YORKSHIRE TENNIS 2018 ANNUAL REPORT Presented at the Annual General Meeting 10th December 2018 TEAM BABOLAT PRO PLAYERS MAY PLAY WITH A CUSTOMIZED OR DIFFERENT MODEL THAN THE EQUIPMENT DEPICTED. CONTENTS FOREWORD President’s Address 2 Chairman’s Report 5 Statement from Head of LTA 8 North Region REPORTS Club, Community, County and 10 Education Committee Report Competitions Committee Report 14 Initiative Committee Report 17 RESULTS Performance Committee Report 18 including summary of County Cups, County Championships and Veterans British Tennis Awards 23 Yorkshire County Tennis Awards 24 FINANCE Treasurers Report 25 Financial Statement 26 Registered Venues 28 THE TEAM YLTA Officials 30 Patrons and Life Patrons 32 LTA North Region Staff Team 33 YLTA Initiative 34 Obituaries 35 Cover photos: (front) Jayanne Palma, U18 Yorkshire Girls’ Singles Champion; (back) Zak Lloyd and Louis Hull competing at the 2018 Yorkshire Championships (top left); Phoebe Suthers, selected to play in the GB squad for the 2018 World Deaf Tennis Team Championships (top centre); Trophies on display at Yorkshire County Tennis Awards 2017 (top right); Skipton summer tennis camp (bottom left); Raj Niknam, officiating at 2018 Yorkshire Championships (bottom right). The information contained in this report comes from a diverse range of sources. We try to pull it all together as best we can, but if there are any omissions or inaccuracies, please accept our apologies. Please make us aware of any such errors. 1 FOREWORD President’s Address delighted to present trophies commitment to Yorkshire to the winners and to host Tennis! Presidents Day which enabled me to meet and recognise One of my highlights this the achievements of some year was the success of our incredible volunteers. County Championships which continues to attract more The Advantage Yorkshire entries and is now a huge initiative continues to be event. Much of the credit popular and over £0.5 million must go to our excellent has been invested in our clubs, organiser Dave Kitchen whose who have used the money hard work and drive to be to improve their facilities, the best has been integral to grow their membership and the tournament’s success. Chris Day – President, deliver coaching in schools. I Thanks also go to the support Yorkshire Tennis have visited lots of clubs that team of Barrie Laughton, Liz have benefitted from this Wilson and Trevor Stent who investment and have seen did a great job assisting Dave. It has been another memorable the difference it has made Having attended most days I year as President of Yorkshire to them and their members. saw some fantastic tennis and Tennis. I was particularly This initiative is most certainly I am in no doubt that, with the delighted to present the British worthwhile. junior talent on display, the Tennis awards to our Yorkshire future of Yorkshire Tennis is winners for their excellent Overall our county teams very bright indeed. work within the County. We have performed well, and often take for granted the I would particularly like This year saw the sad loss work of volunteers, and these to congratulate Jo Craven of council member Graham awards provide an opportunity and the lady’s team who Snowden whose funeral I to reward and recognise their were promoted to County attended and who, over many contribution. This year we had Division One and will now be years, contributed greatly to our most successful year yet at Eastbourne next year. As Yorkshire Tennis. with four regional winners for the men, I made the trip Finally, I would like to thank and two national winners with to Cromer to support the our councillors, committee Robert Balmforth winning team and despite winning two chairs and admin team Official of the Year and Skipton matches, we were narrowly for all their hard work on Tennis Club winning Club of the relegated. It was a real shame behalf of Yorkshire Tennis. I Year. I would like to pay tribute as I can honestly say that the would also like to thank John to both including Adam Cox of team gave everything, as did Crowther whose commitment Skipton whose vision and drive our Captain Steve McLoughlin and expertise is greatly led Skipton to their triumph. who throughout made me feel welcome and part of the team. appreciated and who as chairman is driving our county Once again Ilkley hosted Despite the outcome, I forward. Thanks also go to a fantastic Challenger thoroughly enjoyed the week our LTA Regional partners, our tournament which seems to and met some wonderful sponsors and patrons, our get better every year. The people including one group of players and their parents and Ilkley Club is doing a great ladies who go to watch and finally all the volunteers who job organising the event and support our County Cup team work tirelessly on behalf of should be commended for every year. One lady said she their clubs. bringing world class tennis had been supporting the team to Yorkshire. I again was for 25 years – now that’s 2 Pictured above: (left to right) David Rawlinson with Jonathan Moore and Adam Cox of Skipton Tennis Club, receiving the ‘Club of the Year’ award; (pictured left) Sarah Copley, competing at 2018 Yorkshire Championships. 3 Winner of Fuzion 100 Ilkley Ladies’ Singles, Tereza Smitkova 4 Chairman’s Report year, we came 5th (2017 – registration by any venue 3rd). has to be welcomed so that anybody playing tennis at • Yorkshire Tennis will a venue knows that it has protect, nurture and promote safeguarding processes and the interests of its members an appointed welfare officer with the provision of advice, to protect its members and support, guidance and players. funding within its means so as to create and maintain a A considerable amount of work sustainable vibrant network has been carried out by the LTA of clubs and places to play in Regional Team, supported by Yorkshire. us, to drive clubs across the line. At the time of writing, over Our programmes are 90% of our clubs have met John Crowther – Chairman, delivered by a superb group Yorkshire Tennis the standard but there remains of volunteers supported by some work to do to get the our administrators who work rest qualified. It is probable Another year flashes by and together as a seamless team. that we will lose one or two Yorkshire Tennis continues to We make sure through regular clubs from membership in the invest in the future by offering meetings with the LTA North process, which is disappointing, funding and services to our Region team that what we and I would urge those member clubs as well as do is complementary and clubs who believe that it is focusing on county training duplication is avoided. There acceptable to continue offering for our more talented and has been evidence over the tennis to the public without younger players. There is last year that as a team, we being able to assure them that more detail contained in the can achieve more for tennis their venue is a safe place to respective sections of this in Yorkshire than by operating play, to reconsider their stance. report but it is clear to me and independently. Examples are the Management Committee the Transforming British Tennis This new LTA minimum that our Advantage Yorkshire Together project in Harrogate standards regime has initiative is delivering both and the agreement with Leeds therefore resulted in additional investment and improvement City Council over the use of the Yorkshire Tennis funds for to the club facilities around the tennis centre at John Charles grants and loans for clubs county. Centre for Sport, the home of administered by the County, Yorkshire Tennis. Community, Club and Education committee. Nonetheless we After an in-year review we While we await the ‘new’ do not have unlimited funds have modified our objectives strategy from the LTA, we so we have capped loans at a to reflect the reality of our have refined our Advantage total fund of £400,000 and ability both in human and Yorkshire offer to clubs for increased the amount that financial terms, to affect the 2018 to 2019 and withdrawn clubs have to contribute to various outcomes that we the Registration Fee Rebate secure grant funding. desire for tennis in Yorkshire. Scheme as the LTA has Your Council has agreed to the essentially adopted the At the end of 2019, we may following modified objectives: same strategy by insisting be approaching the point that all clubs in Great Britain when grant funding has to be • We will strive towards meet minimum safeguarding withdrawn as our reserves Yorkshire County Cup teams standards for registration. reach a minimum level for being ranked consistently in continued financial security the top three in Great Britain The introduction of minimum of the Association. Loans will by 2021 (Please note that this standards by the LTA for continue but at a lower level 5 Chairman’s Report Adam Cox on court with sponsor Lee Windle and chidren at Skipton Tennis Club as the fund is replenished by some time. This year the figure county-wide establish a good repayments. However, notice is likely to be around 160 to working relationship with our will be given to our member ensure we meet the ‘quality’ county age group captains and clubs so that they have time standards laid down by the LTA John Loughton of the LTA. to adjust to this new reality. for counties. It may be that the new LTA The LTA also announced a strategy will impact on what The LTA has established Local network of seven Regional we do but until we know the Player Development Centres Player Tennis Centres with our detail it is not possible to say.