As the summer draws to a close, Sidmouth Tennis Club is reflecting on another successful season assisted by some truly fabulous weather, writes Kate Truman.

For a small club, Sidmouth remains well represented in the league fixtures. Six teams competed in the summer league this year – two men’s and three women’s – all playing in the Exeter and District Tennis League, and a mixed team in the East Devon Tennis League.

The men’s A, captained by Martin Truman and comprising regulars Ollie Truman, Jon Powell and Chris Woodruff with additional support from Mike Fletcher, Eliot King, Jake Harrison, Mark Heywood and Marius Casapu, had a fantastic season, winning all but one of their 14 matches in Division Six.

They finished on 101 points – eight points ahead of runners-up David Lloyd – to secure a promotion for next year.

Meanwhile, hot on their heels, the men’s B, captained by Bob Hefill, competed in the same division, finishing in third position on 86 points.

They will most certainly be chasing a promotion next year and, with a growing band of keen and improving players, there is talk of fielding a men’s C team next summer, too.

The ladies’ A team, captained by Viv Bess and comprising regulars Debbie Snelgrove, Fiona Somerville, Lesley Cranston and Hilary Caldwell, had a rollercoaster season in Division Two. At one point, fearing they were in the relegation zone, they pulled their best tennis out of the bag to arrive at their last home match with a fighting chance of promotion!

However, despite an impressive 5-4 win against a Kingsteignton team bolstered by the club coach, the ladies finished just three points short of a promotion position and so remain in Division Two next year.

The ladies’ B team, captained by Marlene Maynard, and C team, captained by Frances Ionov, also enjoyed a good summer season, finishing comfortably in mid-table position in Division Three and Division Six respectively.

The mixed team, captained by Debbie Snelgrove, finished as runners-up in Division Three of the East Devon League, just six points behind table-toppers Newton St Cyres.

? The days may be getting shorter, but the action continues at Sidmouth Tennis Club.

Adult winter league fixtures get under way in October and junior Team Challenge matches with Exeter Golf and Country Club will be taking place in October and November. In the meantime, junior tennis programmes commenced on Saturday, September 8, and the adults on Monday, September 10. Or, for those who prefer to combine exercise with music, the club’s increasingly popular cardio tennis sessions will continue to run on Tuesday evenings.

Anyone interested in finding out more about Sidmouth’s tennis programmes for adults or juniors can contact Sue Wiltshire by phone on 07402 047011 or email her at sue.wiltshire@talk21.com

? Read a detailed report on a succesful year to date for the junior section at www.sidmouthherald.co.uk