Welcome to the June issue of the tennis newsletter brought to you by the Tennis Committee. With the weather starting to warm up (at last!) and the Colchester and District league matches and friendly matches in full flow, the season is well and truly underway. In this issue, we review recent club tournaments, give a round up of league action to date and interview former Ladies A Team Captain Angela Eastaugh who has passed the baton over this season after 15 years leading the team.
Fun fundraising tournament – 20th April
A terrific turnout of 20 players braved the April elements to compete in the first tournament of the year. There were some brilliant games, impressive rallies and fierce (but friendly) competition! After five rounds of play the top female player was Anna Bisco and top male player was Nick Moore. A special prize went to Sabina Hinchliffe for good play, continuous effort and being sporting; as selected by eagle-eyed spectator Sarah Brockless. A big thank you to Ginny for the delicious cakes which were an added bonus after play was completed.
Improver tournament – 20th April
Our inaugural Improvers Tournament was a great success, with the sun shining upon five courts of enthusiastic members, ranging in age from the retired down to young teenagers.
The tournament aimed to build on the success of Ali Hysom's Saturday morning Supported Sessions, giving improvers the opportunity to play in a tournament for the first time at a level in which they felt comfortable.
There was plenty of laughter and good tennis as the afternoon progressed. Vicky Passingham achieved the highest Ladies score, with Barry Snell being the highest scorer for the men. Elizabeth Sillett was awarded the 'Player of the Tournament' due to her consistent groundstrokes and rallying, taking away a meal voucher, generously donated by the Club.
Jemima and Laila Hinchliffe won prizes, for 'Outstanding Junior' and 'Good movement around the court', whilst Riley McKenzie wowed everyone with the 'Shot of the Tournament'. Johnny Ware’s sporting approach towards his opponents won him a prize for the 'Most Sporting Player'.
Thanks should go to Angela Eastaugh, David Simpson and Issy Snell for their help, along with the ever present and reliable Peter Halliday.
Due to popular demand, another Improver Tournament is planned for August.
New scoreboards
Money raised from entry fees from the two events will be spent on new scoreboards, which should arrive on the courts shortly. They will be used throughout the match season (April to September) and brought in after the Club Championships to preserve them against damage from the winter weather.
Fun tournament – 18th May
This tournament saw another great turnout with 16 players battling it out over two hours of fun play. Emerging victorious were Angela Eastaugh as top scoring female player and Robin Pagden as top male player. Special mentions went to Iain Turner and Oli Bromley for stepping in to play and make up the numbers at the last minute after there were a few no-shows.
Many thanks to Loess Overbury-Tapper and Sarah Brockless for the smooth organisation of this tournament.
Upcoming events
The next tournament available to take part in is the ever-popular Pimm’s and wooden rackets tournament which is to be held on 6th July. For anyone who hasn’t taken part before you can dig out an old wooden racket or we have some to borrow and roll back the years to play the old-fashioned way for a morning. This is followed by Pimm’s and other refreshments. Registration will open shortly, so look out for an email with further information.
Please note the Fundraising tournament has changed date from 24th August to 17th August to avoid the bank holiday weekend. We will be supporting Macmillan for this tournament. Please do add it to your diaries and join the tournament to support such an important cause. Again, further information will follow nearer the time.
The 2024 Club Championships will get underway shortly. We have 15 categories being hotly contested which is wonderful. Final’s Day is set for 22nd September and is bound to be a great day at the club, for those taking part and for spectators to enjoy some great play and competitive matches.
Colchester and District League update
Matches kicked off in April and are proceeding nicely, despite a few postponements due to rain. Please do come down and support the teams when they are playing. It makes for an enjoyable evening and really helps the team having some friendly faces on the sidelines. You can see our upcoming fixtures here. You can keep up to date with results on the Colchester and District tennis league website.
Upcoming home matches are also shared monthly on the club Facebook page. For access to the page, simply search on Facebook for Officers' Club Members or use this link and ask to become a member of the group.
Interview with Angela Eastaugh
Angela Eastaugh has recently stepped down as Ladies A Team captain after an incredible 15 years leading the team. Angela has passed the baton to fellow committee member Anna Bisco (also your newsletter editor) – who has interviewed Angela to commemorate the occasion.
Anna: Angela, you were captain of the Ladies A Team for an incredible 15 years, surely a club record! I’d love to hear more about some of your experiences over the years. Can you tell us a bit about the start of your journey as captain? What league was the team in then and how has it progressed over time?
Angela: Our chair person, Chris Highfield asked me if I would start a ladies team as at that time we did not have one. We started in Division 5 in 2008, struggling to persuade players to turn out for matches! There were a few matches when I only had 2 pairs, which means we were 0-3 down before we even started! Very frustrating. At the end of our first season, we finished bottom with points deducted as I couldn’t put out a team at all for one match and had to forfeit.
Things started looking up during our 2nd season as I rallied a more committed team and am proud to say we won promotion in 2009 to Div 4.
We won Div 4 in 2014.
We won Div 3 in 2016
We won Div 2 in 2017 and have been in Div 1 ever since!
Anna: What do you think have been the biggest changes over the years, either in the way the leagues are run or our involvement as a club?
Angela: Our club has progressed considerably over the years with more and more teams being entered into the C&D leagues. We have also enjoyed tremendous success in the friendly league tournaments with many trophies being won by representatives. Some of our braver players have also attempted to join our coach Tom on Frinton finals day by entering the Colchester and district open tournament.
We first organised our own inter club championship tournament more than 10 years ago and have enjoyed many a special day with friends and families spectating on finals day, always a wonderful occasion for all. The tennis committee have fully embraced the enthusiasm for Saturday morning tournaments and run several throughout the summer.
Anna: What would you say has been your greatest achievement as captain?
Angela: I honestly think our ability to attract and keep top lady players which enable us to stay in Div 1. That aside, I believe that I have built a team who support each other, are friends, practice together and all work towards the common goal of being the best we can.
Anna: Do you have any special memories e.g. particularly memorable victories?
Angela: All victories are special, and my favourite memories are when the ladies team all sit together following a match, full of tennis tea when the opposition have left and we can enjoy a good natter!
Anna: It’s an honour to be taking over, and I know I have some big shoes to fill. What advice can you give me as a new captain, which I’m sure would also be relevant to the captains of our other teams?
Angela: The time was right Anna, and we all have every faith in you; you have already taken to the role with dedication and not been afraid to ask for help or advice. Lead by example, encourage, stay mentally strong and know your players.
Good luck as Captain of a wonderful Ladies A team!
A huge thank you to Angela from all of us for everything you have contributed to the club over the years, not least the fantastic long stint as our Ladies A Team Captain!
Club sessions
A reminder of our club sessions which are of course open to all:
Saturday Morning: 9.00am – 11.30am
Saturday Morning: 11.30am – 12.30pm (Improvers Session)
Sunday Morning: 11.00am – 12.30pm
Tuesday Morning: 9.30am – 11.00am
Wednesday Evening: 7.00pm – 8.30pm
Our Sunday club session has been building in popularity in recent weeks with some fantastic play across multiple courts. The session runs from 11:00-12:30 on courts 1-3. The Committee has set up a What’s App group which has been a big success as it enables players to know how many others are planning to attend that day. If you would like to join the group, please send your name and mobile number to loess@tapperfs.co.uk. If you don’t want to join the group that’s also fine – just turn up!
Your committee
As a reminder, your committee members are:
Peter Halliday – Chair
Tom Perry – Club Coach
Kevin Eastaugh – Club Captain
Sarah Brockless – Secretary
Angela Eastaugh – Safeguarding Officer
Anna Bisco
Loess Overbury-Tapper
Do come and talk to us with any feedback, ideas or queries. Tennis committee members give their free time to support the club with all tennis related matters. The minutes from our most recent meeting are available to view on the notice board.
And if you would like to contribute an article for the next newsletter, please do get in touch!