Club members have had a good summer season which began at the end of April and continued through to the end of September. Of particular note was the successful Open Day in May which was part of the LTA’s (Lawn Tennis Association) Big Tennis Weekend initiative and attracted a number of new members.
A good number of members took part in the local Horam League, played on Monday evenings from the end of April until the end of August. The format of a ladies, men’s and mixed doubles - played concurrently - fosters a brilliant team spirit. The first team, led by captain Gill Luis-Ravelo, finished second in division two, achieving the same number of points as the winners, but lost out on percentage of sets won and lost. The second team, captained by Jo Chopping, finished fourth out of six teams in division three with the best performance of a second team in recent history.
Two ladies’ teams compete in the Sussex League. The ladies first team, captained by Gill Luis-Ravelo, finished sixth in division seven. It was a tough season due to non-availability of first team players on a regular basis, however, there were some excellent and competitive matches played in good spirits. The ladies second team, playing in division 11, also finished sixth. Captain Jo Chopping, was only able to play in one match for her own team, having played five out of six matches for the first team. Since the May open day, the club has welcomed a number of new ladies keen to play matches which bodes well going into the winter season.
Adult match practice started at the beginning of September, which has proved extremely popular - as is the Tuesday club night session. Hints and tips for improvement are shared and during the evenings, pairings are mixed up according to gender and ability.
There is a thriving coaching programme for both juniors and adults under the direction of Head Coach Greg Watson, who is also the U9 county coach. Along with his assistants and leaders, the club caters for a variety of ages and abilities.
Junior sessions run throughout the week and on Saturday mornings, plus more focused sessions have now been implemented for those who are ready to compete and play in matches. There are also two adult sessions on a Friday morning - one for club level players and the other for improvers who have not picked up a racket for a while.
During the summer, a number of juniors competed in competitions around Sussex and the South of England. Congratulations go to Amelia D, Theo H, Ewan G, Tom Z, Hugo U who produced some excellent performances and results. In particular, Ewan won the U14 Consolation Final at the Sussex County Championships held in August. At the same event Amelia won four events - U18 girls’ singles and doubles, Women’s singles and doubles - and continues to take huge strides with her tennis. In the past year, she has represented both the U18 and women’s county teams and has started to compete in national competitions. Amelia has also started to assist the Head Coach at junior sessions and is keen to inspire the younger juniors to become the best players they can be.
The club currently has a great mix of adult and junior members and continues to welcome new members of all standards to join the friendly and competitive environment.