Sidmouth Tennis Club’s thriving junior contingent recently took part in the club’s tournament to find this year’s Mini Ball champions, writes Vici Topping.
Organised by coach, Greg Shipp, ably assisted by Debbie Snelgrove, Francis Ionov Flint, Rose and Rowan, the closely fought games and competition certainly didn't disappoint.
This is a great competitive opportunity for 8-10 year olds to learn, develop and hone their racket skills and the standard of tennis on the day (if not the sun!) shone a spotlight on the emerging talent in Sidmouth.
Champion Max Imbeck took the Mini Red title with Polly Chatwin the runner-up; Felic Chatwin became Mini Orange Champ with Max Imbeck the runner-up and Oliver Kinight took the Mini Green crown with James Armout the runner-up.
Meanwhile, the older generation of Sidmouth Tennis Club members, the men's, ladies' and mixed teams are midway through their respective summer league campaigns (though, with all the recent inclement weather they could be forgiven for thinking that they were still on their Winter campaign!)
Both the men's A and B teams have enjoyed good starts.
The men's A, captained by Martin Truman currently sit third, five points shy of the leaders, who have played a game more.
The men's B team, led by Bob Hefill, have won six of their eight matches - drawing one and losing one - and they top Division Six, but their closest rivals have a couple of games in hand so they can't afford to be complacent!
The ladies' A team are in a tough Division Two, but, under the leadership of captain Viv Bess, are holding their own against some tricky opposition and hope to consolidate their mid-table position during the second half of the competition.
The ladies' B, captained by Marlene Maynard, are in a highly competitive Division Three, where just a couple of points separate the top five teams.
The ladies' C team, competing in Division Six, have been joined this season by Sally Rex and Jo Kinder, who have paired up with regulars, Gris Shipp and Jenny Parry to secure two wins and a draw in the early stages of their league adventure.
Last, but certainly not least, to the mixed A and the new Mixed B teams. Both have enjoyed considerable success this season.
The A team, captained by Debbie Snelgrove, find themselves battling neck-and-neck for top position in Division Three along with Tiverton and Seaton C while the B team, led by Sharon O'Brien and plying their trade currently in Division Six, have played in some 'rip-roaring' games with some 14 different players taking part to bank 30 points so far. A highlight for the B team so far was undoubtedly the win, and they are the only team so far to achieve this, over divisional leaders Seaton D. The B team are currently second in the division.
Indeed, it seems that all the junior and adult coaching sessions, run so successfully by Sue Wiltshire, along with an increasing attendance at social tennis, is paying off for the club in terms of league success.
Let's hope that all players and teams continue to have a successful summer league season and maybe, just maybe, there'll be some sun (and shiny silverware!) too!
Men ( being plural !) should be Men's team . Ladies , being plural should be Ladies ' team -
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