Ladies tennis - a fantastic summer season

It has been a fantastic summer of tennis for the women at ALTC, both in terms of the increased number of participants as well as success in the leagues. We have 3 women’s teams and there is place for everyone who wants to compete. 

 Hampshire and Isle of Wight summer doubles

This was a great effort to come top of Division 3b in this league and hence move up to Division 2 next summer. Andover won 75% of their games and thanks go to Jennie Pope, Ros Hursell, Flavia Zamfir, Elena Clarke, Martha Folkes and Claire Reid for maintaining consistency and determination to move up a division.

 Hampshire and Isle of Wight summer doubles Over 50’s

It has been a great turn out for the matches with a few firm staples of the team and a couple of fantastic debuts. Christine Pickford, Sophie Annett, Jane Laborda, Jenny Mears, Jules Ursell and Laura Cook were among the players who played Alverstoke, Portwood, Lyndhurst and Warsash

When playing at home, our first pair were undefeated and the second couple won all of their matches against the opposing second couple. A fantastic achievement meaning that the team has been promoted to Division 1 for next summer season.

Thanks go to Sophie Annett who captains this team.

 Basingstoke women’s doubles

Already in Division 1 in this league means the Andover women’s team have competitive exciting games all summer long. We played against many familiar teams including Preston Candover(winners), Goodworth Clatford, Old Basing, Odiham and Riseley and enjoyed success in all but 1 match. Thanks for everyone who took part and it is great to see some excellent girls contributing to the success of this team especially Flavia Zamfir and Maria Sharova.

 We would really like to expand the numbers of women’s teams at ALTC and with membership increasing at the club this is a viable aim for the summer season 2024.

  

Golden Anniversary of Tennis Club’s Club Championships - 2023

The first ALTC Championships took place in 1973 shortly after the reformation of the club.

 In spite of landing on the only rainy day of the September heatwave, the proceedings went well thanks to the indoor courts at Balksbury.

The day was a celebration of tennis for all ages. The youngest mini players showed their surprising skills on reduced courts with soft balls.  Guests of honour were two members who had won titles in the early years of the Championship. Glenys Chambers made a clean sweep of Singles, Doubles and Mixed in 1974. Dot Chaffey won the Singles twice and the Doubles three times in the early 80s. They both won more titles and are still active, very good players.

There were Junior events at all ages and prizes were also given for achievements over the year, all arranged by Head Coach Joe Revelle and his coaching team.


Most improved Mini, The Margaret Winnett Cup…Liliana Mawo

Most Improved Junior, The Wakeham Cup…Leo Crewell

Most Improved Saturday Morning Juniors, The Coomer Award… Maddison Tuffrey, Wilf Barnett and Woody Newton

Most Outstanding Club Juniors, The Joan Reeve Cup…Luciana Salazar-Lewis and Ned Barnett

The Junior Events on the day

Under 8 Singles…Serena Mawo

Under 9 Singles…Liliana Mawo

Under 10 Singles…Liliana Mawo

 Under 12 Girl’s Singles…Amelia Martin

 Under 14 Girl’s Singles…Meredith DeMarco

Under 14 Boy’s Singles…Ryan Crewell

Under 14 Girl’s Doubles…Amelia Martin and Molly Putt

Under 14 Boy’s Doubles…Luca Sangiorgo and Arav Pareek

Under 16 Girl’s Singles…Maria Sharova

Under 18 Boy’s Singles…Hari Putt

 Under 18 Girl’s Singles…Flavia Zamfir

Under 18 Girl’s Doubles…Flavia Zamfir and Sorina Zamfir

 The first Adult events coincided with the arrival of the rain. Switching to the indoor courts, the Ladies Singles Final had two young contestants, Flavia Zamfir and Maria Sharova, who were also playing for the Under 18 title.

Both Flavia and Maria strike the ball well and hit consistently good length shots from the back of the court. They are also very mobile. The major factor in this match was Flavia’s front court play. Her smashes and volleys made the difference and she came out the winner, 6-2, 6-2.

The Men’s Singles final saw Club Coach Joe Revelle take on Graeme Ellis. They have played many times before, sharing the spoils. The ball striking was powerful and you will not see a more stylish double handed backhand than Graeme’s.

This was a see -sawing match. Joe took the first set, but Graeme hit back to take the second.  The deciding championship tie break was tense and tight. Joe took this, winning the title in an entertaining match. 6-2, 6-1, 10-7

The Mixed Title went to Ant Brown and Claire Reid as their opponents had to default because of illness.  They had shown their Champion’s form in an epic semi-final against Graeme Ellis and Jennie Pope.

The Ladies Doubles was contested between Jennie Pope and Ros Hursell and Flavia Zamfir and Elena Clarke. The opening rallies were thoughtful and the consistency of Jennie and Ros seemed to be the main factor until Flavia used her athleticism to intercept rallies and finish points at the net, often set up by strong driving from Elena. This changed the dynamic of the match and Flavia and Elena won 6-3, 6-2.

The Men’s Doubles was always going to be a good match with last year’s winners, Ant Brown and Andrew  Winnett playing the winner and runner up in last year’s singles final, Kyrill Kennett and Gregor Corcoran.

All four players started well, hitting with power and accuracy and covering the court with great speed. Ant was the dominant player to begin with and a tight first set went to him and Andrew.

Kyrill and Gregor were not downcast, however as they knew they were playing well.  There was no drop off and the high standard continued as Ant and Andrew showed why they have won this title several times before. Ant has seven titles and Andrew an incredible twenty, three of them with Ant.

The younger pair, however, were determined and upped their effort, moving to another level. Kyrill made some incredible gets and along with awesome power, executed winning lobs and touch volleys, which left even speedy Ant unable to retrieve.  Gregor matched Kyrill and in spite of pressing hard, Ant and Andrew were unable to stop the youngsters taking the set, the deciding tie break and the Title, 4-6, 7-5, 10-7.                                                

Andrew was back on court after a short break to play the Senior men’s Final against last year’s winner, Martyn Isherwood.

 He was very relaxed in his game after the doubles and was more consistent than Martyn, taking the first set. In the second, Martyn showed his wonderful hand skills and deft volleying in some games but it was Andrew’s steady play that won him the match and the title, 6-2, 6-2.

A great day was enjoyed by many spectators and a lot of helpers. The club thanks them all.  In the end it was not the weather that won, but tennis.

Trevor Blake

12.09.23

Adult 'Singles' Leagues are back

Back by popular demand, the ALTC Adult league is starting up again this Autumn and continuing throughout the Winter and Spring.

This new league will be a Mixed Adult Singles league, consisting of groups determined by the number of entries and a Fast-4 match format to be played over a 6-week period.

The deadline for entries is Sun 1st October, with a planned league window from 8th Oct - 19th Nov.

To enrol for this 6 week period or the next one, or if you have any further questions relating to the new league, please contact the league organiser, Mark Osmond on 07951245006 or mjosmond72@gmail.com.

'New' member's social sessions

Are you ready to swing into action and ace some new friendships on and off the court? Join us for an exciting meet and greet session at ALTC tennis club!

 Whether you're an existing player or just starting out, this is the perfect opportunity to connect with fellow tennis lovers and forge lasting bonds over shared passions. Our meet and greet promises an evening filled with exhilarating tennis matches, laughter, and delicious snacks to keep you going. Dive into the world of tennis with us, and let's rally together for a fantastic time! Bring your racquets, bring your enthusiasm, and most importantly, bring yourself to the event that promises to serve up both great games and memorable conversations.

 See you there, ready to smash and socialise!

 Sessions will be held from 7pm to 9pm on the following dates:

  • Monday 25th September 2023

  • Monday 29th January 2024

  • Monday 22nd April 2024

If you would like to attend to meet other new members, please email Jenny Unthank, Committee member via jenny.unthank@mac.com

Big Tennis 'Open' Morning - Saturday 16th September

An Open Day for everyone interested in playing tennis.

Why not pop along and join a session: 4yrs to 8yrs from 9:00am - 10:00am. 9 ys and 10 yrs from 10:15 - 11:15am. Juniors from 11:15am-12.15pm. Adults - 11.15am to mid-day.

Fun for all the family.

Beginners through to team players.

Rackets and Balls provided.

Coaching for everyone.

A great day of tennis for everyone at Andover's modern, purpose built facility, with indoor courts. The weather doesn't matter!

The Margaret Winnett Trophy 2023

The changeable British weather was kind to the contestants at Andover’s Balksbury home. Matches were mainly played outdoors in pleasant conditions.

The Trophy is given in memory of the Club’s late and much loved Chairman, Margaret Winnett.  She was a great advocate of junior tennis and promoted the club’s first parent and child competition.

 This time the entry was for secondary age juniors. A sliding handicap evened up the contests and most were really close affairs.

 Two round robin groups played the initial rounds.

 

In Group Pink, Ant Brown and son Reuben emerged winners with Katrina and Monty Johnston a close second. Reuben was a late stand in for his older brother and did a very good job.

 In Group Blue, it was Keith and Isaac Robinson who were the winners and Dan and Meredith DeMarco runners up.

Semi Finals were played. In the first, Ant and Reuben put up a good fight but it was Dan and Meredith who came out on top. In the other semi Final a close fought match saw Keith and Isaac emerge winners against Katrina and Monty.

The final was a very entertaining and close match, with all four players contributing to a high standard of tennis. As the youngest player, Meredith was undaunted and rallied beautifully from the back of the court. Isaac is very mobile and along with his Dad always had a slight edge. The handicap system puts more pressure on the leading team and the DeMarcos made full use of that but it was the Robinsons who won in the end. Well done Keith and Isaac.

 All reported that they had enjoyed taking part and that really is the most important thing.

Music on the Test 2023 – Sunday 3rd September 2023

Between 2pm and 5pm, Houghton Lodge, near Stockbridge, is holding an afternoon of music with Test Valley Brass and other bands. For every ticket sold, a proportion of the ticket price is given to the Club to help with funding.

If you are interested in attending, please email Trevor Blake - trevorblake.tb@gmail.com  who will order the tickets to ensure the club benefits from the funding opportunity.





 

 

2023 Margaret Winnett Trophy - enter NOW! plus join us to watch the Wimbledon Mens Finals

In memory of our much loved Chairman and Inspiration

 Sunday 16th July - Start time 10am

Tournament rules

  • Open to Secondary School age junior members and their parent or adult relative/ family friend.

  •  A sliding handicap will operate in all matches.

  • Adults are only allowed one serve.

  •  An initial round robin format will produce semi- finalists.

  • Seven games will be played in each match of the Round robins. Contestants will be ranked according to wins and then games. If equal, the winner of their match will go through.

  • The semi- finals and Final will be one full set with a tie break if needed.

  • Entry fee £8 per pair including drinks and snacks, payable via card machine on the day please.

  • Please enter via email to ALTC Chairman and tournament organiser, Trevor Blake. trevorblake.tb@gmail.com  - under the heading “The Margaret Winnett Trophy”

  •  In the afternoon, starting at 2pm come and join other tennis lovers to watch the Wimbledon Men's Final, perhaps taking a break to have a game yourself. Enjoy a cream tea at the same time. 

    We look forward to seeing you at one or other or both events for a Summer celebration of tennis, 

2023 ‘Adult’ Club Championships

The draws for the Adult Championships have taken place - see below.

  • Each category has a mentor:

o  Mens Singles - George Beare

o   Mixed Doubles - Martyn Isherwood

o   Seniors Mens Singles - Trevor Blake

o   Ladies Doubles - Claire Reid

o   Ladies Singles - Linda Penn

o   Mens Doubles - Adrian Shapter

  • Each mentor has a member’s contact list in case you need any opponent’s contact details.

  • The draws are also displayed in the clubhouse.

  •  If you have any queries, please contact the ‘category’ mentors.

We hope you enjoy taking part in the Championships and remember to pop in your diary - Finals Day – Sunday 10th September.

 Good luck

·        

Perfect weather for the Tennis Club’s Wingfield Trophy

The Wingfield participants

The sun shone for the club’s first adult tournament of the year. The flowers bloomed and, surrounded by the trees, the competition got underway.

It is named after Major Walter Clopton Wingfield who introduced the first commercial version of Tennis in 1874. It was designed for both men and women to play on their croquet lawns and was initially played on an hour- glass shaped court. That soon changed and within a few years the new “Lawn Tennis” had spread all over the world.  

Luckily we don’t need to own croquet lawns to play now .The club is open to all and has excellent facilities with outdoor and indoor courts.

The pairs were drawn and two groups played a round robin format to find the finalists.

This Tournament is always played with a sliding handicap system. If you win the first game, you start the next at minus 15 and the handicap grows if you win more games in a row. The result is that most contests are extremely close.

In the first group, Christine Pickford and Michael Cooke  and Flavia Zamfir and her partner Peter Evans were the most consistent. Flavia and Peter went through to the final as a result of winning their match with Chris and Michael.

2023 Wingfield winners - Peter and Flavia

In the second group, the top two pairs were Clare Thain and Harvey Stuart and Louise Martin and Martyn Isherwood. Once again a narrow win in the match between them put Louise and Martyn through to the Final.

Louise and Martyn put up a good fight aiming to take control of the net but greater consistency overall with powerful accuracy from Flavia meant that the trophy went to her and Peter.

In beautiful weather and with close matches as well as a cream tea, the afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by participants and spectators alike.

 

2023 Junior Club Championships - Entries now being received

The ALTC Junior Club Championships for 2023 are now open to entries!

ENTER HERE

We had a great event last year and we are hoping this year will see the draws as full as they have ever been! 

The events are open to players of ALL abilities and we encourage everyone to do a singles and team up with a friend to play some doubles.

Players must be ALTC members to play.

How will the draws work

U8s & U9s will play their draws on one day - Saturday 15th July TBC

All other draws will be arranged by a play-by date to be completed before the Summer Holidays.

Finals Day

Sunday 10th September

The junior and adult finals day promises to be a fantastic club event. We encourage all juniors and parents to come and watch!

If you have any questions about the event please speak to Joe at the Club or email via joe@jrtennis.co.uk. 

Good luck!

Senior Ladies Team make a good start to the Season

Jenny Mears, Sophie Annett (Captain), Jennie Pope and Ros Hursell at Portswood.

 Captain Sophie Annett’s team started the Hampshire and Isle of Wight League season with a home match against a team from the coast. Alverstoke are one of the older established Tennis Clubs in the country, having been in existence since the 1880s.

Andover’s first pair, Claire Reid and Ros Hursell are both playing for Hampshire this year. They began the evening well with a speedy  6-0, 6-1 win over the visitor’s first pair.

Sophie Annett and Christine Pickford also did well against the visitor’s second pair, winning 6-3, 6-2. The second round saw Reid and Hursell continue as they started, dismissing the Alverstoke pair without losing a game, 6-0, 6-0.

 Annett and Pickford put up a good fight against the Alverstoke firsts but were just pipped in a tie break first set to lose 6-7, 3-6. The Andover team had achieved a win by three rounds to one.

 For their second match the team travelled to Portswood , a club set in a garden square surrounded by large Edwardian houses in Southampton.

 Jennie Pope and Ros Hursell got off to a poor start, losing the first four games but showed their determination and experience to fight back and came out on top 6-4, 6-3 after two hours against the Portswood first pair. This was backed up by Jenny Mears and Sophie Annett who got through 7-5, 6-2, versus the Second pair after a similarly long match.

Pope and Hursell then made swift work of their second match winning 6-0, 6-0.

Mears and Annett found the first pair too strong and lost 1-6, 0-6 but the Andover team won the match by three rounds to one again. 

Two matches with two wins is the perfect start as the team look for promotion to the top division.

Isaac receives LTA Tennis Awards 'Regional' award

Isaac with Bash Kara, his award nominator.

Following Isaac being awarded the County ‘Rising Star’ for the annual LTA Tennis Awards, it has just been announced he has been awarded the Regional round. The presentation will take place on Centre Court on 20th June at the Cinch Championships at the Queen’s Club in London.

 Further details about the LTA Awards can be viewed on the LTA website.

Isaac will now represent the South and South West region at the National Awards. We will obviously keep you updated when the winners are announced in July.

Well done Isaac – this is so well deserved for everything you do at ALTC - the club is so proud of you.

Isaac awarded 2023 Hampshire & IOW Rising Star Award

14 year old tennis player Isaac Robinson from Andover Tennis Club has been awarded the Hampshire & IoW Rising Star Award.

Isaac completed the Tennis Leader Course in 2021 and then fulfilled the required voluntary hours to be awarded his Certificate.

Nominator, Bash Kara with Isaac

Since then Isaac has been helping with the Andover Tennis Club coaching program, Isaac

  • always arrives 30 min before the start of the coaching session every Saturday morning and greets coaches and Adult volunteers with a positive attitude and big smile.

  • helps prepare and set up the equipment for mini tennis – mini nets, throw down lines, mini rackets and balls etc. When the other leaders arrive they look to him for help and/or instructions to complete the set ups before the first session.

  • helps Coaches to run the sessions with great enthusiasm.

  • is always keen to learn from coaches and take the lead. His main coaching aims are to help young players of all abilities and from all backgrounds improve and, above all, enjoy tennis.

  • has a natural, empathetic coaching style especially with younger children, assisting in their personal development through tennis.

  • has assisted with the LTA Youth Start courses at Andover LTC and his effort and enthusiasm has helped achieve high retention of the young beginners.                      

  • regularly helps with buddy-hitting and makes himself available for the advanced coaching sessions to assist in demonstration or doubles drills/exercises. 

  • is an accomplished junior player having won numerous club competitions and selected to play for the club junior team. He won the club Play Your Way To Wimbledon and played in the County play-off.

  • volunteers his help and has umpired at the club championships.

Isaac, above all shows a passion for tennis in his actions around the tennis club. He is a positive 14 year old young person with a 'can do' attitude going the extra mile for the benefit of learners, peers and promotion of Tennis. He is an inspiring young person and role model to young players and encourages them to take up tennis.

He won the Most Outstanding Club Junior of the year 2022 at the Andover LTC and is a credit to the club and town. The sport of tennis is in good hands with young volunteers like Isaac. 

Well done Isaac - the Club is so proud of you.

Andover LTC Head Coach Joe Revelle writes:

Isaac attends multiple sessions through the week and consistently sets the standard high both with performance and attitude, a fantastic example for all other junior players. In his role as a tennis leader he always goes above & beyond what is expected of him and never ceases to impress me with his professionalism.

Club Member's News - February 2023

Membership renewals/fees – Since 2nd January 2023 the Club has moved to a rolling membership year. Those members who have joined from this date, can continue to enjoy the full benefits of the Club for a whole year before their renewal takes place.  

However, for the vast majority of members, membership renewal is due on 1st April.  This year there are a number of changes to fees, full details of which will be sent during March.

If you have any queries regarding your membership, please contact me via membership@altc.net .

Diary dates for 2023 – We are busy planning events/club activities for the year - dates will be published soon. If you have any ideas or would like to run an event, please speak to any General Committee member.

Adult member's social sessions - The current weekly sessions can be viewed via www.altc.net/membership .

The Coaching programme resumes from w/c 20th February for both adult and junior sessions. The full programme and enrolment can be viewed via www.jrtennis.co.uk or speak to Joe (Head Coach) or one of the coaching team whilst you are at the club.

If you are interested in ‘freshening up some of your tennis technics’, why not join one of the Adult group coaching sessions – Monday mornings, Tuesday evenings and Friday mornings? There is also a beginner’s class on Thursday evenings. For a fitness session, why not join the Cardio session on Thursday evening – it is great fun. For further details and enrolment, please view www.jrtennis.co.uk

If you have any queries, please email me via info@altc.net or speak to one of the General Committee.

Adult Club 'Winter' Club Sessions - January to March 2023 (inclusive) (updated 18/2/23)

As communicated in September 2022, we have been trialling additional days for Adult Club sessions during the first half of the Winter season. Following a review, we now plan to offer the following sessions over the next 3 months starting on Friday 6th January 2023 to Friday 31st March 2023. Information for the summer season will be communicated prior to the first session in April.

Monday - first session for 2023 - 9th January 2023

  • From 9am to 11am using the indoor courts

  • This session will cost £2 per member irrespective of the amount of time spent at the session. This is a contribution towards lighting costs. 

Wednesday - first session for 2023 - 22nd February 2023

  • From 7pm to 9pm using two outdoor courts

  • This session will cost £2 per member irrespective of the amount of time spent at the session. This is a contribution towards lighting costs. 

Friday - first session for 2023 - 6th January 2023

  • From 6pm to 9pm both indoor courts will be available. From 7pm to 9pm - all three outdoor courts are available.

  • This session will cost £2 per member irrespective of the amount of time spent at the session. This is a contribution towards lighting costs. 

Remember, for Day members, as your membership category includes court play up to 4pm, you are welcome to come along to the Monday morning session.

Please try out the new sessions and let us know your thoughts by emailing info@altc.net .