History of the Club

The club was formed 25 years ago by keen tennis players within the village and surrounds.  The courts were constructed by Doe’s of Fyfield following a successful Appeals Fund.  This comprised individual donations and 5 year loans based on forward subscription.  The land was made available on a rolling lease.  Apart from Club nights, regular Club Tournaments included Open Mixed, Men’s and Women’s singles.  Male and Female teams competed successfully in the Village Leagues.  Initially the club was linked with the LTA, but this was relinquished over time for lack of benefit to members. 

We hold Club sessions and regular Club Open Mixed tournaments, but do not compete in any Village Leagues.  One thriving and popular commitment is to organising Junior and Youth coaching during the summer term.  In addition we have an autumn barbecue social event and a winter fund raising wine tasting. 

The courts were resurfaced to a high standard by Doe’s in 2001.  Benches were donated to the tennis court area in 2006 by our president, Bob Beeston, and his family as a memorial to Bob’a wife, Joy.  It is hoped in the future to have more direct access to the benches from the tennis courts. 

We are significantly inter-dependent with other clubs using the village playing fields and pay an annual subscription to the Playing Fields Management Committee (PFMC).  This includes the cost of Public Liability Insurance held by that body.  Whilst accepting that the PFMC is an independent charity, its facilities are not limited to the subscribing clubs.  The fields themselves were a gift to the village.  They are in the best sense of the word a recreational area.  The Children’s Play Area was partly funded by Grant Aid from several sources.  The fields are widely used by walkers and dog owners.