loss to Old Bs, relegation is coming.

Women

In their first match on 25th October they secured a good 7-1 win at neighbouring Mountnessing II, followed by an 8-0 win at Bentley and an honourable draw 4-4 at Writtle II.  On Jan 30th we had a 3-5 home loss to Bentley, then a 6-2 home win v Ongar, and 8-0 v Mountnessing II.  In March we got a 4-4 draw at Grove despite only having half a team, then an easy 8-0 win in the reverse fixture.  A 6-2 home loss to top team Writtle II, then a 5-3 win at Ongar to guarantee 2nd place and promotion.

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The SFWL is a winter midweek evening floodlit league, in which we have been participating since 2009/10. Despite the title of the league, until 2023 we  lacked permanent lighting, so played some home matches at weekends in the daytime, and the odd match under temporary portable lights. Otherwise we played home matches “away”, this being a condition of inclusion in the league.

However, in October 2023 permanent "tweener" floodlights were installed, and these should enable evening play from now on (see News page).

Ingatestone men won Division 7 in 9/10, Division 6 in 11/12, Division 5 in 12/13, Division 4 in 13/14 and Division 6 in 16/17.  In 17/18 they gained promotion from Division 5, after finishing 3rd.  In 18/19 they finished 6th in Div 4 narrowly avoiding relegation.  In 19/20 they were relegated.  After the covid lockdown period, they returned in 21/22 and then were champions of Division 6 again in 22/23.

Ingatestone mixed team won Division 5 in 10/11, 12/13 and 15/16.  Photo of the 15/16 title-clinching team in the gallery (Josh, Samuel, Teresa, Grainne).  In 18/19, our mixed team finished in a strong 4th place in Div 4;  In 22/23 the mixed won Division 4.

Ingatestone women claimed the Division 5 title in 15/16, but after 2 more seasons retired from winter action.  They returned in 23/24.

(We did not enter in 20/21, but in any event things were curtailed mid-season due to covid lockdown.  In season 21/22 our men's and mixed competed again.  Results can be found in match archive page).  

In December 2021, we played our first league match under our new portable floodlights against the formidable Mountnessing I.  Ingatestone were represented by Jess, Adrian, John B, Krassimira (see photo in gallery).

This link takes you to the main league website.

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For more details of previous seasons, please see the "Match Archive" sub-page.

In past years we have also taken part in a number of other leagues, including  the Essex LTA leagues (most recently in 2009), the LTA National Junior League (2019/20), LTA Team Tennis (2017-2018) and Chelmsford Junior Tennis (2007 and 2019-2014).