Tennis Surrey in
S P R I N G 2 010
LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS Read about how to gain facility development support PAGE 8
COUNTY WEEK
JUNIOR TENNIS
TENNIS NEWS
SURREY ENJOYS TEAM SUCCESS
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
CELEBRATION TIME AT WOKING LTC
PAGE 4
PAGE 17
PAGE 6
Surrey Ladies are Group 1 champions
Lana Rush wins 12&U girls’ singles title
Julia Godman receives top Surrey LTA award
PLUS Surrey clubs enjoy charity events
news
New Tennis Surrey website The new Tennis Surrey website is now live and includes a host of features to help tennis players and enthusiasts in the county find the information they need. The website can be accessed through both the LTA main site and at www.surreytennis.net. Visitors to the site will be able to stay up to date with Surrey tennis events, as well as access essential resources and information. Coaches can access information about career pathways and book on to development courses such as the Surrey coach forums. Parents can learn more about the coaching and competition levels available to their child and also search for local clubs. Players can view their results online, both through their individual profile pages and a rolling results bar that delivers the latest match scores. There are also regular updates of team competitions and leaderboards as well as news articles and galleries highlighting the performance of players across Surrey. Volunteers and clubs can use the website to promote their club, either through Clubmark accreditation or stories of interest in the News section. If you have a story that would be of interest to other tennis players in Surrey, please get in touch by emailing surrey@lta.org.uk.
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AEGON Team Tennis for 2010 has now closed and over 300 teams have entered. The competition provides players of all ages (8&U – Open) with regular matches, against similar standard players in a competitive team environment. If you would like to keep track of a team’s performance or enter other competitions please visit www.lta.org.uk/competition.
Results of Summer Competitions 2009 TEAM EVENTS MEN’S KNOCKOUT GRADE A Putney beat Magdalen Park 4-0 LADIES’ KNOCKOUT GRADE A Surbiton beat Wilton 3-1 MEN’S KNOCKOUT GRADE B RAC beat David Lloyd Raynes Park II 36-35 (games) LADIES’ KNOCKOUT GRADE B Wentworth beat Claygate 4-0 MIXED KNOCKOUT GRADE A Magdalen Park I beat Magdalen Park II 4-0 MEN’S KNOCKOUT OVER 45 Oxshott beat St George’s Hill 10-7 (tie-break shootout) MEN’S KNOCKOUT OVER 55 Roehampton drew with St George’s Hill 38-38 (games) LADIES’ KNOCKOUT OVER 40 Elstead beat Purley 35-34 (games) OPEN EVENTS MEN’S SINGLES D.Walsh (Purley) beat C.Lyonette (Esporta) 6-2,6-3 LADIES’ SINGLES Mrs J.Lederer (Camberley) beat Miss M.Knespl (Westside) 7-5,6-1 MEN’S SINGLES OVER 35 S.Targett (Esporta) beat S.Bramwell (Westside) 7-6,5-7,8-6 LADIES’ SINGLES OVER 35 Mrs J.Lederer (Camberley) beat Mrs B.Henricot (Byfleet) 6-0,6-2 MEN’S DOUBLES GRADE A C.Ryan & D.Walsh (Purley) beat C.Lyonette & M.Turland (Esporta) 6-2,6-2 MEN’S DOUBLES GRADE B M.McCombe & J.Monkton (Byfleet) beat D.Gill & M.Marlow (Camberley) 7-6,6-4 LADIES’ DOUBLES GRADE A Miss S.Gough & Miss K.Young (Cheam Fields) beat Miss J.Khoo & Miss P.Slough (Wilton) 6-4,6-1 LADIES’ DOUBLES GRADE B Mrs J.Lederer & Mrs L.Williams (Camberley) beat Miss P.Gregory & Miss S.Gregory (Westside) w/o MIXED DOUBLES GRADE A K.Stowell & Miss.T.Volkova (Oxshott) beat T.Inskip & Miss D.Dickson (Roehampton) 6-0,1-6,9-7 MIXED DOUBLES GRADE B J.Walpole & Miss C.Bailey (Oxshott) beat C.Jenkins & Miss E.Sawyer (Oxshott) 6-4,3-6,6-4
An introduction by Claire Hamilton,
Surrey’s New Tennis Development Manager Hi everyone, I would like to introduce myself as the new Tennis Development Manager for Surrey. My previous role was in marketing at Sainsbury’s head office, where I was most recently working in the Corporate Responsibility team as a Community Affairs Project Manager. This commercial experience will help me to deliver a good service to clubs and coaches while driving the priorities of British Tennis within the county. I also have a playing background: as a junior I was a National and Buckinghamshire county player and I also played for a Division 1 US university for two years. I then returned to play for Loughborough University for three years while studying for a BSc in Sport Science and an MSc in Marketing Management. I currently play for Bucks Ladies in Division 1, and I am also a qualified LTA Performance Coach. My number one priority for tennis in Surrey is to increase the number of competing juniors we have. Tennis in Surrey Editor Christine Wilding Briarwood House, Talisman Way, Epsom Downs, Surrey KT17 3PQ T: 01737 357494 E: chrissyw@aol.com Deputy editor Richard Shepherd Sub-editor Peter Somerford Design Anthony Collins www.antcollins.com Print iPrint365.com
This is the chief priority for British Tennis and for Surrey. Traditionally tennis has been a coaching-led sport with players having limited access to competition of an appropriate level. The opportunity to compete will keep more players engaged in tennis when faced with competition from other sports. It is also a vital element of a player developing their game and realising their potential, whether that be a national champion, county player or club player. I will be working with clubs and coaches to develop the opportunities for players to compete in club-level competition throughout the county. I look forward to meeting many of you soon. Claire Tennis Surrey Team T 01932 827207 E surrey@lta.org.uk Tennis Development Manager Claire Hamilton Tennis Development Officer Judith Bunn County Administrators Chris Risebro, Tina Napier & Richard Shepherd Talent & Performance Coordinator Mark Padfield
a welcome from the editor Thank you all very, very much indeed for the excellent response you gave to our feedback request on the new format of Tennis in Surrey. We were delighted, and it was all extremely positive. Please keep both your ideas and your contributions to the magazine coming. The magazine belongs to you, and it needs to be about you and what you are all doing out there in your clubs and tennis organisations. So let us know. We have also been delighted by the number of tennis clubs who are now using their courts for a variety of fundraising events and we are proud to publish those that we know about. Well done to all of you for using your tennis facilities for such worthwhile causes. It is with great sadness that we have to report that Ron Presley, President of Tennis Surrey and former President of the LTA,passed away in November 2009. He will be enormously missed. His obituary is on Page 7.
Christine Wilding, Editor
Contents News Obituaries Cover story: Laying the foundations Club News Schools News Player Interview Junior News Vets News
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County Cup The 2009 county competitions saw a tale of two cities for the men, with promotion in Cromer (summer) and relegation in Bath (winter). The ladies on
the other hand sampled nothing but success and were crowned Group 1 Champions in Eastbourne (summer) and were promoted in Newport (winter).
Summer County Cup
Winter County Cup
Men’s team Jeff Hunter, Phil Stephens, Darren Walsh, Joe Salisbury, James Lloyd, Tim Patient, Stuart Rhodes, Jamie Whiteford, Chris Eaton. Captain: Danny Sapsford. Ladies’ team Michelle Oldham, Alex Napier, Lorna Woodroffe, Hannah Collin, Annabel Bann, Philippa Coates, Katherine Laidler, Victoria Brooke, Karen Patterson, Laura Slater. Captain: Julie Willson
Men’s team Jeff Hunter, Joe Salisbury, Tim Patient, Matt Illingworth, Tom Burn, Ollie Kalaitsis, Andy Kennaugh, Jeremy Bates. Captain: Danny Sapsford Ladies’ team Laura Slater, Ruth Seaborne, Emilia Banos-Gregorians, Josie Inverdale, Christa Gecheva, Philippa Coates, Katherine Maddock-Lyon, Nicola Cooper. Captain: Mandy Spicer
‘The young lads were tremendous. They showed such determination throughout, and their collective courage was inspirational in the crunch situations’
‘The girls showed great team spirit with big efforts from all individuals playing with experience beyond their years’
Danny Sapsford, men’s team captain
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Mandy Spicer, ladies’ team captain
the roof goes on Sunday 17 May 2009 was a landmark day for the All England Club, when it tried out – for the very first time – the new roof that would cover Centre Court during Wimbledon in the event of rain. The trial run was vital, as there were many factors to test out besides the mechanics of opening and closing the roof. Internal temperature, humidity levels and a variety of other considerations needed to be assessed to ensure that the closed-roof environment was of a high enough standard to ask the world’s top players to play vital matches in it. Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman graced the courts for a variety of exhibition games and all agreed that playing under the roof worked well for them. Sue Barker interviewed the players, and there was the bonus of a guest appearance by Andy Murray. To add the occasion, vocal group Blake and singers Katherine Jenkins and Faryl Smith entertained everyone. The day was a complete success, with the extra bonus that, practising for the occasion ahead of time, Belgian Kim Clijsters told the audience that she had rekindled her love of the game and would be returning to the women’s tour in September. Little did we know then how startling her return would be – winning the Women’s Singles at the US Open showed she had lost none of her talent or competitive edge.
Wimbledon tickets By Peter Lane
In 2009 some 6,500 tickets were made available to clubs on the basis of their British Tennis membership. This meant that several clubs received more tickets overall than in the past. Some club members also had the opportunity to acquire tickets on the new Court 2 this year. On the downside, 2009 saw more instances of club members advertising tickets for sale on sites such as eBay, despite repeated warnings of the serious consequences of doing this for both the individuals and their clubs. We cannot over-stress the seriousness of this as an offence. The member concerned in the transaction will be penalised, and his or her club will also almost certainly lose all or part of BOOK REVIEW
Holding Court By Chris Gorringe Random House rrp £18.99 Former Surrey Player and retired All England Club CEO Chris Gorringe has written a fascinating book about his experiences of running this prestigious club, especially focusing on the Championships. In Holding Court Chris charts the growth of television coverage and the marketing of the Championships, the rise of professionalism and the major developments of the club’s grounds, particularly over the last 15 years.
its allotment of Wimbledon tickets for the following year. This is a terrible price to have to pay, but it’s a sanction that is rigidly enforced to discourage the illegal selling on of tickets. Please do not be tempted to sell on tickets or buy tickets that have been illegally offered for sale. Websites, newspapers and other sources are checked daily by the LTA for advertisements for ticket sales, which are then identified and followed up. So if you go down this route, you will be caught and your tickets cancelled without any refund of the money you have paid. You will also face the wrath of fellow club members who see their club’s allocation lost or reduced because of your actions. He recounts the unique journey of one of the country’s most venerable establishments – where decisions are still made through a committee system dating back to 1868 – into the modern era. For those of you interested in the history and workings of the All England Club and Wimbledon itself, this book makes fascinating reading and will let you into the secrets of how everything happens and why it always seems to go so well. Not to be missed!
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in brief • Congratulations to Surrey’s Mel South, who last year reached a career-best ranking of 99 in the world. • Surrey’s Chris Eaton, currently no.12 in the AEGON British Tennis Rankings, started 2009 well by being selected for the Davis Cup team after winning through some gruelling play-offs at the NTC. • Nine Surrey players went to Australia to represent Great Britain at the World Championships in October 2009. They are Betty Howard, Sue Hill, Jean Porter, Penny Sheehan, Clive Hutchins, Henk Nijeboer, Ken Bates, Derek Horwood and John Paish. We detail their success in our Vets News section. • For services to Surrey tennis, the Bernard Crouch Memorial Trophy was awarded to councillor Janet Jones, and the Surrey Meritous Service Award went to David Coyte. Both have given great service to the County over many years.
The Junior Awards were made as follows: Surrey Patrons Progress Cup for Girls: Jasmine Asghar Surrey County Progress Cup for Boys: Alex Jhun Roger Webb Boys’ Cup for Endeavour: Hassan Morad Jean Thirlwall Girls’ Cup for Endeavour: Ruth Seaborne Tennis in Surrey
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Woking’s Julia Godman receives the Surrey obituaries Mrs Mary Halford LTA Meritorious Service Award for 2009 (née Whitmarsh)
Left: Julia Godman celebrates her award with Henk Nijeboer
By Anne Pitt
During the prize-giving ceremony of the tenth Woking Open Veterans’ Tournament, Keith Glass, Chairman of Tennis Surrey surprised the referee, Julia Godman, by presenting her with the Surrey LTA Meritorious Service Award. Julia joined the Woking Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 1978, when there was relatively little junior tennis activity – nothing during term time and in the holidays just one club afternoon a week and a couple of American tournaments. In 1982 Julia set up an informal junior committee to give junior tennis a boost. In 1985 the Junior Committee, with Julia as Chairman, was officially incorporated in the Club’s structure. It was not until 1989–90 that Julia managed to get agreement from the Club Committee for more coaches and courts to be available for juniors. Juniors were then able to enjoy regular evenings each week with singles leagues and squad training. Julia managed to get permission for juniors to take over four courts on Friday evenings and by 1993 the Friday night sessions, run by the Junior Committee, were so popular that a waiting list had to be introduced. By 1998–99 some 80 children were in squads and up to 60 children would come to club nights. 6
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Ladders and singles leagues were organised, together with parents’ evenings and a trip to a French club. Gradually the quality and standard of junior tennis at Woking began to improve. In 2001 Woking became an LTA Accredited Junior Performance Club, which resulted in more funding from both the County and the club. The club’s Mini Tennis programme was also recognised by Tennis Surrey. Largely because of Julia’s dedication, Woking has become a club with around 300 juniors in a vibrant junior programme, six coaches, equal rights to courts for juniors, and numerous teams competing in both national and local competitions. When, after almost 25 years’ service as Chairman of the Junior Tennis Committee at Woking, Julia retired, she was made an Honorary Life Member of the club in recognition of her huge contribution, in particular to junior tennis. She still plays a very active part in the planning and running of the junior tennis programme at Woking and continues her work as a referee.
On 1 November 2009 one of Surrey’s most distinguished women tennis players, Mary Halford, died at the Sunrise Home in Esher. She was 94. Mary was born in Dulwich and had a very distinguished tennis career as a player and a captain. In 1946 she married Pete Halford, an international hockey player.They were together for 54 years until his death in 2000. The Championships at Wimbledon became a focal point of Mary’s tennis year. She played in the Ladies’ Singles from 1933 until 1952, reaching the fourth round four times, losing only to Dorothy Round, Louise Brough, Pat Todd and Gussie Moran. Mary also won 13 out of her 28 Ladies’ Doubles matches from 1934 until 1955, reaching the quarter-finals in 1952. In the Mixed Doubles she was even more successful, reaching the quarter-finals in 1952 and 1954 with Owen Williams of South Africa and the semi-finals in 1936 with compatriot Frank Wilde. She and Wilde lost that match 6-3 in the final set, going out to the eventual champions, Fred Perry and Dorothy Round. As Wightman Cup Captain in the 1950s, Mary was an inspirational leader, winning the Cup for the first time on American soil after a losing streak of 26 years.
obituaries Ron Presley It is with great sadness that we report the news that former LTA President Ron Presley has died aged 78 after a courageous battle with cancer. Ron joined the Council in 1975 as a representative of Surrey. He was Deputy President from 1985 to 1987 and President from 1988 to 1990. He was elected a Vice-President at the AGM in 1990 and became a Past President in 1995 when that category of Councillor was first introduced. Ron served on the following LTA Committees: Development; Commercial (as Chairman); Hospitality; Finance & General Purposes; Sponsorship, Marketing & International Events (as Chairman); National Training and the Staff Sub-Committee (as Chairman). In addition he served on the LTA Board of Management and the Management Committee of which he was Chairman during his Presidency. He was also a member of the Queen’s Club Board, Tennis Europe’s Committee of Management, the Committee of Management of The Championships, the Joint Finance Committee and a director of the All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc. In addition to his professional successes, Ron was a family man, married to wife Frances and very proud father to his four sons, as well as three grandsons and three granddaughters. His interests apart
from tennis included collecting clocks and tennis memorabilia, watching cricket either live or on TV, skiing, travelling, fly- fishing, music and opera. He was introduced to tennis by one of his uncles at an early age and this passion continued throughout his life as he joined West Norwood Tennis Club, before ending up as the Club Secretary. Ron also served on the board of CRY, contributing extensively since the charity’s inauguration in 1995. He secured support from the All England Lawn Tennis Club for their first major annual fundraising event; taking over the whole of the indoor centre at Wimbledon for the Wimbledon Fun Day, an
indoor tennis event for young people. Ron was also instrumental in the charity receiving their first major donation from the club’s charitable fund. This contributed towards the purchase of an echocardiogram machine that Professor McKenna required at St George’s Hospital to enable him to set up the first specialist clinic for inherited cardiovascular disease in the UK. A funeral service was held on Monday 21st December and a well-attended Memorial Service was held in Leatherhead on 24th February 2010. Reproduced with kind permission of the LTA Tennis in Surrey
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cover story
The development of tennis facilities in Surrey is strongly backed by the Lawn Tennis Association’s Places to Play strategy. The strategy is simple, easy to use and gives clear guidance on how to apply for facility support. Surrey has already seen considerable LTA investment in facilities projects, with grant or loan investment totalling over £100,000 for the period 2008–2010. These projects have helped increase the number of people participating and juniors competing, and have boosted access to affordable coaching. In addition to grant funding, the LTA also provides loan support and access to a team of consultants who specialise in all areas of structural and court development. 8
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Where the funding comes from The majority of grant funding is derived from central government and allocated to British Tennis through the successful partnership with Sport England. The LTA has made a commitment to Sport England to increase the number of people playing tennis once a week by 150,000 by 2013. Investment in the right projects, particularly in a county as large as Surrey, will be vital in helping to achieve this target.
Typical projects that receive investment Tennis Surrey and the LTA receive a large amount of enquiries regarding facility projects each year and it
is simply not possible to support every application. Only projects that increase participation, grow the number of competing juniors and increase coaching hours will be supported. Applications are then prioritised to the following areas: • Building low cost, quality indoor structures • Floodlighting courts • Renovating park courts Such projects demonstrate the most significant tennis payback by generating the maximum number of playing hours per pound invested. An estimated return (hours per day) for the cost of each investment is shown below: • Resurfaced court (£7,000) – 7 hours per day • Mini Tennis courts (£11,000–£15,000) – 7 hours per day • Floodlit court (£15,000) – 12 hours per day • Low-cost indoor structures (£100,000+) – 14 hours per day • Traditional-build structures (£400,000) – 14 hours per day Tennis in Surrey
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club news
Making an application for facility support The first step to gaining support for a facility is to review the objectives of the project and ensure they meet the key aims of the Places to Play strategy: • Increase the number of regularly competing juniors • Grow participation across all age groups and abilities • Increase the coaching time available Facilities must then show that they have the necessary long-term security to warrant funding. This includes a lease of 21 years or more, a clear business plan with the financial ability to fund half the cost, and a team of volunteers or staff capable of moving the project forwards. The final stipulation is that the club or site is affiliated to either the LTA or the Tennis Foundation and has achieved or is likely to achieve Clubmark accreditation. The Tennis Foundation is the charitable arm of the LTA, and while its facilities strategy very closely mirrors that of Places to Play it specialises in community and park developments. Please visit www.tennisfoundation. org.uk for more details.
Other funding opportunities There are numerous funding opportunities available to facilities within Surrey, most of which have different funding stipulations to the LTA. A grant search facility on the LTA website details the different sectors of funding available and how to apply. Visit www.lta.org.uk/clubs for more information. 10
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surrey facility case studies Wigmore lawn tennis club Run entirely by volunteers, Wigmore LTC has over 500 members and is due to celebrate its centenary in 2011. Ten years ago, Wigmore’s importance to the community won it a National Lottery grant for clubhouse and court refurbishment. Since that time the club volunteers and coaches have worked tirelessly at helping to increase junior competition and participation in the sport. In 2008 Wigmore received loan and grant support through the LTA’s Places to Play strategy to assist the continued development of the tennis programme. The club built three new artificial clay courts and has now doubled the number of players competing. Head coach Michaela Denkova commented: ‘The club has really progressed over the last ten years and the addition of the clay courts has been fantastic. For coaching and competition, clay helps develop more consistent players as the ball travels slower and bounces higher, meaning longer rallies.’ Wigmore LTC achieved Clubmark accreditation in August 2008 and is continuing to develop its already successful tennis and social programme. Camberley lawn tennis club By 2008 Camberley Lawn Tennis Club had succeeded in developing a tennis programme that maximised nearly all possible court hours. The head coach was forced to turn players away and struggled to run enough competition for junior players. The club applied for LTA facility support and was awarded grant funding for half the cost of floodlight development. The club now has five floodlit courts and a tennis programme that accommodates 200 juniors. Head coach David Gill comments: ‘The floodlights have really made a huge difference to junior and adult tennis at Camberley. I’ve been able to take an extra 75 juniors into the programme and run competitions throughout summer and winter.’
The LTA has made a commitment to Sport England to increase the number of people playing tennis once a week by 150,000 by 2013
The LTA CEO, Surrey’s Roger Draper, visits Purley LTC on the day it hosts a charity tennis tournament
Purley raises money for the Royal Marsden Roger Draper, Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association and former Surrey county player, paid a visit to Purley LTC on Saturday 6 June. He attended a memorial event held in honour of former player and friend, Jean Thirlwall, who died nearly four years ago. Club members were delighted when Roger arrived to support the American-style doubles tournament in memory of Jean, a committed campaigner for juniors. Roger, who has spent the last three years transforming British Tennis, worked with Jean when he first moved to the area and spent an hour chatting to players and Jean’s extended family. The memorial tournament has now evolved into an annual fundraising event for the Royal Marsden Hospital,
TENNIS IS GOOD FOR YOU
Ian Thirlwall (left) with Roger Draper
Sutton, and has grown in popularity each year. In 2009 54 competitors took part in the matches organised by club coach Terry Cooper and £428.61 was raised for charity. Players indulged in a glass of Pimm’s between rounds, before finishing the day with a big bowl of strawberries and cream and a raffle. Nicky Slim was crowned the 2009 champion and was presented with the Jean Thirlwall Rose Bowl and PWP sports shop vouchers by Ian Thirlwall, Jean’s husband.
This pair of nonagenarians say they owe their spriteliness to tennis. Jimmy James (92) and Ralph Behrend (93) were attending the presentation at Ewell Tennis Club of a bench in memory of one of its members. Ralph, who is an active President of the club, hung up his racket earlier this year but Jimmy still plays the occasional game.
sheen LTC raises awareness in the pink On Sunday 27 September 2009 Sheen Lawn Tennis Club held a ‘Pink Morning’ in aid of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Fund. The members arrived in various shades of pink to play tennis, with several of the men dressed up in pink tennis skirts and wigs to raise money for the charity. Pink cupcakes and pink drinks were sold, and the club held a Pink Raffle. The club raised over £400 for the charity and had a lot of fun in the process. Thanks to all the members who participated and especially to Tennis Committee member Caroline Barker, who organised the event.
Spread the word! Volunteers at more and more Surrey tennis clubs are using their club’s facilities to host fund-raising events for a variety of charities. It is delightful to hear how many clubs are now doing this, and how much money they are raising. Well done to everyone involved for all their hard work. If your club has organised a charity event, do let us know and we would be delighted to feature it in the magazine. Tennis in Surrey
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Wilton U18
‘Fun in late summer’ in aid of The Children’s Trust By Richard Wood. Club Secretary
Banstead Downs Tennis Club was delighted to host a hugely successful charity tennis event in aid of the Tadworth Children’s Trust last September. More than £1,300 was raised by club members and visitors – well over our target. Together with a donation of £250
from the Surrey LTA Patrons Association, the club was able to make a donation of over £1,600 to The Children’s Trust. Our thanks go to all who donated and helped on the day. The charity event was won by the team from Bramley School for Girls, Walton-onthe-Hill. The team comprised Cheryl Agius, Ruth Hunt, Tara Wright and Fiona Smith.
Above: Sharon Hodgson, with the cricket bat she won in the raffle
The team from St Anne’s School, Banstead, were runners-up. Other teams taking part came from Chinthurst School, The Priory School, Greenacre School and Banstead Junior School. Prizes of Mumm champagne for the winners were donated by one of our members, Chris Major, who is also a trustee at The Children’s Trust.
Raffle prizes were kindly donated by:
Merrow LTC in Guildford held a very successful Chairman’s Charity Morning in July 2009, which raised £90 for the Marie Curie Anyone for Tennis appeal. 12
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• The ECB (Ashes series cricket bat signed by the England team) • Wilson Sporting Goods (Wilson K Series tennis racket) • PWP sports shop, Reigate (two sports bags) • Further prize were donated by Cliff Porter (the Banstead Downs Head Coach) and John Yeates.
Wilton Success in Surrey 18U Inter-Club Competition At the end of March at the County Centre, Wilton’s Boys 18 and Girls 18 teams both became Surrey champions for the third consecutive year. Razzak Elbekri, Chris Maguire, Michaela Knespl and Christa Gecheva defeated the Roehampton and Ham and Petersham teams respectively for a total loss of seven games in the four matches.
The Wilton team from left to right: Razzak Elbekri, Chris Maguire, Michaela Knespl, Christa Gecheva
Teacher Training: Primary Schools A new three-hour teaching course has been designed to give primary school teachers the confidence and tools to deliver tennis to a class of children in a small space. The course is supported by an innovative DVD that delivers and demonstrates the activities directly to the children, allowing the teacher to do what they do best – teach. Each teacher attending the course will receive: • Three DVDs • A Lesson Plan Support Handbook • A Mini Tennis Equipment Pack (60 balls, 30 rackets, 1 net) There is a network of
schools news
trained tutors ready to deliver the course in Surrey. The only costs involved are the tutor fee and expenses. If funding can be sourced to cover the cost of the course, then it can be free to attend. Alternatively a small fee could be charged for each attendee to cover costs. Courses that are already running and that are open to teachers will be advertised on the Surrey website. Bespoke courses can also be organised through the Surrey County office.
BOYS’ FESTIVAL 2009 Winner Runner-Up 9U St Andrew’s KCS 10U Downsend St Andrew’s 11U KCS Harrodian 12U Reed’s Harrodian 13U Hampton KCS 14U Tiffin Harrodian 15U Reed’s Whitgift Open St George’s Reed’s
GIRLS’ LEAGUE 2009 Winner Runner-Up 9U Putney B Putney A 10U St Catherine’s Putney A 11U Putney A Putney B 12U Putney Guildford High 13U St Catherine’s St George’s 14U St George’s Guildford High 15U St Catherine’s Reigate Grammar Open St Catherine’s St George’s
GIRLS’ FESTIVAL 2009 Winner Runner-Up 9U Holy Cross Rowan 10U St Catherine’s Surbiton 11U St Andrew’s Sayes Court 12U Putney Dunottar 13U Reigate Grammar Coombe 14U St George’s St Catherine’s 15U St George’s Putney Open St Catherine’s Alleyns
BOYS’ LEAGUE 2009 Winner Runner-Up 9U Parkside Lanesborough 10U Downsend Aldro 11U KCS Parkside 12U Reed’s KCS 13U Reed’s Hampton 14U Dulwich College Whitgift 15U Reed’s Whitgift Open Reed’s KCS
BRANSTON SHIELD St George’s College beat Cranleigh ROOTHAM SHIELD Reed’s beat KCS PLAYBACK DRAW Claremont Fan Court beat Kingston Grammar GEORGE WORTHINGTON CUP (Awarded to the boys’ school in Surrey that progressed furthest in the Glanvill Cup) Reed’s School – won the Glanvill Cup, beating Millfield School 7-6
DC JONES CUP (Awarded to the girls’ school in Surrey that progressed furthest in the Aberdare Cup) Cheam High School – won the Aberdare Cup, beating Queenswood 8-4 THE JEAN THIRLWALL SPORTSMAN AWARDS were awarded to Sir William Perkins’s (Girls) and Alleyns (Boys) Tennis in Surrey
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player interview
Linnea Bengston Linnea is 12 years old and lives in East Sheen. She attends Putney High School and has been playing tennis since she was a toddler. In 2008 she became the Surrey U12 Champion and this year reached the U14 semi-finals and the U16 quarter-finals. She also plays netball and lacrosse, and does gymnastics. In addition to playing at Sheen, she trains at Sutton Tennis Academy. Linnea describes her Road to Wimbledon experience… ‘It all started when I played a qualifying tournament at my local club – Sheen. From there I won my way through the County stages over the weekends of June 2009. When I won the County final I was ecstatic: the prize was playing the Road to Wimbledon Finals on the grass at Wimbledon for a whole week in the summer! Playing at Wimbledon was an amazing experience. The week started with a practice session on the Sunday, where I recognised many other competitors from different competitions I had played in. I also met up with my doubles partner who came from Hampshire, and was delighted to be given a special Players’ Pass for the 14
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Tennis in Surrey
restaurant, as well as a very generous £50 voucher for the Wimbledon shop. On Monday I played my first Round Robin matches. These were my first ever matches on grass so I was surprised to win both of them. I found playing on the grass very different to other surfaces, as there was much more variety in the game with lots of opportunity for drop shots, slices and short angles. I was exhausted by the end of the day as my last game was the final match on, finishing at 8pm, with groundsmen waiting to cut the grass and repaint the lines – their daily routine. That day we were given a gold Wimbledon shoulder bag from the Wimbledon shop. The next day, Tuesday, I had a singles match, which I won. This meant that I had won my Round Robin box and was through to the main draw with the best 32 County winners in Great Britain. In the doubles, we were also through to the last 16 pairs. Every match I played I felt a
buzz of excitement playing on the extremely well-kept grass at Wimbledon and looking across at No.1 court. To finish off the day there was a players’ party where I made lots of new friends. Everyone got ready in the dressing rooms, which had brilliant showers! There were lots of quizzes and magicians and there were prizes to be won like iTunes vouchers. On Wednesday, the hottest day of the year, I played my Main Draw singles match and lost 7-6 in the last set, having saved seven match points. I was shattered! Then for our doubles match we had the luck of playing on Court 19 – one of the show courts. Unfortunately we lost that match but we fought hard. To finish off a perfect week, on Saturday there was a clinic with Tim Henman and I managed to get a picture with him! From my week in Wimbledon I made so many new friends and I had a oncein-a-lifetime experience. It is something I will definitely never forget.’
‘These were my first ever matches on grass so I was surprised to win both of them’ Tennis in Surrey
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junior news
Junior County Cup The 2009 Surrey Junior County Cup teams did the county proud with a mix of national successes and narrow defeats across the age groups. Tennis Surrey would like to thank all the team players, coaches and managers for their contributions, both in the training sessions leading up to the respective events and their performances on the days. Particular congratulations go to the 10U and 12U Girls teams who won their respective national titles and are pictured on the right.
2009 road to wimbledon Surrey Boys Winner Brian Wang (Tiffin Boys School) won two of his round-robin matches and qualified for the main draw where he was drawn against the no.8 seed in the first round and lost in three sets. Surrey Girls winner Linnea Bengtsson (Sheen) won all her round-robin matches and also qualified for the main draw. She also lost in the first round to Sezan Walker (Middlesex), the match decided in a thirdset tie-break. Woking’s Kelly Burge lost her round-robin matches butdid well in the Consolation Singles, getting through to the finals, where she beat the no.4 seed Isabella Brown (Devon) 6-4,6-3. Our congratulations go to Kelly on providing Surrey with another success in this prestigious competition. 16
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18U rankings
10U Girls National Champions Team Captain: Sue Tullett Team Coach: Dave Cox Team: Jodie Burrage, Camille Verden-Anderson, Lily Ghodrati and Catherine Rose
12U Girls National Champions Team Captain: Penny Batchelor Team: Jasmine Ashgar, Emily Boden, Lauren Horsford and Gaby Webb
Boys 1 Adam Skalsky 2 Max England 3 Eamon Soulsby 4 William Juggins 5 Jordan Bull 6 Alexander Wilton 7 Joel Parish 8 Jorge Wilton 9 David Fox 10 Christian Throm-Jones Girls 1 Emily Gibbens 2 Laura Hornsby 3 Michaela Knespl 3 Lisa Losseva 5 Ruth Seaborne 6 Juliette Inverdale 7 Harriette Withers 8 Grace Mcgeeha 9 Josie Inverdale 10 Camille Goodman Correct as of 18 February 2010
Surrey Closed Junior Championships 09 The 2009 Surrey County Closed took place at two venues this year, with the 12U and upwards players competing at Sheen Lawn Tennis Club, while the Red, Orange and Green ball players battled for their respective titles at Purley Sports Club. The week’s weather provided a testing mix of conditions from glorious sunshine through to heavy wind and rain showers. Tony Scarlett, the tournament organiser at Sheen, commented: ‘It’s been a great week, the players have competed with superb spirit and despite all kinds of weather the tournament hasn’t had too many delays.’
results Tennis Surrey would like to congratulate all the County winners: 2009 County Champions Red 8U winner: Krisnaa Muhunthakumar Orange 9U Boys: Michael Mhangami Orange 9U Girls: Jodie Lawrence-Taylor Green 10U Boys: Matthew Pearson Green 10U Girls: Jodie Burrage 12U Boys: Sacha Modica 12U Girls: Lila Simpson 14U Boys: Tohotom Tiboldi 14U Girls: Natalie Hayden-Scott 16U Boys: Sergio Calci 16U Girls: Laura Hornsby 18U Boys: Adam Thornton-Brown 18U Girls: Laura Hornsby
junior news
2009 Summer Leaderboard finals The first two weekends of September saw the topperforming players from the summer’s Red, Orange and Green junior tour come together at St George’s College to battle for the season-ending titles. For many of the players this was to be their last experience at the Red, Orange or Green ball colour. Richard Shepherd, tournament organiser, commented: ‘The players have shown throughout both weekends why they have reached the Leaderboard finals. There has been great tennis, excellent sporting behaviour and competitive spirit. I look forward to seeing all the players next year.’
junior postal finals Held at the NTC, 19 July 2009 For the second time this year, Surrey was privileged to stage the Junior Postal finals at the National Tennis Centre, which proved to be a great thrill for several of the players as it was their first visit to the prestigious venue.
For full listings of the final Leaderboard results and the standings for this season please see the Tennis Surrey website. 2009 Red Boys Winner: Max Chitty Girls Winner: Emma Raducanu 2009 Orange Boys Winner: Michael Mhangami Girls Winner: Tanysha Dissanayake 2009 Green Boys Winner: Matthew Pearson Girls Winner: Emily Appleton
Winners Girls U10 Jodie Burrage (Brightwell) U12 Trinice Augustine (Esporta) U14 Chloe Halliday (Westside) U16 Charlotte Moss (Westside) Boys U10 Rory Calnan (Foxhills) U12 Mathhew Rogers (Reedham Park) U14A Tim Sarnowski (Bourne) U14B Robert Piatkowski (Merrow) U16 Dominic Tripp (Wimbledon)
Junior nationals Surrey’s Lana Rush won the AEGON British Junior National Championship after winning the 12&U girls’ singles title 7-5,6-0 in Bournemouth. ‘It means so much to have won the trophy – Anne Keothavong was a past winner so I know I’m on the right track to making it as a tennis player.’
player profile
Alex Jhun
Age 14 Current Coach Paul Fisher Training base David Lloyd Raynes Park Comments from coach Paul Fisher I have worked with Alex now for over four years. During this time he has gained my full respect not only for the work he has put in on the court but for who he is off the court. The improvements Alex has made over the past year are a product of his commitment and improving discipline on and off the court. Rating 6.1 Ranking Third in 14U and 37th nationally Tennis in Surrey
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vets news
Tenth Woking Open Veterans’ Tournament
Men’s 55s win County Championship By Mark Staniszewski, Captain
By Anne Pitt
The tenth Woking Open Veterans’ Tournament had its largest ever entry with nearly 200 players taking part and playing some fiercely contested matches. Anyone aged 35 and over could participate in 15 singles and 7 doubles events, and this year the entrants included visitors from South Africa and Japan. There was some success for Woking club members: Henk Nijeboer won the 65+ Men’s Singles, and he teamed up with Anne Pitt to take the runner-up position in the Mixed 45+. Together with club member Fiona Hunking, Anne was also runner-up in the Ladies’ Doubles 55+. Because of generous sponsorship from GC Stevens Financial Services and Jaggerprint of Kingston-upon-Thames, the tournament could offer some
considerable cash prizes to the winners and runners-up. All the results can be seen on the club’s website, www.wltcc.org.uk. As reported elsewhere in the magazine, there was a surprise for Julia Godman during the prize-giving ceremony when she was presented with the Surrey Meritorious Service Award by Keith Glass, Chairman of Tennis Surrey. After ten years, Julia will now be standing down from her role as referee of the Veterans’ tournament. Peter Grimsdale will take her place. Dates for the 2010 tournament are 15–19 September.
Above left: Henk Nijeboer (right) with Tatsuo Takahashi, losing finalist of MS 70. Above right: Mike Dawe, winner of MS 55 (left), with Arun Vethakkan, losing finalist
Surrey success at the Inter-County Championships Victory for the Ladies’ 65s At the finals of the Veterans’ Inter-County Championships played in Dudley in October, the Ladies’ Over 65 team of Sylvia Hodges, Ann Finch, Wendy Berry (Captain), Jean Porter and Daphne Clement beat the Ladies of South Wales 4-0. This was particularly satisfying as the 18
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Surrey Ladies had not won this event previously and it was also Wendy’s last match as Captain.
The men’s 55s, division 2 winners in 2008, won the 2009 County Championship beating Kent in the final at David Lloyd Dudley in October. We qualified for the final after away matches to Staffordshire, Cheshire and Cumbria and home matches against Middlesex and Essex. Nine players contributed to our victory: Mike Dawe, Rob Dickson, Colin McHugo, John Paish, Carl Pavey, Matthew Salisbury, Mark Staniszewski, Arun Vethakkan and Jeremy Woods. Colin McHugo came out of retirement to play just one rubber against Middlesex, which he and Arun won; and we were delighted to include John Paish for the matches against Middlesex, Essex and Kent. Mike Dawe was outstanding throughout the season, and in the final against Kent won both his matches, winning 24 games and losing just 1! Probably the key match in the season was a doubles in the tie against Essex at the NTC, when Mike Dawe and Rob Dickson made a series of impressive recoveries when they were three times near the brink of defeat. Not to be outdone, the Men’s Over 65s also won their Inter-County Finals, beating Hampshire/IOW.
Surrey’s Sue Hill strikes gold in Australia
The Great Britain Women’s 65 team of Sue Hill (Captain), Jenny Waggott, Jacky Boothman and June Fisher won the gold medal in the Kitty Godfree Cup at the ITF Super Seniors World Team Championships in Perth, Australia. Seeded second, the GB team won its preliminary group on a count-back of sets won, after beating Japan and South Africa but narrowly losing to Australia.
Moving into the semi-final, the team beat France 2-1 before taking on Australia again in the final. This time the battle went GB’s way and the title was secured when Sue Hill and Jenny Waggott both won their singles matches, putting the team in an unbeatable position. In the Indvidual Championships, Sheen LTC’s Betty Howard reached the 80 singles final, losing out to Rita Price of the USA.
Veteran results MEN’S SINGLES (OVER 45) M.Francombe (Magdalen Park) beat N.Ross (Richmond) 6-3,6-2 MEN’S SINGLES (OVER 55) M.Prowse (Sheen) beat D.Hanby (Telford Park) 6-3,6-2 MEN’S SINGLES (OVER 60) A.Tarney (Sigi Cornish) beat H.Nijeboer (Woking) 0-6,2-5 ret’d (Dormansland) 6-4,8-6
LADIES’ SINGLES (OVER 40) Mrs.A.Taylor (Westside) beat Miss.J.Timmis (Byfleet) 6-7,6-2,7-5 LADIES’ SINGLES (OVER 50) Mrs.A.Clark (Purley) beat Miss J.Cox (Byfleet) 6-2,6-2 LADIES’ SINGLES (OVER 60) Mrs.R.Wilson (Elstead) beat Mrs.R.Naunton-Morgan (Roehampton) 6-0,6-1
vets news
2009 european seniors clubs championships Over 50 Ladies’ Event The Wimbledon Club Over 50s team of Julie Willson, Rosie Naunton Morgan, Penny Mortimer, Penny Sheehan, Ann Collings and myself qualified for this event by winning the National Veterans Inter-Club Championships in 2008. With help from Vets GB and the Wimbledon Club we entered our team of Rosie, the two Pennys and myself into the European Championships held in Vale de Lobo, Portugal. The format for each round was two singles and one doubles. We overcame a disappointing draw to beat the top seeds from Germany in the first round, the two Pennys crucially winning the final doubles rubber. Realising that we had more of a chance than anticipated, we put away our beachwear and set about the task in hand, getting through to the finals against the Dutch team from Shot, whom we beat after some very close and exciting tennis. It was a great opportunity for the team to travel to Europe and play against different styles and nationalities. We found a great camaraderie and respect between our opponents and ourselves and the gifts we took were very popular. Thank you to Vets GB and the Wimbledon Club for helping to sponsor the team and to Tennis Europe and the Tennis Academy at Vale de Lobo for hosting the event.
Tennis in Surrey
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