5&//*4 The Sussex Baseline 4644&9 SERVING UP ALL THE ESSENTIAL TENNIS NEWS ACROSS SUSSEX June 2019 SUSSEx LAdiES 50S ARE NATiONAL CHAMPS! After a long summer of qualifying matches (with a 100% success rate), Sussex Ladies 50s travelled to dudley in early december to play reigning champions Norfolk in the National final. At the Tennis Sussex Awards in November, this team won Adult Team of the Year, and so were all keen to finish with a final decisive win! finals are davis Cup style 5 rubbers: 2 singles and 3 doubles. Captain, Kate Bloomfield, got Sussex off to a flier with a straight sets singles win. Milli fawssett then faced Norfolk's strongest player, who played extremely well to level the tie at 1 rubber apiece. Jenny Hughes and Anne Clark scored a comprehensive victory over the Norfolk number 2 pair. Norfolk then had the choice as to which of their doubles pairs would play the 4th rubber. Norfolk sent out their number one doubles pair to play Anne and Jen. Sussex took the first set but the second set was close. Kate and Milli were starting to loosen up on the sidelines in case a decisive fifth rubber was needed! However, Anne and Jenny showed true Sussex grit taking the second set for a 3-1 lead. The final dead rubber was not played and Sussex claimed their first national Over 50s title! Congratulations to all the team, not just the 4 players in the final, but also to Sue foott and Wendy Reardon, who made vital winning contributions through the qualifying season, and who were there on finals day to cheer and support. With the new season already underway we look forward to defending our title. KEiTH PULLiN - THE NEW SUSSEx PERfORMANCE MANAgER We are delighted to announce Keith Pullin as our new Tennis Sussex County Performance Manager. A former Tennis Sussex junior county champion, Keith built his career in a variety of roles and tennis environments, coaching in schools, parks, clubs, counties, a former LTA Regional Academy, on the pro women’s tour and managing the performance pathways at both county and regional levels. He currently leads the regional training programme for the London & South East region. Keith is passionate about working with people, developing coaching teams and tennis programmes with excellence, developing grassroots player attraction models and supporting our top junior players on court. Over the past 10 years, Keith has managed the South East regional programme, working with over 500 regional level junior players and 100 performance coaches and has helped develop the coaching programmes and coaching teams of 21 of the strongest clubs in the south east region. Prior to this, Keith was the LTA Talent & Performance Co-ordinator for Sussex, where he organised and delivered county fun days, training camps and launched the LTA’s mini tennis competition framework. Keith is a qualified Master Performance Coach and LTA Coach Tutor with a degree in Sports Science. He has worked as a county coach and county captain at junior and senior age groups in Leicestershire and Sussex and has captained gB teams at 10u, 12u and 16u. As both an experienced performance tennis coach and LTA Regional Performance Manager, we believe Keith’s diverse skills and qualifications will make him a great asset to Sussex. Tennis Sussex are really excited that our COUNTY CHAMPS - NATiONAL fiNALiSTS! Sussex County Championships 2018 are a finalist at The National Awards and the winner will be announced at AELTC Wimbledon on the 2nd July. The Championships have already had great success this year winning the Regional (South East / London) Competition of the Year and the County Competition of the year award! We now wait to find out if we are National Competition of the year. Thank you to all who made the Championships an award winning tournament. www.tennissussex. com County Cup Roundup www.tennissussex. com Left to right -Alex Hyman, Patrick Keane, Joe Adams, Harvey Kilsby, Brett Macdonald, Alex Fox, Tommy Cartledge MENS COUNTY CUP iN HULL 18 U SUSSEx BOYS - SUSSEx gRiT PERSONifiEd! Sussex men took a very young team to Hull for the 2018 county cup that gave their The 18U Boys travelled to Bromley in a strong group 2 with home side Kent, West of Scotland and Warwickshire. We had a full contingent, absolute best. We drew an experienced North of Scotland team on the friday and had welcoming back Kai Maxted and debutant Sam Nicholson. We knew it would be tough against Kent and we were quickly 2-0 down after losses some very competitive matches but didn’t quite convert them into wins. day two saw from Bloomfield and Hyman. in the middle order Kilsby and fox battled it out. Kilsby came through a solid encounter, and fox rallied to overcome another Scottish team from the West facing our lads who fought as hard as they could his higher ranked opponent. Our top order, saw Kai Maxted dominating his opponent, and a high quality encounter at No 1 between Lui Maxted and Alex fox (our weekend entertainer), managed to secure a great individual win. in and Pinnington Jones, which was narrowly edged by the home player to leave the tie in the balance. We dominated the doubles line ups, with the end however, we were not strong enough to win the tie. On the final day we faced a Maxted/Maxted sealing the day with a resounding victory. The opening day ended with a narrow 5-4 victory to set us up with a clash with West strong Bucks team. Harvey Kilsby managed to scrape through the first set and then of Scotland on day 2. Sam Nicholson was the only change to the line-up, as we quickly established a stranglehold on the tie, with straight sets accelerated away winning the second set. As the matches went on though, Bucks victories from Nicholson, Hyman and Kilsby. fox and Maxted Jr went down in secured another 2 wins with some rather big hitting on the very fast indoor courts. Alex two titanic battles. Another commanding victory from Maxted Sr gave us the fox, full of confidence from yesterday’s win, had other ideas though. He managed to advantage going into the doubles. Elliot Stephens stepped in and Sussex took a win the first set to keep the tie alive and the rest of the Sussex team were cheering from clean sweep of the doubles to end the day 7-2. We had now ensured matters the sidelines. in the tie-break the tension was electric and although Alex smiled through the entire match he fell just short in the breaker. Sussex were in our own hands and raced into a 2 - 0 lead. This victory set us on our way can be very proud of the manner in which our team acted on and off the court and it was a pleasure to spend time getting to know these guys. with the Maxted brothers taking 2 singles encounters; Lui, fittingly, sealing the They had a great team spirit and attitude and i’m confident with the experience they gained playing at senior level, they will continue to improve final match that sends us back up to the pinnacle of 18U County tennis - group and be instrumental in the future of Sussex tennis. Well done and thank you to Alex fox, Alex Hyman, Harvey Kilsby, Paddy Keane, Tommy 1 in Bath in 2020. This same nucleus of players has taken Sussex from group 3 Cartledge and Joe Adams. i really enjoyed the weekend with you guys. to group 1, and Captains Barry fulcher & Keelan Oakley were pleased with the ºBrett Macdonald team spirit, camaraderie, and resilience shown by all. This Sussex team represented something we as Captains have instilled from the outset - Sussex U18S giRLS COUNTY CUP REPORT grit; and are thoroughly deserving of a place in the top group in 2020! A big thanks The U18 girls set off for Redbridge on 28th february for County Cup where they were competing in division 2b. The team was Sonay Alicia , to our outgoing senior players on their fantastic junior careers - Kai Maxted, Tiana, Evelyn, Saffron, Emily, Katy and Jo Jo with captain Julie Salmon and assistant Kate Smith. The competition looked strong with Sussex Harvey Kilsby and Alex Hyman. Next to Bath! facing Essex, Surrey and Avon over the weekend. On day one Sussex were up against a strong Essex team and started the day 2-1 down in rubbers with a great come back from Jo Jo who recovered from a set down to win. Tiana then fought hard to secure another 3 set win and Alicia BOYS 14U COUNTY CUP cruised through her match to put Sussex ahead 3-2. At number one singles, Sonay battled hard, narrowly missing out and bringing the overall score to 3-3 in rubbers. The doubles took the match to 4-4. it was then down to the final doubles with Sonay and Tiana up against a tough Congratulations to the Sussex Boys 14U team who qualified for the National finals at Essex pair. The match was close but the girls eventually lost 4-6 3-6. day 2 saw Sussex against Avon who had beaten Surrey the day before. Nottingham 17-19 May. Prior to reaching the finals in Nottingham the team consisting of The girls got off to a flying start with a 3-0 lead following wins from Jo Jo, Saffron and Evie. great perseverance from both Evie and Jo Jo in their Charlie, William, darcy, and debutants Theo and Thomas, competed in qualifying at The singles saw them winning both matches. The next three singles took the overall score Weald. Team Sussex started with a match against Shropshire and went 3-1 up after the to 3-1 to Sussex. Alicia and Sonay both played great matches to secure a 5-1 win for singles with wins for darcy, Will and Charlie. The new doubles pairing of darcy and Tom Sussex. Katy and Emily narrowly lost out but wins from the two other pairs meant certainly had their chances to win the 2nd set but ultimately, went down. This left Charlie Sussex won the day 7-2. day 3 and it was all to play for with Essex on 2 wins, Avon and Will playing 1st doubles to close out for victory and a 4-2 win. and Sussex with a win each and Surrey fighting to avoid relegation. The match got off To finish off day 1, Sussex had to play doubles against Wiltshire and perhaps looking to to a shaky start and Sussex went 4-0 down. Alicia and Sonay put Sussex back on the repay the faith of Captain Martin Reeves, Tom and darcy got the team off to a perfect start scoreboard 4-2 down going into the doubles. Surrey managed to take a win to with a win which was followed by another win for Will and Charlie and so Sussex ended guarantee the win for the day at 5-1. it was now down to rubbers count who would day 1 at 2-0 with the four singles to play on day 2 which saw Tom, making his singles be relegated of Avon, Sussex and Surrey. Jo Jo and Alicia took a win as did Sonay debut, lose a very close match in the tie break. darcy and Will then had comfortable singles and Tiana which ensured that Sussex would stay in div 2 another year. The group this wins and Charlie had a nail biting 3 set win. The win ensured we topped our group to play year couldn’t have been closer, it was a tough weekend. Well done to all the Sussex Kent on the final day. Monday was the highlight of our campaign as we beat a very highly team who gave 100% and came so close to division 1 promotion with the boys. ranked Kent side in the final having been 0-2 down in matches. The group was decided on a tiebreak which Charlie and darcy won in style much to the satisfaction and enjoyment of the home crowd. On to Nottingham and our first match in the National finals was against Leics and unfortunately we lost on a tiebreak. Charlie and William won TENNiS SUSSEx 14U giRLS REPORT 2019 both their singles and doubles. in the following matches we lost 1-5 to Middlesex, devon and finally Scotland with all their players ranked in Top This year’s 14U girls County Cup event was held at Banstead downs Tennis Club in Surrey. Team Sussex were up against Kent on day one, 50 gB. Although it was a tough experience i am sure all the players learnt a lot in the respect of playing under pressure and the joy of team spirit starting with the two doubles matches. imogen and Sofia performed well but didn’t manage to get the result against a strong pair from Kent. and working together as a unit. A massive thank you to Richard Law and Alistair Alexander for the great work they did with the players both on Amelia and Talitha competed in the second pair and after an incredible start winning their first set 6-2, the Kent team battled back to win 10-6 and off court. Our player of the tournament was Charliewho never stopped fighting and playing the game in a great spirit earning him two wins in the third set championship tiebreak. The girls remained positive going into the over Top 10 gB players in this event. second day with the four singles matches to go. Sofia showed great resilience coming back from losing the first set to win the second set and tiebreak! Both WiNTER COUNTY CUP – LAdiES Amelia and imogen gave it everything they had but lost in the tiebreak. day 2 The Winter County Cup is the final LTA county cup of the year and Sussex wasn’t over as after those 4 singles matches, the players needed to play Ladies led by non-playing Captain Lydia Hammond were in group 2b at Somerset. The girls bounced back with singles wins from Amelia, Sofia and Lola. Easton College in Norfolk. Missing a number of top players the team went The doubles pairings won for a 5-1 win to Sussex! The Sussex girls were 2nd, into the event looking to maintain their position within group 2. The team setting them up to play against devon on day 3 in the 3rd/4th playoff! Wins from had a difficult start going down 9-0 to Surrey. day 2 v Lancs saw an overall Lola, Sofia and Amelia quickly put Sussex 3-0 up. devon fought back with their 6-3 defeat. On the final day the team produced a confident display against very strong number 1 player beating imogen to make it 3-1. Sussex just needed Norfolk taking five out of the six singles to maintain their place in group 2b one of the doubles wins to secure 3rd place, and they won both! A 5-1 win next year. The team will next be heading to ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash against devon and third place behind Surrey and Kent in the box. for Summer County Week in group 3, where they will look to put in a strong What a brilliant weekend. Our players showed so much passion and challenge for promotion to group 2. The full Winter team was, Katy determination on court. The way they dealt with the tough loss in their first match graydon, Kyria dunford, Saffron dowse, Petra Sedova, Valentina to come back and dominate in their next two was really impressive. Well done Khalturina, Ellie dasent, Jojo Bach, Anna Kilsby and non-playing Captain all involved! Lydia Hammond. www.tennissussex. com Sliced Returns www.tennissussex. com
HURST COLLEgE HOSTS SUSSEx giRLS’ TENNiS LEAgUE MiCHAEL HARTNETT SELECTEd fOR gB TRAiNiNg Hurst College hosted and competed in the getting selected for the LTA’s disability performance gB squad was one of the most exciting things to happen Sussex girls’ Tennis League for the very first to me in my tennis career. it’s something that i’d wanted for a long time, and i’d worked really hard in getting time.The Hurst U18s won their category, and there. Attending the NTC for my first training camp was nerve racking but also exciting. i had no idea what the Hurst U16s finished second out of seven . to expect. fortunately, it wasn’t long until National coaches Karen and Nick helped settle me in and getting Thirty girls in total from Ardingly College, acquainted with the other athletes felt reassuring. As the day progressed, it felt like i’d known everyone Lancing College, Worth School, Eastbourne forever. The whole team were kind and very welcoming towards me. College, Christ’s Hospital and Bede’s took part The weekend consisted of matches, drills and fitness work. The programme was challenging but enjoyable in this league event with four singles and two too. in the short time i was training, i felt i’d learnt a lot about my game thanks to the fantastic coaching. The doubles in each match. drills had to be my most favourite part of the day. it was a great team bonding experience. Having defeated Ardingly 6-0, the Hurst U16s As the weekend drew to an end, i reflected on my 2 days away and felt i’d accomplished a lot. i’d made were feeling confident ahead of their next friends with other likeminded athletes, as well as smashing the goals i’d set myself. i cannot wait for the next match against Worth. The girls started the training camp in May! i’m excited to see the team, but also to see what else i can learn and add to my game! game with certainty, displaying some powerful Here’s to the next 12 months of hard work and determination to succeed. My biggest goal is to one day play and skilful tennis, swiftly securing a 5-1 win. internationally and hopefully, do my country proud. it’ll take a lot of work to get selected, but i’ll continue to Hurst’s U18 squad gave a faultless display, as work hard.’’ the graham triplets dropped just one match between them and Annabelle Bower convincingly won all four of her matches. Liz BARTLETT TALKS TO LORETTA LOCKE Of dEfiANT SPORTS Captain Harriet graham deserves a special Liz Bartlett isTennis Sussex disability Coordinator mention for playing at number one without Can you tell me a bit about yourself and how defiant Sports was formed? dropping a game, as the Hurst team finished Primarily i am a middle-aged mum! i have four children and one of my sons, Callum, has Cerebral Palsy, Autism and a visual impairment. the tournament as champions. He has always loved tennis but struggled to fit in with mainstream provision as his opponents were quickly able to pick up on his disabilities and many matches ended with Callum feeling sad, angry and losing confidence. Thankfully, his coach at the time was invited ANgMERiNg to run tennis sessions for people with a visual impairment by Eastbourne Blind Society. Having found that Callum was eligible to play, he got involved and within six months became a National Champion in the B4/5 sight category and also a doubles Champion. The TOUR BUCKS change in him was dramatic, his confidence soared, he was very happy, he even talked to people! We, as a family, were already assisting the tennis group and took over the running as a community group in November 2015. it wasn’t Angmering club on tour in long before we were being approached by others asking for different sport provision or to create something for people with different Buckinghamshire. We challenges and conditions. This all led to us officially forming defiant Sports as a non-profit club in June 2017, increasing our ability to collected trophies, medals support others to gain the benefits we have seen in Callum. it is amazing the difference it can make to be part of something and feel you and points. Super good fun belong. Having initially expected it to be a part-time voluntary role, i gave up my job as day Services Manager at the local MS Society for all those involved and group in february of this year to run defiant Sports full-time and we now have 5 staff and around 12 volunteers including my other 3 our lovely hosts! children! What sessions are defiant Sports currently running? We currently run most of our sessions once a week in Eastbourne: Tuesdays - Multisport and PE theory for home educated children, 11am – 1pm at Hampden Park Community Centre. £6 per child Tennis Sussex are excited to announce that Specs Opticians have become their newest sponsor Wednesdays - Tennis for Teens & young adults with SENd and She Rallies Tennis for and we thank them for supporting us girls on the Autistic Spectrum (mums welcome too!). Both sessions 5.15pm – 6.15pm, Hampden Park Sports Centre, Broderick Road. £3.50 Thursdays - Tennis for Adults with Learning disabilities, 11am – 12 at Hampden Park outdoor courts. £2 Boccia, 1.30pm-2.30pm at Shinewater Sports and community centre. £3.00 fridays - Tennis for the Blind and visually impaired, 10.30am – 12 at Eastbourne Sports Park. fREE (thanks to sponsorship form EBS) We also offer 1 on 1 intro to sport or development sessions for £15 per hour (outdoors), £20 (indoors). More sessions coming all the time! What are your biggest successes? Every time one of our players gets more active, enjoys sport or comes back for another try, that’s a success! What are your biggest challenges? Currently our biggest challenge is getting the word out! We can create and adapt sessions for most sports and most needs, so get in touch! Not only do we want to ensure we are reaching everyone who can benefit from our services but, obviously, we have to pay the bills! The more people we can assist, the more we can grow and adapt to the needs of the community. How can people get involved or find out more? Valid to 31/10/2019 Our favourite question is “What would you like to do?” and we are always keen to hear from you! Phone 07887755856, email [email protected] , our website www.defiantsports.org.uk or social media, facebook https://www.facebook.com/defiantSports/ , Twitter https://twitter.com/Sportsdefiant , instagram https://www.instagram.com/defiant_sports/ We are always looking for new players and volunteers! www.tennissussex. com Net Cords www.tennissussex. com iNTER COUNTY fRiENdLY U9 MixEd EVENT ALiSON CASH JOiNS TENNiS SUSSEx Congratulations to the Under 9 County Team Tennis Sussex are pleased to announce Alison Cash has joined our Management Board as the Player/Parent who finished second in the inter County Event Liasion. As a mother of 2 tennis playing boys (now 22 and 24) Alison has experience with junior tennis from recently in Oxfordshire. The team of Jacob, the first rungs through the domestic tennis circuit up to grade 1’s, County, Nationals; Tennis Europe and Paul, Ewan, Ben, Ruby, isabella, Coco and 18U iTf’s. As well as this the US College scholarships and, last but not least the professional circuit. Both Amelie did Sussex proud with their quality of my boys have gone different routes, one is now playing professionally having completed his degree at US tennis, team spirit both on and off the court. it college, and the other did his level 2 coaching qualifications along with his studies, coached during his gap was their first experience of this kind of county year and holidays and plays first team club tennis. We often found it difficult to find the information we were competition. So as the format started with the after and we didn’t always make the right decisions, but with a lot of research, a bit of trial and error and boys and girls doubles it was a great way to with each child at the centre and included in the decisions we came out the other side. ease them into the event. Outline of Role The pairs gelled straight • Hold discussion forums for players and parents. Specific subjects and age groups to be decided away with all partnerships • Help to guide performance players through a tournament schedule (Tennis Europe, iTf, World tour etc) gaining wins. • Liase between Tennis Sussex and LTA head office for performance players. • Hold forums to discuss entry to US Universities. After a few early nerves • Liase with other offices to set up tournaments abroad for performance players. • Support coaches at the parent workshops and to help the team really started to increase attendances perform. Ben was also if YOU WOULd LiKE TO CONTACT ALiSON fOR ANY AdViCE PLEASE CONTACT JULiE gOLdiN - [email protected]. chosen to receive a fair Play award which was the icing on the cake! SUSSEx APPOiNT CHRiS NEigHBOUR finally to finish we were Tennis Sussex appointed Chris Neighbour as its new President. Chris has worked with Tennis Sussex up against Middlesex in 4 in a voluntary capacity for over 40 years, principally supporting the development of junior players and mixed doubles matches. With completely new combinations playing together and tiredness creeping in 2 wins out assisting at tournaments. in 2016, his long service was recognized at county and regional level and, of 4 was a great result. it was a real pleasure to be the captain on the day. subsequently he received a Lawn Tennis Association Meritorious Service Award, which was presented greg Watson -Coach Captain to him at Wimbledon. in his new role as President, Chris will be working closely with the county’s Management Board and representing Tennis Sussex at key events. following his appointment Chris said, “i am delighted to have been appointed to this new role and hope that my experience over the years and the network :,/6216$1')25' /7' &KDUWHUHG$FFRXQWDQWV that i have built up will help me 6WDWXWRU\$XGLWRUV%XVLQHVV$GYLVHUV to deliver effective support across the tennis community in Sussex. My programme for the first few months will involve me visiting clubs and supporting county matches and tournaments. i will also be in Supporting Sussex Business attendance throughout the week at the Nature Valley Tennis international, being held at Eastbourne in June.” and Tennis Sussex TENNiS SUSSEx AWARdS ‘19 OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: • Business Advisory Service • Start Ups Sunday 10th November at The Amex Stadium, Brighton • Audit • Business Plans & Forecasts Nominations opening soon! • Company Accounts • Company Secretarial • VAT Returns Services • Management Accounts • Personal Tax & • Corporate & Personal Tax Tax Returns Planning • Inheritance Tax • Charities/Charity Registration Planning • Advice on Making Tax • Payroll Service Digital/Cloud Accounting FOR YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION PLEASE CONTACT: Robin Wilson 01273 821441 85 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2BB DIRECTORS: Robin Wilson FCA DChA. Mark Jester ATT AAT, Lorna Overstall FCA ASSOCIATE: Robert Crowter Authorised to carry on investment business by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
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PiNK! Brighton Beach tennis players get world ranking Beach tennis Uk had a great start to the 2019 season, with the hosting of an itF g5 0($) prize Money Beach tennis tournament on 11 great fun and lots of pink at the Tennis Sussex girls u8 fun day hosted at Bedes School The girls May. players from Bulgaria, estonia, italy and the Uk battled it out for itF world ranking points on the sand courts overlooking Brighton’s loved all the tennis games and new skills they learnt and having their faces painted beautiful seafront. Under referee ashok thakrar’s guidance, and with only two rain delays, a full day of matches took place in the Men’s, women’s and Mixed doubles categories. as the songs from the Brighton Music hall drifted down to the courts, a constant stream of passers- by were intrigued by the quick fire shots, lightning rebounds, and heroic dives. congratulations to Beach tennis Brighton club’s very own charlotte Bishop and laura Mundy, who reached second place in their first ever itF Beach tennis tournament. although they both have a lifelong love of tennis, within under a year they have progressed very quickly at the sand-sports equivalent. winning three of their four matches in a round robin format, charlotte and laura have earned themselves itF Beach tennis world and gB rankings. Beach tennis players say it is an addictive sport that is completely accessible to non-tennis players, and hugely compliments the skills of those who do play tennis. if you fancy having a go, come on down to Beach tennis Brighton at the sand courts by the old pump room. For nine years we’ve been running a variety of sessions for all levels, three REd BALL MATCHPLAY times a week: thursdays 5pm until sunset • saturdays 12 -3pm (with free taster sessions every saturday The tournament had 7 red ball players, some competing in their first event, and some who have competed regularly beforehand. The 12:00 – 12:30) • sundays 10am – 1pm. tournament was played in good spirits with all matches played in the spirit of fair-play. The tournament was won by Kai Jing Hii-Tan of Members of tennis clubs in sussex are offered 10% discount on membership or pay and Sussex, who won all 6 of his matches on the day. play. please contact Beach tennis Brighton on 07866 693561 or [email protected] for more information.
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HASTiNgS OPEN THE WEALd OPEN SMASHES iT! The Hastings Open Tournament successfully completed finals day at The green. Chris grief and Olivia Stapley (The green) won the The Weald LT & SRC hosted its annual Spring grade 3 Tournament closely contested mixed doubles event beating Jeremy Bennett and Nicola Tuson (Hampden Park). Joe Adams (The green) beat grief from Sunday 14th April to Saturday 20th April. This year saw one of in the men’s singles in a powerful display. Bennett and men’s doubles partner Colin Paterson (Hampden Park) overcame grief and Paul the biggest entries with over 250 players and 400 entries providing Tune (The green) in an entertaining match. in the meantime Lucy Lillicrap (The green) was runner-up to Champion Natalie Chatfield events from 8U through to Men’s over 45’s. As ever the event attracted (Amherst) in the Ladies' Singles and Sue McLeavy and Sheila King (The green) were Ladies doubles champions. King featured in the players from as far North as derbyshire and as far West as dorset. mixed over 45 doubles with her partner Stuart Clode (The green) who beat Mike dixon and Lucy Parkin (Meads). dixon and Parkin put Sussex winners were Colin Piper - Men’s45’s, Petra Sedova - Ladies out favourites Jeff gedge and Jenny Naylor (Amherst) in a previous round in a long a thrilling match . gedge and Naylor reached the final Open, Tina fox and Emily gordon - Ladies doubles, Sam Hesling and of the Mixed over 60 doubles and met up with King and partner Neil Baker (The green) who prevailed. Patrick Keane - Men’s Open doubles, Sam Nicholson -18U Boys and Meanwhile 24 Junior players were involved in a tournament of their own in 4 categories. The Men’s Open, Theo Billson and Amelia devlin 14U Mixed doubles, results of the finals were: 18U Boys Singles Ben beat Tom : 16U girls Singles Lauren beat isabella Hope and Sofia Maine 14U girls doubles, imogen All Sussex final in the men’s doubles event, congratulations to Sam & Patrick who Adelaide : 14U Boys Singles Hayden beat Ollie : 10U Mixed Singles Aaron beat Niah . McNaughton Ely -14U girls and Harrison Clowe 8U Mixed. were the winners with brothers Lemuel & Chett the runners up Thanks also to Sharon Slade all the staff at the Club who worked tirelessly in both the Kitchen and behind the bar in looking after all the players and their representatives throughout the week.
Congratulations to Sophia from Sussex & Sienna from Surrey 12u girls double champions great to see a team with friends from other counties
Congratulations to Lemuel and Tom from Sussex who were runners up in the 16u Boys Doubles Congratulations to Isabella from Sussex who was runner up in the 9u Girls
COMPTONS OPEN dAY You are warmly invited to our Sam Nicholson- 18U & Men’s Open We ran from 12-5pm - a dull cloudy day. The club had been Prep School Open Morning Saturday 28 September 2019 Winner spruced up with a new pathway, bunting, and all the beds and Alfie Miller & Taman Kustermann, 12U Doubles Champions Imogen from Sussex grounds weeded and planted so the club looked amazing. it was 9.30am to noon runner up in the 16u Girls slow to start but from 2.30pm visitors arrived- coaches were busy IAPS – Boarding, with juniors, individual sessions and a fast and furious cardio flexi-boarding and day tennis. Refreshments included Posh dogs with Pimms and Boys and girls 3 months to 13 Prosecco which were very popular and teas and cakes. A raffle To register please contact: which had been running for several weeks raised £1200 to buy a [email protected] club defibrillator. This was drawn on the day, an existing member T 01323 734222 winning first prize of ViP tickets to Eastbourne, and a delighted or online at bedes.org new member who signed up on the day won the fortnum & Duke’s Drive, Eastbourne Mason picnic hamper. A very happy day was had by all. East Sussex BN20 7XL
Congratulations to Imogen and Amelia - winner and Congratulations to Isabella and Sophia from Sussex who Congratulations to Sussex pair Theo & Darcey runner up of the 14u Girls event were the 14u doubles winners at The Weald Open who were runners up in the 14u doubles
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REPORT ON REd BALL EVENT AT BEdE’S 26 JANUARY WEST WORTHiNg OPEN WEEKENd The Red Ball Matchplay event at Bede’s We welcomed more than 300 people through our doors during the day and offered 20 was well supported. There were 15 tennis sessions in total with something suitable for all ages and abilities, from children boys and eleven girls competing in the as young as 3 years, through to regularly playing adults. The afternoon saw a friendly event. Players came from all corners of ‘member and guest’ American tournament on our grass courts with generous prizes for Sussex and a few from outside the the best member and non-member player, plus a cream tea afterwards. As a multi sports County. club, we encouraged our other sports sections to join in and were delighted to also be Charlotte Rumboll, darina Bodnar-dy - offering taster sessions for squash, petanque, croquet, table tennis and snooker. bash and Sebastian Reynolds won all There were around a dozen people signing up for membership on the day and, as with their matches so congratulations to previous years, we hold open our membership offer until the end of May to allow anyone interested time to reflect on their open day them. There were some very close experience before joining. We find this soft approach has worked well in the past. There were buoyant sign ups for our regular group matches making some hot competition coaching sessions as well as holiday racquet camps and our follow on Tennis for Kids sessions starting after the May half term. and at the end 74 matches were played. As always, the success of our open days is down to our growing group of enthusiastic volunteers that give up their time to make the day We thank all the players for their participation in this event. Well done! possible. PAV & AVE SPRiNg TOURNAMENT THE RiSE ANd RiSE Of LUi MAxTEd in November 2018 14 year old Lui Maxted joined Southdown sports club as a junior tennis member. He was ranked around 1900 in the Pav and Ave club provided events for 8U - 12U Boys and girls in their Spring Tournament this year. After u18 iTf world rankings and, despite some fantastic successes Nationally, had never coming through the Round Robin stage Sussex player Sion came through as Champion of the 8U Boys event. been selected to represent great Britain in his age group. Jacob (Pav and Ave) was our Boys 9U Champion and in the girls event Ruby (Tennis in the Park) reaches 3rd The move to Southdown was made in order to link up with Southdown’s experienced place and Megan (Maresfield) was in 4th place. On the day of the 9U competition a consistent strong wind head coach Luke Milligan, a former British davis cup player and former coach to cur - prevailed which all players overcame with fortitude. Henry (Pav and Ave) was 10U Boys Champion and rent fed cup captain Anne Keothavong, Laura Robson and Katie Boulter to name gabriela (dL Eastbourne) was a worthy runner up in the 10U girls event. freddie (Pav and Ave) Jessica were but a few. ‘“One of the first key goals” explains Luke, “was to gain international ex - 12U Champions. Well done one and all! perience by competing more regularly on the iTf Junior Circuit”. A lot of hard work on court with Coach Luke, working on playing a more exciting and expansive style EASTBOURNE COLLEgE TENNiS 2018 – 2019 of tennis, commitment to a tougher physical training regime and regular trips abroad to compete on the international stage would follow. Eastbourne College continues to build its standing as a lead - fast forward only 7 months and Lui has been selected as one of 2 players to repre - ing provider of tennis in schools. Ranked in the top four in sent great Britain in the u16 European individual Championships and also in the great great Britain for its girls squad, the College has been working Britain team that will compete in the u16 junior davis cup qualifying later this year. hard to ensure that its training programme is among the very Lui’s u18 iTf world ranking has risen over 1300 places since the start of the year to best. Elite players play and train every day, ensuring that they 194, a lofty position when you consider that only 13 players worldwide in Lui’s age maintain their fitness and take part in regular supervised group are ranked above him. in this short time Lui has claimed 2 iTf singles titles 2 strength and conditioning sessions. Team members enjoy the runners up medals and a domestic u18 national championships win as well as 2 iTf 6.30am starts on Wednesdays for runs along the sea front, and doubles titles. on fridays the cardio-tennis to music in the College indoor fantastic achievements yes, but coach Luke Milligan insists that the hard work is court is popular. just beginning. ‘Lui has had a very strong 2019 so far, and has earned selections for All pupils are guided on their match-play and tournament some exciting events but our work has really only just started’ said Milligan. ‘Lui has schedules. Many are preparing for USA university application a great mentality and work ethic, which makes him fantastic to coach and will be and two more College pupils, Phoebe Watton and Aziza Aubin, very important for the challenges to come! We will continue to work hard and hope - are departing this year with full scholarships to Long island fully earn some more great opportunities further down the line’. and Tennessee respectively. Lui is currently working hard in preparation for the grass court season where he will compete at the highest levels of world junior tennis. Team successes this year include outstanding performances in the Sussex Ladies Club winter league, becoming U18 County Schools Everyone at Tennis Sussex wish him the very best of luck. Champions, finishing third nationally in the LTA Senior Schools mixed doubles finals at Bolton in March as well as fifth in the girls event. for the national schools finals held in Nottingham this July, the girls team is pre-seeded in the top four for the third consecutive year. ONE dAY SHOOTOUT BEN One day Shootout event in action recently at The Training Base at the ON 8U SOUTH EAST TROPHY University of Sussex. 24 players from all over the Country, including A team consisting of Bella, Olivia, Charlotte, Phoebe, Rory, many Sussex Junior and adult players, battled it out in a day of level- THE Harrison, Leo & Tom joined Coach Captain Martin Reeves to based UTR competition. Look out for info on forthcoming events, which participate in the inaugural 8U South East Team Trophy held at will be the Sussex Summer Tour in the coming months... Bromley TC in November last year. for all the Sussex players it UP! was their first opportunity to play for their County in a team Congratulations environment against other teams from Kent, Middlesex, and to Ben who won Surrey. The event whilst being competitive was all about having the 9u grade 4 fun as well and the Sussex team certainly enjoyed their day South East against some strong opposition. County Tour Hopefully the afternoon of playing and the opportunity of watching event at some of The Men's Winter County Cup group 2 event gave them Henfield a taste of County level tennis. recently. www.tennissussex.net 8U Fun Day www.tennissussex. com . D E T C I P E D
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10U giRLS PLAYOffS SCHOOLS PiLOT ROAdSHOW AT PRESTON – WOW! in the 10U girls Play Off’s Event held at Pav & Ave and Tamsin Silver and Tanya d’Cruz organised and refereed by Phil Latham every player who was attended the incredibly inspiring invited to play took part in the event and the matches were Schools Pilot Roadshow in November highly competitive. and then followed the model for Well done to all the girls and to Myeisha for winning her spot growing a tennis programme at on the County Cup team after a closely fought battle with grassroots level. We delivered a Amelia who aso played some fantastic tennis. Schools Roadshow visiting local schools followed by a free Open Weekend Tennis Event at the club over HOVE PARK TENNiSATHON a weekend in March that sought to promote and sell mini tennis courses on TH ING E MA On Sunday 7th July Hove Park will be hosting our first Tennisathon in support of local charity, The Martlets. We will aim to RT R O TL P E P T the junior programme. Junior sport U S play from Sunrise to Sunset (approx 6am-9pm) with each team of four taking an hour slot at the cost of £60/team (all proceeds S leaders, volunteers and coaching staff go to support The Martlets). Please email [email protected] saying which slot you would like/to find out availability. S U TENNISATHON Y N L R U all helped. I J S H E T 7 TO There will be plenty going on to keep you entertained on the day: a BBQ kindly provided by Hove Park cafe, a raffle and lots AY SU D NSET • SUN The weather was amazing, the other courts were in full use, there was a real buzz and Preston could be seen at its best, even the cake of fun games for all ages. Come along, support the day and help us raise lots of money for this worthwhile cause. stall run by two members aged 7 and 9 was a hit! Over the course of the weekend just over 200 families attended the Tennis Event, near 100 children aged 4-7 signed up for a 5-week coaching course and just over 50 places were bookedon the Easter Tennis camps. New BRiTiSH TOUR fAST4 AT THE WEALd sessions have been created providing so much potential opportunity for work for our coaching team and new players to feed into the coaching and competition program. Additionally, positive links have been created in four schools with anopportunity for follow up events The clay courts at The Weald Club in Hassocks saw plenty of fast4 action in glorious sunshine on the late May Bank Holiday weekend and potential schools coaching and interschool competition events. At the end of each session the children were asked if they would with the ladies playing on the Saturday and the men on the Sunday. like their parents to come on court & play with them; most did and then didn’t want to leave! The ladies event saw some hard fought matches with the final between the Number 1 seed 2.1 rated Mayela Bassega from Middlesex playing 4.1 rated Herts Jessica Matthews. Jessica won 4-2, 4-1. The men's event was full with ratings from 1.2 to 10.2. A feast of tennis was on display with the final between two Sussex players the EASTBOURNE COLLEgE TENNiS TEAM iN TENERifE 1.2 rated Alex fox and the 3.1 Charlie Pycroft which Alex won 4-3(1), 4-2. Below Katy graydon & Alex Scott Putting the cold and dark december weather behind them, the girls tennis squad Alex Fox in full flow
from Eastbourne flew out to Tenerife for a week of warm weather training just n o
d before Christmas. They were based at the Kris gray Academy in Chayofa near a r
G the southern coast of the island and enjoyed perfect weather, with clear skies y t a and high temperatures all week. The girls worked very hard and joined in with K the full time players at the Academy. Every day they had fitness work from 9.00am – 10.00am followed by two hours of drills and specific training on the clay courts. After lunch, another tennis session followed (more match play and game based practice), with further strength and conditioning, plus warm down late afternoon. They also had time for outings to the beach and the local town as well as enjoying a BBQ at the tennis Academy with other players and coaches. Over final weekend, the girts competed in a UTR tournament event with local players and all the players had a good number of matches, both singles and doubles. The standard of play was high throughout and all the Eastbourne players felt they improved whilst in Tenerife. The trip will certainly be repeated in future years!
Congratulations to the girls Tennis Team at Eastbourne College who have been pre-seeded in the Schools National Championships taking place in July making them one of the top 4 schools in gB for girls tennis. www.tennissussex. com Schools County Championships www.tennissussex. com
On a rainy windswept day, we assembled at Bede’s for the Schools County Championships in the 18U category. Boys Bede’s A beat Schools 16U Championships Bede’s C, Eastbourne College beat Hurst, Bede’s B beat Lancing and Brighton College beat Ardingly. Bede’s A beat Brighton in the final A bright sunny but windy day greeted 19 teams of 4 players to the delightful Bede’s senior school for the 16U boys and girls Schools to be champions. Eastbourne College A girls beat Ardingly, Bede’s A beat Bede’s B, Eastbourne College B beat Lancing and Hurst beat competition. Round Robin groups started the afternoon then in the boys semis Hurst played Brighton College and Bede’s B played Brighton College. in the final Eastbourne College A beat Hurst to become girls' champions. Bede’s A. Brighton College and Bede’s A battled it out in the final with Bede’s A the victors. in the girls semifinals Hurst and Bede’s A The fair Play awards went to Ardingly boys and Hurst and the individual boy's award went to fought it out and Eastbourne played Lancing. Bede’s A and Lancing College played the final and Lancing College were champions. The Otto from Bede’s and the individual girl's boys fair Play Team was awarded to Brighton College and the individual prize was awarded to Jack from Bede’s. The girls fair Play award was given to grace from Bede's. Team award went to Bede’s B and the individual girls award went to Maud from Hurst. Many thanks to Jane Nash our referee, all the teachers and helpers and to the school for hosting the event.
Bedes was again the host of the 11u Schools County Championships. Around 80 kids took part from lots of schools across Sussex. Lots of tennis played which all the players really enjoyed even when it started to rain !!! The winners of the event were Brighton College for the boys and Bedes A for the girls. The fairplay & Sportsmanship awards were given out to Jacob from Lancing who won the boys individual prize with Bea from Bedes who won the girls prize. The team winners were Bedes B for the boys and Brighton College for the girls. A great morning of tennis!
A great day at the 8u Schools County Championships with 100 kids all enjoying their tennis, 15 boys teams and 10 girls teams The Winners of the girls team The winners of the boys Sports - Runners Up in the boys event Great The Winners of the boys event - Sportsmanship Award - Oaklynde manship team event Haven Pri - Walstead B Team Lancing Prep Hove A
The 10U provide a real festival of tennis. 7 schools brought just over 100 pupils to the Championships who, between them, played over 400 hours of impressive tennis. But, in addition to the matches, this festival of sport showcased great sportsmanship, team work, respect and courtesy for opponents and the making of new friends. What a joy to see those with more experience supporting and guiding others and so many happy faces. As one pair commented during the morning, “We’re not doing too well, we’ve lost a couple of matches but we are really enjoying the day. it’s brilliant!” for the boys, Bede’s A beat dorset House and Lancing Prep (Hove) beat Lancing Prep (Wor - thing). in the girls’ event, Moira House beat Brighton & Hove, whilst Bede’s A beat great Walstead. in the Boys’ final, Lancing Prep (Hove) beat dorset House, whilst in the girls’ final, Bede’s A beat Moira House. The Boys’ fairplay Team Award went to great Walstead Max was the winner of the boys Rosie from Bedes won the girls Runners Up in the girls event The winners of the girls event - A and the girls’ fairplay Team Award went to St Andrew’s B. There were individual fairplay Awards for Alec from Lancing Prep (Hove) individual Sportsmanship Award individual Sportsmanship Award Roedean Moira House A team and Matilda from Bede’s. grateful thanks to school staff, coaches and parents, to Christine greenwood as Referee and to Jane Nash Bedes A and her team at Bede’s for hosting such a successful and much appreciated event. www.tennissussex. com Sussex Has A Day Out At The Fed Cup www.tennissussex. com
SUSSEx LAdiES STARS ANd THE fEd CUP HiSTORY ANNA TURNER VOLUNTEERS AT THE fEd CUP The fed Cup is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to There hasn’t been a fed Cup home tie for 26 years, so when i discovered that gB would be playing celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the international Tennis in the Europe/Africa group 1 tie at the University of Bath, i decided to apply as a volunteer. i wasn’t federation. The fed Cup, known as the federation Cup until expecting to be successful, so when i received the email confirmation, i was very excited. i have pre - 1995, is the world's largest annual women's international team viously volunteered at Wimbledon and loved every second, so i was hopeful that this experience sports competition in terms of the number of nations that would be just as rewarding, and i wasn’t disappointed. compete. The men's equivalent being the davis Cup. The fed cup is the world cup of tennis, showcasing the highest level of women’s tennis. My role as a it's been 26 years since the fed Cup was last played on home volunteer varied over the three days i worked, but included roles such as court attendant and ticket soil when great Britain staged a home fed Cup tie in Bath in scanning. The lovely thing about volunteering is that you get to interact with the public, talking to february. during the tie at Bath there was a special people who are as passionate about tennis as yourself, regardless presentation made to three of the four members of the 1993 of age, background in tennis, and life experiences. An added bonus team, two we are proud to say from Sussex: Clare Wood and is you get a great view of some amazing tennis. As volunteers, we Julie Salmon (along with Jo durie). The missing player was try to help people enjoy their day, and get as much from it as possible. Team gB were playing in the af - Monique Javer. Other famous Sussex ladies who have ternoon session of each day, and sure enough the stands would be full, the crowd on the edge of their represented gB in the fed Cup are deidre Catt and Julie Hobbs seats as the team played some incredible, and at times very intense rubbers. (née Pullin).if you want to see 1993 team mates Clare Wood, One big difference about this event is the support both the crowd and the players give. it is a team Jo durie and Julie Salmon recalling some of their favourite event and has a whole different feel to grand slams. The noise is indescribable, cheers, chanting - every - moments go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drf9lbnNCA one can get involved and get behind the team. The teams watch and support each other from the side- lines, with their captain on court. As a coach, i would like to think an event like this can inspire young females across the country to get involved in tennis, after seeing how much fun was had out on court as well as the support of the crowd, the teams and how much it meant for the players to represent their country. This explains why a personal highlight of mine was seeing so many school groups and young fans enjoy getting involved with watching the matches, and although some matches went on until all hours there were always some young fans out there, determined to stay until the end. for me, Joanna Konta’s singles performance on the final night demonstrated so much strength, and i was massively inspired, so i hope that this performance will help inspire others to pick up a racket, so we can develop our next generation of tennis stars. Hollie and Joe from Sussex (right ) This is Tom (left) from Sussex with his family AWARd WiNNERS ON A JOLLY! Chris and Rebecca Smith belong to Steyning Tennis Club. Their son’s are fraser and finlay Smith, who also play tennis at Steyning. The younger son who is with the flag Julie goldin was so excited to be at the fed Cup with the Sussex Awards Winners - is finlay (age 8). We had a fabulous Maggie King, (left with Katie Boulter) Young Volunteer winner and the Sussex County day, it was a brilliant atmosphere and Champs Team, competition of the year winners. Julie and Maggie were invited as a great experience for the boys. Regional Award winners and were recognised on court with other winners and the HRH duchess of gloucester, david Rawlinson, deputy President of the LTA and Cathie Sabin, past President of the LTA and the founder of the LTA Tennis Awards. great to see the Sussex Tennis Community supporting Team gB in the fed Cup victory at The Copper Box Arena in London! www.tennissussex. com Tennis Sussex Awards Winners www.tennissussex. com
Robert Cushing Memorial Award for Lifetime School Team Of The Year Senior Team Of The Year Junior Team Of The Year Achievement Alan & Andrea Pullin Cardinal Newman U14 Boys Team Ladies 50’s County Cup Team 12U Boys County Cup Team
Adult Outstanding Achievement Callum Locke, Chris Ornstien
Club Of The Year Sponsored By R T Junior Outstanding Achievement Williams insurance Brokers Ltd Lui, Sonay, Howard Robins Boy Award Brian Edwards Award Shepperd Cup Official of the Year Slinfold Tennis Club Alicia, Michael Oliver Toby isabella Jane Nash
Coach Of The Year Luke Milligan
Education Award disability Award Sponsored by Team Captain Of The Year Community Venue of the Year Sponsored by The Physio Rooms friends of Tennis Sussex Ania Messenger – Crowborough TC Ladies 1st Team Tennis in the Parks, Eastbourne Hurstpierpoint College defiant Sports, Eastbourne
Pat MacNamara Award Howard Robins girl Award Young Person of the Year – Adult Volunteer OTY Competition of the Year Most improved Junior girl Most improved Junior Boy Sonay Evie The Coburn Plate Sponsored by Wilson Sandford Accountants, Sussex County Championships 2018 Lola Alex Maggie Stephen gilbert – Crawley TC wSUSSEXww.tennissussex . c om www.tennissussex. com TENNiS OPENEd UP BY THE LTA... COUNTY The LTA recently announced a new vision for tennis in Britain, as part of a long term strategy to grow the sport and open it up to many more people. You can read more about this on the LTA’s website, but the below gives a brief overview. Working closely together with County Associations, including our own, the LTA develops tennis in Britain CHAMPIONSHIPSON from grassroots participation through to the professional game. By all aligning behind the sport’s new vision of ‘Tennis Opened Up’, and the mission is to grow the sport by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable, we can help more people enjoy the benefits of our amazing sport and get 2019 involved.Tennis is a sport that anyone can play; whatever their ability, and whatever community or background they are from. They can play at any age and for a whole lifetime, and it can provide physical, social and mental rewards both on and off the court. As lovers of the sport, we all know this, but we want tennis to be open to as many people as possible, across the whole of Britain. The new vision will be at the heart of everything the sport does going forward, and it is something everyone involved in tennis can get behind. Collectively, we want to see many more people pick up a racket, whether it’s for the first time, or the first time in a while. We want to enable men and women of all ages and abilities to play more often. We know starting early is crucial to playing for the long-term too. We need more children to start playing and will do what it takes to make it as easy as possible for parents and kids across the whole of Britain to choose tennis, building new and developing existing relationships with schools and local communities, so more kids and young people than ever before are able to pick up a racket. There remains a commitment to delivering a clear route for players to develop too – from starter sessions with our brilliant accredited coaches, to first-class support at the new National Academies due to open in the Autumn. The Player Pathway for tennis in Britain is designed to find and nurture the next generation of champions, with a particular focus on enabling young players to break into the top SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST 100, win medals at the Olympics and Paralympics, and in turn, inspire fans across the nation. Without volunteers, coaches, officials, clubs and venues, tennis simply can’t exist. They play an essential role in the future of our sport, 2019 TO SUNDAY 1ST and so they will be provided with the right investment and support and we will continue to celebrate their work through our County Awards and at a regional and national level through the LTA Tennis Awards. SEPTEMBER 2019 Continuing to build the visibility of tennis will help engage with thousands more fans so that we can bring them closer to the sport. Britain has a reputation for staging truly world-class tennis tournaments, and this standout calendar of major tennis events will continue, MAIN DRAW EVENTS IN ASSOCIATIONON WITH taking tennis to new areas with events throughout the year, so as many people as possible can watch top-class tennis action. 12U TO 18U EVENTS, MEN’S AND LADIES’ EVENTS,VENTS We hope you share this vision for tennis for Britain, and the desire to see our sport opened up to as many people as possible. To keep MINI TENNIS 8U RED, 9U ORANGE AND 10U GREENREE EVENTSENT up to date with all the latest news and developments, make sure you check the LTA’s website and follow their official social media accounts on facebook, Twitter and instagram. Alternatively, if you have any questions you can contact the LTA’s Services Teamvia [email protected]. QUALIFYING EVENTS Abbie Lench - Head of Clubs, Counties and Volunteering Mini red, orange, green, 12U & 14U for juniors new to LTA competition packaging advantageadvvantageantage ltd
July 24th 10.00am August 10th 10.30am PAV & AVE ATTRACT LOTS Of NEW MEMBERS ON OPEN dAY Bede’s Senior School, Upper Dicker, Chichester Racquets & Fitness Club, On a perfect sunny Saturday afternoon in May the Nature Valley Tennis Weekend attracted over 70 potential new members to Pavilion Hailsham BN27 3QH Chichester PO19 6AR & Avenue Tennis Club situated in Hove. Head Coach Julie Hobbs and performance coach Ben Reeves were on hand to give lessons to adults and juniors. Potential new members had the op - August 6th 9.30am August 3rd 1.00pm portunity to have their technique analysed as well as join - The Weald Tennis Club, Comptons Tennis Club, ing in with the coaches for a number of games. Hassocks BN6 8JP Horsham RH13 6NR There were opportunities for juniors, very small children and those partially sighted as well to play and have fun on the courts. FAMILY FUN DAY & FINALS ON SEPTEMBER 1ST SEPTEMBER
touchtennis fun tournament on Sat 1 Sept Parent/Child yellow ball double event on Sat 1 Sept
All tournament enquires to Julie Goldin Tournament Organiser [email protected] or 07775 943684 As a result Pavilion & Avenue signed up over thirty new members on the day and with more interest scheduled later on that week. The success was a great example EEntriesntries oopenpen fforor mainmain eeventvent onon thethe 113th3th JJulyuly of how a team of volunteers can make a massive difference to the financial fortunes and the future of a club. Of course the excellent facilities and nice weather played a SOUTHDOWN SPORTS CLUB COCKSHUT ROAD, LEWES, BN7 3P part... www.tennissussex. com College life in the US of A www.tennissussex. com
4 YOUNg STARS TALK ABOUT COLLEgE LifE iN THE US 6. What did you achieve in america? Winning conferences? Clinching for your team? Sarah Borwell of Tennis Smart who organises such things, talked to some of her promising young ‘uns who have, with the help of Tennis Smart, opted for Awards? the US college route. She started by saying ‘i am incredibly proud of everything these 4 players have achieved throughout their 4 years in American L: i’ve been fortunate enough to achieve some real good things through my time at UiS, university. As they all acknowledged, it is never easy, always a little bit of a roller coaster ride but that’s certainly part of the reason they have all flourished clinching matches for the team is one of the best feelings you can experience as college and achieved so many exceptional things. i have no doubt that these student-athletes will continue to be successful, while being wonderful role models tennis player, which i have been fortunate enough to do on many occasions. Each year for junior Susssex players. All 4 are stars in their own right and are: Logan Burgess Hayes ( L), Holly Bennett ( H), Sam Rice ( S) and daniel Little ( d). has seen my programme rise to greater heights, but this year was our most successful, www.tennissmart.net @tennissmart (44) 07821437548 (1) 319 333 5443 achieving a national ranking of 36 and a regional ranking of 9. 1.Where did you play tennis in the UK? H: At my first college we won conference and regionals to make it to nationals. However, L: i was at Virgin Active Brighton in the UK and then moved to Preston with Barry fulcher as my coach and continue to work with him when in the UK at my current college we won our regional bracket last year and made it to nationals sweet 16 for the first time in school history. in 2017 i and my partner felicia Baratta won H: The club i attend in the UK is Southdown Sports club. Logan enjoying victory S: Before making the move out to the U.S. i attended Southdown Tennis Club. iTAs and made it to nationals and became number 7 in the nation. We also got the first d: i trained at the University of Bath courts and i would train at the Southdown club in Sussex when i was at home. team all-conference doubles at PBC banquet in 2018. This year in 2019, my team were runners up at the PBC conference tournament and my partner and i got MVP doubles 2. What was the reason you decided to head out to America? team of the tournament and we also won first team all-conference at the 2019 PBC L: My reasoning for heading out to America was that i had heard from older players that had done it and said it was banquet. absolutely life changing. i knew that if i didn’t go it would be a huge regret and committing to it has been the best S: i played as high as #1 singles and doubles throughout my career at Charlotte. Our biggest achievement as a team was beating #23 ranked Penn, which decision of my life. was the biggest win in program history. i also achieved conference honours being named conference player of the month. H: i decided to go to the USA as i wanted to pursue my tennis career,have a different experience and be able to d: i reached 92 career singles currently and qualified for the NCAA singles tournament. As a team we reached the NCAA tournament the past two years, get a degree alongside tennis. an achievement which had not been done by a Utah team in over 20 years. i was chosen as the MVP in the 2016/2017 season. S: i decided to attend an American college because of the opportunities. Highly competitive training and matches were offered on a daily basis and it was the only system that allowed a tennis player to maintain a high level whilst 7. If you had to give advice to a British junior what would you say are the most important parts to choosing a university? attaining a degree. finally, scholarships give players the opportunity to finish up with very little student debt. L: i think the most important thing for choosing a university in America is choosing one where you know you’ll be happy and part of a community where d: i wanted to continue playing competitive tennis whilst being able to earn a degree and enjoying the incredible you’ll thrive. Many things can affect this such as coaches, location and academics, but as long as you’re happy then that should be your first choice. resources available for college tennis. H: The most important part about choosing a good university is talking with the coach and team beforehand and get a solid relationship with them. Knowing what major you are wanting to pursue and make sure that the university has that major and is strong academically. Also, knowing where you 3. Where did you go and how did you make this decision. Why did you choose the university you are now will be placed on the team so you have a goal to aim for. The location is also very important, if you like the sun then aim for somewhere that is sunny graduating from? and hot, also if you like to do things other than tennis, then maybe find a city or somewhere that has a lot of things to do. L: The process of choosing which university to go to was very difficult. i was fortunate enough to speak to a lot of S: i would advise anyone that is looking to attend college in the U.S. to focus on a variety of factors. firstly, choosing the right coach is extremely different colleges and finding the right one was something that took a long time. However, it was worth the wait and i am now graduating from the University important. You will be with them for 4 years. furthermore, location and weather are important as these are the conditions that you will live in. of illinois Springfield (UiS) d: i believe that if you can know your teammates and coaches that is the most important factor. You spend so much time with them, if you do not get on H: i attend the University of North georgia. i chose because they were achieving newer and better things each year and the team and coaches seemed then you will not enjoy your time. Being able to play is important also so you great. The campus is also very beautiful and well laid out. The conference was also strong which pushed me more than the first university that i attended. can really enjoy college tennis and all it has to offer. The weather is certainly S: i attended The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. i chose this college for a variety of reasons. firstly, the team was very competitive and played a bonus, especially if you like to play outdoors as there are plenty of teams a strong schedule. Also, the coach was someone i felt could develop my tennis to the next level. The weather and location were also factors. where you can play outside all year round. There was a time when d: i went to the University of Utah and i chose here because of the PAC-12 conference which meant i competed against the best players in the country as talented young players had 8. What do you have planned after graduation? will you move back home to choose between pursuing well as the facilities available, the academic reputation and my teammates and coaches i met on my visit. their tennis careers or or try to stay in america on an OPT visa? remaining in education. 4. What has been your experience at the university? I am sure its been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs? What parts did you enjoy? L: After graduating i will be looking to do a graduate Assistant coach position at a university in America. This will allow me to stay involved in tennis and Tennis Smart wants to L: My experience at UiS has been the most satisfying and lifechanging of my life. There are many ups and down through university especially as a collegiate change all that. athlete. You will be busier than any other student due to training, matches and travelling but these also make your time so amazing. Having the responsibility complete a master’s degree, which will be fully funded. and independency of being in America, studying and competing have made me a much better person. H: i am planning on moving back home to the UK and do a bit of traveling and H: My overall college experience has been positive. Each year my team has made history and achieved better things. The parts i enjoyed most was working work through the summer and then look into job opportunities in the sport or hard on the court, traveling with the team and being in a team atmosphere. Building new friendships and relationships is the thing that made my college tennis industry. career. Managing school and tennis was difficult because we were always missing classes so it was hard to keep up with work. Being a senior was S: i have decided to move back home after graduation. As much as i love the sometimes tough as you have to lead and play a role on the team. The things that made me better were having U.S. and the opportunities that is has given me, i will be going back to Supporting Holly with an exhibition forehand that leadership role in the team. The college increased my confidence on and off the court, also my tennis has England. However, the option of moving back out to the U.S. will always be improved year on year. there due to the connections that i have made. S: My college tennis experience has been filled with high’s and low’s. A major highlight was beating the #52 d: i am going to graduate school at the University of Nottingham next year to every div 1 player. Playing in a team environment was something i loved. Tennis can be a lonely sport, but having study supply chain and operations management. So i will be moving back to players constantly rooting for you gives a different perspective on the game. Unfortunately, i have suffered England and continuing tennis at graduate school. many injuries which prevented me from playing as much as i would have liked. But this is the nature of the sport, it is intense and puts a lot of strain on the body. step. d: i struggled at first to adapt to the culture of living in a foreign country far away from home. it certainly made me grow as a person and i am glad i stayed at Utah for all four years as i have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and looking back i would not want to change it.
5. How has university helped you and was it what you expected? L: University has helped me grow up. i feel like i came into UiS as a boy and am now graduating a man who is ready to start the next chapter of my adult life. it was definitely harder than i expected it to be but at the same time was far more fun than i ever could have ever imagined it would be. H: University has helped me to time manage better and be clearer on what i am wanting to do within the tennis field. it made me realize my own tennis ability and what i can achieve College is as i expected, a team atmosphere and the demand to work hard every day. S: University has helped me in many different ways. firstly, it has made me very independent as i had to take ownership of my responsibilities. The ability to network and meet people from around the world is incredible. i did not expect to meet such a variety of people who are now life long friends. d: They had amazing advisors and tutors who helped me with my academic work as well as being supportive of my tennis. i was surprised by the amount of resources they have available -i have got a PAC-12 scholarship grant for graduate school next year which helps to fund the next stage of my life. Daniel Little in action www.tennissussex.neSt mashes
CRAWLEY OPEN dAY VOLUNTEER REQUiREd Crawley TC held its annual Open day on Saturday the 18th of May 2019 We appreciate what volunteers do in Sussex at clubs, welcoming over 100 players schools, parks and for the County. We have one onto the courts for a range of vacancy that we need to fill. Please contact us at activities from Mini Tennis to [[email protected]] if you can help. Tennis fit. All activities were Facilities - the LTA provide assistance to clubs/venues free to try with coaches and wanting information for facility changes and members on hand to offer improvements. This could be new surfaces, courts, advice and playing partners. if floodlighting, club house changes etc. We would like you missed the Open day and to provide local support having someone who can are keen to try tennis please visit to discuss ideas and point them to the best contact the club sources of information for grants, loans and advice. if [email protected] or just you think you can assist that would be much pop in to the club. appreciated. You don’t have to be an expert! TENNiS SUSSEx ARE ExCiTEd TO LAUNCH OUR NEW WEBSiTE www.tennissussex.com To continue to develop and promote tennis in Sussex we have developed a new dynamic website that you will be able to access on your phones, laptops, ipads and desktop computers. it will be packed full with news, competitions and opportunities for everyone in - volved with tennis in the county. And it will be updated on a constant basis so you will have all the up-to-date tennis news at your finger tips. We will feature stories on all the events from junior and schools competitions to seniors cup competitions and clubs in the Sussex Leagues. There will be information for players, clubs, coaches and teachers on everything from tournaments to training opportunities. The website will act as a news platform for everything tennis in Sussex reaching out to hundreds of clubs and thousands of players along with all the coaches and teachers that help develop the sport in the region. if you have a story, a launch, an announcement to make or you simply want your club featured please contact us. We would also love to receive your feedback on the new site so that we can constantly improve it and make sure that everything is included that the Sussex tennis community are looking for. Please contact Julie goldin at [email protected] or [email protected] gROOMBRidgE TC gROWS fROM STRENgTH TO STRENgTH founded in 2000 with three all weather macadam courts, gTC are reaping the benefits of a brand new artificial clay court which looks stunning, is kind on our joints and back, and which lowers the risk of injury. Perhaps the earliest benefit which we have found is that it is playable when the three other courts would normally be too wet or slippery. Additionally, we no longer necessarily need to close the club to members when matches/coaching or mix-ins are taking place on three courts, as previously. We now realise why the LTA consider it is advisable for clubs to have a minimum of four courts! The clay court is proving very popular with all ages, with many members finding it preferable to the “old courts”! . Some players prefer the higher bounce on the hard courts, but the transition from one surface to the other is not too daunting. We were extremely fortunate to secure grants to cover almost half of the costs, the remainder coming from our own funds built up through subs and fundraising efforts. groombridge Tennis Club, The Tanyard, Corseley Road, groombridge, TN39PP “ This issue of The Sussex Baseline is kindly sponsored by: Friends of packaging advantage ltd Sussex R.T.Williams Insurance Brokers Ltd - Insurance for all your needs The Old Coach House House, 110 Old London Road, Brighton, BN1 8BB Tel: 01273 328181 www.rtwilliams.co.uk Registered address – The Old Coach House, 110 London Road, Brighton BN1 8BB Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
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