By Rik Balfour Club Chairman
New Timetable & FREE Coached Sessions
Heads-Up Tennis’ 2024 Summer Multi-Sports Camp
Thanks to the Heads-Up coaching team of Ross, George, Mark and Beth, we’ve had a fabulous summer season of coached sessions. And, from Monday October 21st, the timetable is getting bigger and better with the sessions below FREE for the first week of the new timetable…
Pickleball Thursday 24th October, 11am -12:30pm
Cardio Tennis Saturday 26th October, 9:30am – 10:30am
Red Ball Saturday 26th October, 9:30am – 10:30am
Teen Tennis Saturday 26th October, 10:30am – 11:30am
Other changes include a new Teen Tennis – Performance session (invite-only) and, now that Tuesdays’ team matches have finished, Coaching & Matchplay will move back to 7pm on a Tuesday.
View and download the new Timetable
Top Tennis Tip
Set a calendar reminder to pay for your Heads-Up Tennis coaching
With the Heads-Up coaches teaching at multiple clubs and schools, it’s not straightforward for them to register payments for every attendee at every session. Please make sure you pay cash for your session, or BACS your payment to the coach before, or immediately after, your session, so they’re maximising their coaching time and minimising their admin time!
Anyone for Pickleball?
Pickleball. It is a fast growing game throughout the UK! Pickleball is an easy-to-learn sport for ALL ages and abilities along with many health benefits. It’s an enjoyable game on its own or can be the perfect way to encourage more people to hop on the tennis path. More people will be able to enjoy time on the courts and be part of our great tennis social community!
All equipment is provided. Sessions will then run weekly after the taster session
RUN BY LTA COACH: BETH DRINKELL
07776 398422
Come along for your Free Taster Session.
After your free taster session, all subsequent sessions will be £7 for members or £9 for non-members.
Summer Mixed Doubles Review 2024 by Elaine Spencer
Following last years successful first attempt in entering a mixed doubles league (Norwich Winter League) the club and committee decided to enter a summer league (Lowestoft and District Summer League).
The team narrowly missed out on promotion finishing second overall with matches being played at home and away against Halesworth, Southwold C and D teams.
A very good result due to all members of the team performing at their best level and showing willingness to represent the club.
Following the matches I received messages from the opponents’ captains congratulating our players on their competitive play balanced with our friendliness and hospitality.
Thank you to all the players who took part.
An enjoyable summer playing league tennis with great team morale.
Matt, Elaine, Jeannine & Tom
Rob, Helen, Elaine & James
Loddon Men’s Norwich City League Tennis 2024
‘Every game counts guys…’. OK, so maybe not the most rousing pre-match motivational speech but those were my words, back on a rainy May night in Cromer, that kicked off Loddon A’s 2024 league campaign. And three and a half months, multiple postponements, shedloads of brownies, stunning forehands and dodgy volleys later those words rebounded like a lucky shank off the net cord as the As clinched the Division Six title by… a single game!
Cromer Away: Richard, Matt N, James P, Keith
Promotion for a second successive season, which began with a tight 34-30 win on Cromer’s slickly tricky astro-fusion courts, came courtesy of a ten win/two losses record that included a 52-12 pummelling of Taverham D and a16-0 whitewash for Rik and Keith (me) at Stanmore D. If any one of those games had gone south…
So well done to all, the eleven-strong squad deserve a namecheck: Tom, Craig, Brad, James P, Julian, Noah, Matt N, Craig, Rik, Richard S and, Cromer Away: Richard, Matt N, James P, Keith erm, me all played a key part in continuing Loddon’s unstoppable ascent up the Norfolk tennis hierarchy.
Stanmore Away: James P, Brad, Keith, Rik
Special mention should go to Matt N for last minute substitute duties (in borrowed shoes!) when the selection computer (erm, me) had a glitch. Special mention to Matt N (again) for best/worst shorts (see pic). And for smiling politely when Cromer’s resident poshest bloke insisted in calling him Jannik Sinner.
Also a shout out to Richard S for stepping in at the last minute against Cromer when the team was caught short. And to Rik for contributions to wanton post match toplessness. As we near the top flight changing rooms will become available, a relief to all.
Taverham Away: Tom, Brad, Rik, James P
And so on to Division Five next year. When, yes you know, every game will again count. Probably.
League table Division Six
Loddon B - Gents Report
It was a case of so near and yet so far for the B team who came
tantalisingly close to securing promotion from Division Seven. In the top two for a large chunk of the season, a couple of tight defeats at the end of the campaign ultimately saw them finish in a creditable fourth place.
James P, Matt T, Brad, James L
Still that’s an excellent effort for a team, ably managed by James P, to give players who have little or no experience of playing team matches, a chance to test their skills in a more competitive environment.
The results were clear to see with Michael, James L and Richard all gaining invaluable confidence and form from matchplay.
Having got those matches in the bank all looks set fair for a promotion push next year.
Craig, MattT, Brad, Richard
League Table Division 7
Final Thought
I’m afraid that brings my inaugural newsletter to a close as I’ve just realised its my bed time. I’m sure you can guess what time that is? Yes, it’s tennish.