Men's Third Team Captain

How long have you been a member of SLTC? Around 8 years.

What made you join SLTC? My family joined when my boys started playing as little ones with Harrison’s coaching program. Tennis and bike riding got me through lockdown and I just love playing on the grass. I’ve made good friends along the way and improved my game. 

What’s your favourite tournament to watch? Always Wimbledon. We watched it growing up in the 80s while playing short tennis on my neighbour's lawn in Worfield. I do love grass tennis and I feel privileged to be a part of the grounds' team preparing our grass courts for play this summer. 

What’s your favourite shot to play?  I play on the left and I love to step up to a second serve on my backhand, hit it really early, sabre style, and then charge the net.  It puts pressure on the server both in the moment and next time they second serve to me. It’s especially good on the grass! 

What's it like playing in an SLTC team?  I find it exciting, nerve wracking, exhilarating, humbling, rewarding.  I have a mindfulness practice I return to at key moments like a tiebreak serve, to ground myself and let go of the previous point, so I can be fully present for the next one. I do also love communicating effectively with a partner, both during play and between games.

What's your go-to snack/drink during a match?  I play on an empty stomach and drink home-made banana smoothies and eat Jelly Babies. I do use electrolytes when it’s hot and we had some scorchers last summer. 

How is your team approaching this year’s competition? We’ve had a strong turnout for Men’s Club Night (where we try out different pairings). It’s a great mixture of previous third team members who won our league last year and some new young blood who will be keen to get game time.  Up the Lawn!

Men's Third Team:  Jonathan Chuter (Captain); Andrew Armstrong, Chris Bunn, Hugh Campbell, Jamie Davis, Henry Forster, Jon Gidney, Joel Henry, Levin Jones, Jamie Parker