Category: Tennis News

WELL, WE’VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF THE ABOVE (scenic, if nothing else) … and a fair bit of the stuff below …

… neither of which has made January a great month for tennis.  But hope you’ve been able to grab some time on court when the weather’s allowed.  If you’re itching to play, hopefully you won’t need to itch much more and February will be kinder.

Do remember that when time is grabbable but you’ve no game planned, you can always come at the last rain-or-frost-free minute to CLUB SESSIONS (the image above will be relevant soon), where you’ll always find weather-ignoring optimists / obsessives ready to welcome all members.
All the year round they’re every

SUNDAY 1.30 – 3.30
TUESDAY 1.30 – 3.30
TUESDAY 5.30 START

And for members keen to play team tennis, there’s a session every THURSDAY 5.30 START.  And…

VALENTINE QUIZ NIGHT
… following the session on THURSDAY 26^th FEBRUARY there’s a “Valentine” Quiz Night in the clubhouse. There’ll be teams made up of 6, entry is just £1, half the winnings will go to the winners and half to the club.  Whether you’re playing on court that evening or not, do come along at 7.30 and join in!

LOST PROPERTY
All lost property is kept in the white cupboard in the conservatory.  If you leave things on court please always come and claim them, as we have limited space and long-unclaimed items will be given at intervals to charity.  At the time of writing we have an improbable number of water bottles!  Please claim if you think one might be yours!  Thanks. 

TEAM TENNIS Home matches this month [each match 2 courts] are:
SATURDAY 7^th, 1 pm: Ladies D v North Oxford; Men’s D v Oxford Sports
SUNDAY 8^th, 10 am:  Men’s A v Goring
SATURDAY 14^th, 1 pm:   Men’s C v OHRC;  Men’s E v Portcullis
SUNDAY 15^th, 10 am:  Men’s A v Bicester
SATURDAY 21^st, 1 pm: Ladies A v Abingdon; Ladies C v Witney
SUNDAY 22^nd, 10 am:  Men’s D v Kingston Bagpuize
SATURDAY 28^th, 1 pm:  Ladies B v Witney      

HOPE YOU’VE HAD A FINE FESTIVE SEASON, and this comes with all good wishes for a happy and tennis-filled New Year.  At the moment the weather makes the chilly image above appropriate, but it’ll soon be more like…As soon as it is (or when you’re inclined to brave the weather whatever) CLUB SESSIONS are always running and ready to welcome all members.  They’re every …

 …  SUNDAY AFTERNOON 1.30 – 3.30   TUESDAY AFTERNOON 1.30 – 3.30 and TUESDAY EVENING 5.30 START, and for members keen to play team tennis, there’s a session every THURSDAY EVENING 5.30 START.

And following the Thursday session on 26 FEBRUARY, you can adjourn to the clubhouse for a VALENTINE QUIZ!  It’s just £1 per person to enter and it’s for everyone – whether you’re playing that night or not, come along at 7.30 and join in. 

If your New Year’s resolution is to improve your game, the new term of the COACHING programme starts this week.  Booking is now open.  For all the possibilities and to book your place, check out the website’s Coaching pages: https://wbtc.org.uk/junior-coaching/ and https://wbtc.org.uk/adult-coaching/

And TEAM TENNIS is back in full swing after the Christmas break.  We’ve a lot of away matches this month (including all Midweek fixtures – there are no Wednesday morning matches at home in January).  Weekend home matches [each match 2 courts] are:
SATURDAY 10^th, 1 pm:  Men’s D v Brackley
SATURDAY 17^th, 10 am:  Men’s E v Kingston Bagpuize
                   1 pm:  Ladies B v David Lloyd; Men’s C v Oxford City
SUNDAY 18^th, 10 am:  Men’s A v Henley
SATURDAY 24^th, 1 pm: Ladies A v Banbury; Ladies C v Wantage
SUNDAY 25^th, 10 am:  Men’s B v Oxford Sports

MANY THANKS TO OUR NEW VOLUNTEERS who are joining the team to help run the club and continue its success:  

Chair:  Bob Frost
Secretary [pro tem] / Fixtures:  Sally Bryant
Treasurer / Membership:  Rob Peacock
Courts Officer [pro tem] / Website:  Nigel Bryant
Communications: Christine A’Court
Welfare and Safeguarding:  Tory Houghton
Balls Officer: Sally Chorley
Henmans Tournament:  Peter Gosling
Social Secretary:  Luke Wildgoose
Men’s Captain:  Matt Penton
Ladies Captain:  Vacant

We still need someone to take on – or at least to assist with – the vital job of Courts Maintenance.  If you would be willing to join a small group to support the Courts Officer and share the work, please let us know by simply emailing woodstocktennisclub@gmail.com.
Our finances depend on this work being done voluntarily, as it has been by our Courts Officer for the last 12 years.  The alternative will be a substantial increase in membership fees to pay for outside work.

Best wishes to all members for a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS!  If it’s a rare white one it’ll rather stop the tennis… But if it’s not and you have visitors, please do feel free to come and enjoy the courts.  But please remember Guest Fees – for details, see the note on the website Membership page: https://wbtc.org.uk/tennis-membership/

And if you’re short of A GIFT IDEA for a tennis fan, how about treating them to coaching?  Booking is now open for all coaching starting in January. For all the possibilities, check out the website’s Coaching pages: https://wbtc.org.uk/junior-coaching/ and https://wbtc.org.uk/adult-coaching/

HOME MATCHES COMING UP [each match 2 courts]:
November
SATURDAY 29^th, 1 pm:  Ladies C v Appleton; Men’s D v Long Crendon
December
SATURDAY 6^th, 10 am:  Men’s E v Hanney
          1 pm:  Ladies B v Benson; Men’s C v Deddington
SUNDAY 7^th, 10 am:  Men’s A v Goring
WEDNESDAY 10^th, 10 am:  Mixed Midweek v Kingston Bagpuize
SATURDAY 13^th, 10 am:  Men’s B v Appleton; Men’s E v Goring
                     1 pm:  Ladies A v Wychwoods; Ladies C v Abingdon
SUNDAY 14^th, 10 am:  Ladies D v Kings Witney
WEDNESDAY 17^th, 1 pm:  Mixed Midweek v Wantage 

Just some quick reminders for the month: with our courts now lit, CLUB NIGHTS continue all the year round.  Come and join in!  They’re every Tuesday and Thursday, 5.30 start.  There are also CLUB AFTERNOONS every Sunday and Tuesday, 1.30 start.

AGM
The Joint AGM of the Tennis and Bowls Clubs is on THURSDAY 20th NOVEMBER at 7.30 pm in the clubhouse.

RUSTY RACKETS
Feeling rusty?  Want to sharpen up your game?
A new 6-week course of Rusty Rackets sessions is coming up :
WEDNESDAYS 6.00–7.00 pm, starting Wednesday, 5th November.
To book your place, click on https://wbtc.org.uk/adult-coaching/

SOCIAL
Also a reminder that our next social event at the club is a wine-tasting evening (“France vs The Rest of the World”) on Saturday 15 November.  Book your place quickly!  All the details are on https://wbtc.org.uk/news/club-social-wine-tasting-evening/

HOME MATCHES COMING UP [each match 2 courts]:
SATURDAY 1^st, 1 pm:  Ladies A v Brackley; Men’s D v Kings Sutton
SUNDAY 2^nd, 10 am:  Ladies C v Mapledurham
WEDNESDAY 5^th, 10 am:  Men’s Midweek v North Oxford
SATURDAY 8^th, 1 pm:  Men’s C v Abingdon; Men’s E v Goring
SUNDAY 9^th, 10 am:  Ladies B v Kings Sutton
SATURDAY 15^th, 1 pm:  Ladies A v Faringdon; Ladies D v Wantage
SUNDAY 16^th, 10 am:  Men’s B v Brackley
SUNDAY 23^rd, 10 am:  Men’s A v Abingdon
WEDNESDAY 26^th, 10 am:  Ladies Midweek v Bampton
SATURDAY 29^th, 1 pm:  Ladies C v Appleton; Men’s D v Long Crendon

TEAM TENNIS
THANKS to everyone who’s represented the club in the Oxfordshire League this summer, and ***CONGRATULATIONS!!!*** to the five teams who’ve had particularly good seasons and special success: our Mixed A and Men’s B have both secured promotion, our Men’s Midweek team finished joint-top of the Midweek League, and our Ladies D and Mixed D, the latter in their first-ever season, both excitingly won their divisions. The Winter League is already under way – good luck to all our sides: enjoy!

CLUB NIGHTS
With our courts now lit, Club Nights continue all the year round.  Come and join in!  For the times of all our Club Sessions, now including Tuesday afternoons, check out the courts timetable on https://wbtc.org.uk/courts-timetable/

DATE FOR THE DIARY
This year’s AGM is on THURSDAY 6^th NOVEMBER
at 7.30 pm in the clubhouse. Be sure to come along and join in discussion about the club’s present progress and plans for the future.  It matters!VOLUNTEERS
As you know, the club is run entirely by volunteers, and we need new people to step forward and take a role in making the club work and develop and be a great place to play.  In particular, our Chair, Phil Reid, has reached the end of his three-year term, Secretary Sally Bryant is retiring from the committee after holding several roles in the last decade and more, and Nigel Bryant, who has carried out Courts Maintenance along with other roles since 2013, would now like someone else to take on this vital work.  The full list of vacancies is posted on the clubhouse notice board, and is about to be circulated.  When it appears, don’t wait for the mysterious “Someone Else” to come forward!  Please volunteer.

SOCIAL
A reminder that our next social event at the club is a wine-tasting evening (“France vs The Rest of the World”) on Saturday 15 November.  An invitation will be coming soon, but you can book your place already.  All the details are on the website page: https://wbtc.org.uk/news/club-social-wine-tasting-evening/

HOME MATCHES COMING UP [each match 2 courts]:
OCTOBER
SATURDAY 11^th, 1 pm:  Ladies B v Oxford Sports; Men’s C v Blewbury
WEDNESDAY 15^th, 10 am:  Ladies Midweek v Abingdon; Mixed M’week v Portcullis
SATURDAY 18^th, 1 pm:  Men’s B v Wychwoods; Ladies D v Abingdon
SUNDAY 26^th, 10 am:  Men’s A v Wychwoods
WEDNESDAY 29^th, 10 am:  Mixed Midweek v Wantage

NOVEMBER
SATURDAY 1^st, 1 pm:  Ladies A v Brackley; Men’s D v Kings Sutton
SUNDAY 2^nd, 10 am:  Ladies C v Mapledurham
WEDNESDAY 5th, 10 am:  Men’s Midweek v North Oxford

TOURNAMENT DAY

31 August: There was plenty of good tennis to enjoy on our latest Tournament Day, with the six Finals of the 2025 Club Championships.  Many of the finalists are pictured above, along with Club Chair Phil Reid and tournament organiser Freddie Page, not forgetting barbecue chef Luke Wildgoose. Notes of the winners, runners-up and more pictures are on https://wbtc.org.uk/news/tournament-day-2025/

Earlier in the day, the morning had seen a fully-subscribed and hugely enjoyable Handicap Tournament, the handicap ensuring that almost every five-game match ended 3-2!  The Final was equally close, Ed Houghton and Sally Bryant pipping Freddie Page and Ulli Parkinson 11-9 in the championship tiebreak.

COURT LIGHTING
8 September:  A little bit of club history was made with the first League match played under our court lighting,as our Mixed C and Mixed D teams, playing in the same division, took the opportunity to play on a week-night, their earlier weekend match having been rained off.

OUR COURT LIGHTING IS NOW AVAILABLE AGAIN for evening play till the end of March.  Existing lighting-fob holders have already been emailed about renewing.  Most holders have done so but some have not responded – IF YOU HAVE A KEY-FOB AND HAVEN’T RESPONDED TO OUR EMAILS, PLEASE DO SO NOW.  If you didn’t invest in a fob last year and would like to do so, it’s very easy: just click here for details:  https://wbtc.org.uk/news/court-lighting-how-to-order-your-key/

And having our courts lit means, of course, that CLUB NIGHTS now continue all the year round.  Come and join in!  For the times of all our Club Sessions, check out the courts timetable on https://wbtc.org.uk/courts-timetable/

 COACHING  Court lighting means that coaching, too, can continue all year round. For all details of the group coaching on offer at the club, go to our website pages https://wbtc.org.uk/junior-coaching/ (for juniors) and https://wbtc.org.uk/adult-coaching/ (for adults).

      *** This Autumn’s adult coaching includes… ***

 Feeling rusty?  Want to sharpen up your game?
RUSTY RACKETS sessions are running for 6 weeks on WEDNESDAYS 6.00–7.00 pm, starting 17th September.
To book your place, click on https://wbtc.org.uk/adult-coaching/

SOCIAL  Our next social event at the club is a wine-tasting evening (“France vs The Rest of the World”) on Saturday 15 November.  An invitation will be coming soon, but you can book your place already!  All the details are on the website page: https://wbtc.org.uk/news/club-social-wine-tasting-evening/

            HOME MATCHES COMING UP [each match 2 courts]:
SEPTEMBER
SATURDAY 20^th, 1 pm:  Mixed D v Benson
SUNDAY 21^st, 10 am:   Ladies D v Deddington
SATURDAY 27^th, 1 pm:  Mixed C v Kingston Bagpuize; Men’s E v Shrivenham
SUNDAY 28^th, 10 am:   Men’s A v OHRC
OCTOBER
SATURDAY 4^th, 1 pm:  Ladies A v Marlow; Men’s D v David Lloyd

15 November, 7pm in the clubhouse:

WINE AND CHEESE EVENING

“France vs The Rest of the World”

After the great success of our first wine event, you are warmly invited to an evening of wine tasting and good food at Woodstock Tennis Club. The event is taking place in the clubhouse at 7pm on Saturday 15^th November.  During the evening you will have the opportunity to flex your palate, taste 7 exceptional wines during a guided tasting (including champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux and some hidden gems) and engage in some friendly competition as your team tries to prove itself as the most discerning tennis winos around.

A substantial winter buffet is included in the price and will be suitable for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. We do hope you will be able to join us and support this social event in aid of the club funds.

If you are able to join, please transfer the paltry sum of £30 to the club account…

Account Name: Woodstock Bowls and Tennis Club
Sort Code: 20-98-48
Account: 10952672
Payment Reference: Wine Tasting/Your Surname or the relevant name

… and email Luke Wildgoose (lukewilliamwildgoose@gmail.com) with your name and any dietary requirements by Saturday 29^th October.

Many thanks,
Luke Wildgoose
Woodstock Tennis Club Social Secretary

31 August  There was plenty of good tennis to enjoy this afternoon, with the six Finals of the 2025 Club Championships.  Many of the finalists are pictured below, along with Club Chair Phil Reid and tournament organiser Freddie Page, not forgetting barbecue chef Luke Wildgoose.

Winners this year were:

Men’s Singles: Ben Lloyd (left) with runner-up Patrick Nagle

Ladies Singles:  Georgie Ponting (left) with runner-up Jenny Collins

Ladies Doubles:  Tory Houghton and Liz Hipkiss (runners-up Jenny Collins and Polly Senior)

Senior Men’s Singles:  Mike Allen (runner-up Simon Cottingham)

Men’s Doubles:  Patrick Nagle and Simon Cottingham (pictured with runners-up Ben Lloyd and Matt Fielden)

Mixed Doubles:  James Lilburne and Georgie Ponting (pictured with runners-up Tory Houghton and Mike Allen)

Earlier in the day, the morning had seen a fully-subscribed and hugely enjoyable Handicap Tournament, the handicap ensuring that almost every five-game ‘match’ ended 3-2!  The Final was equally close, Ed Houghton and Sally Bryant pipping Freddie Page and Ulli Parkinson 11-9 in the championship tiebreak.

      COURT LIGHTING
IT’LL SOON BE TIME TO LIGHT THE COURTS AGAIN for evening play from September to March.  Existing lighting-fob holders have already been emailed about renewing.  If you didn’t invest in a fob last year and would like to do so now, it’s very easy: just click on this for details: https://wbtc.org.uk/news/court-lighting-how-to-order-your-key/

SUNDAY 31 AUGUST
TOURNAMENT DAY & BARBECUE

THIS YEAR’S FINALS DAY IS FOR EVERYONE!

IN THE AFTERNOON, 1.30:
The Finals of the Club Championships. They should be great matches, and there’ll be a barbecue busy all afternoon – come and enjoy!

AND IN THE MORNING, 10.00:
For everyone who hasn’t made it to a final (or hasn’t played in the championships at all), come and play in a special, sociable HANDICAP TOURNAMENT, one part competitive, three parts fun.  You don’t need a partner to enter, and you won’t have an individual handicap.  Your partner and your handicap will change in each game to guarantee a close game every time.  With Pimms and strawberries to follow (and the barbecue busy cooking, too), it’ll be a fun prelude to the afternoon’s Club Finals. TO ENTER, SIMPLY EMAIL woodstocktennisclub@gmail.com SAYING “YES, I/WE WANT TO PLAY IN THE HANDICAP TOURNAMENT ON SUNDAY 31^ST.”  DO IT NOW!

*** NEW TERM’S COACHING:  BOOKING IS NOW OPEN for the new term of group coaching at the Club, for both adults and juniors, starting in the week beginning September 8th.  For all details go to our website pages https://wbtc.org.uk/junior-coaching/ (for juniors) and https://wbtc.org.uk/adult-coaching/ (for adults). 

*** This Autumn’s adult coaching includes… ***

Feeling rusty?  Want to sharpen up your game?  Rusty Rackets sessions are running for 6 weeks on
WEDNESDAYS 6.00–7.00 pm, starting 17th September.
To book your place, click on https://wbtc.org.uk/adult-coaching/

And… JUNIOR HOLIDAY CAMP   Week 2 of our popular summer camp is coming up NEXT WEEK:  Monday 18th-Wednesday 20th August,  9:00-11:00 (Ages 5-9) & 11:15 – 1:15pm (Ages 10-16).  A last few places are still available: for more information and to secure your place, click on https://wbtc.org.uk/holiday-tennis-courses/

HOME MATCHES COMING UP [each match 2 courts]:
AUGUST
SATURDAY 16^th, 1 pm:  Men’s B v North Oxford; Men’s C v Faringdon
SATURDAY 23^rd, 1 pm:   Ladies A v Thame; Ladies D v Appleton
SATURDAY 30^th, 1 pm:  Mixed A v Appleton; Mixed D v Chinnor
SUNDAY 31^st, 10 am:  Club Handicap Tournament; 1.30 pm: Club Finals Afternoon
SEPTEMBER
WEDNESDAY 3^rd, 10 am:  Mixed Midweek v Oxford Sports
SATURDAY 6^th, 1 pm:  Ladies C v Faringdon; Men’s D v Oxford City

COURT LIGHTING – DETAILS
Our court lighting has been back in operation since September.  We have planning permission to play under lights from September till the end of March, with an automatic cut-off every night at 9.30 pm.
The club’s current timetable can now run all the year round, so that our coaching programme, for example, and our popular Club Nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays, will continue right through the winter.

TO USE THE LIGHTS: We’ve installed a touch-pad on each side of the courtside feeder pillar, one controlling the lights on the single court and the other controlling the lights on the three-court block.  Both pads switch on and off using one and the same key-fob.

If you’d like your own fob so that you can play in the evenings whenever you wish, they are available to all adult members (they cannot be used by unsupervised juniors).  You can order one and pay for it by bank transfer.  The cost will be £15.  This is for the whole autumn and winter from September through to 31 March, and enables you to play as often as you like.

TO ORDER YOUR FOB, SIMPLY EMAIL woodstocktennisclub@gmail.com WITH THE MESSAGE “FOB, PLEASE!” and pay £15 by BACS TO:
Account Name: Woodstock Bowls and Tennis Club
Sort Code: 20-98-48
Account: 10952672
Payment Reference: Key-fob /Your Name

WE WILL THEN ARRANGE COLLECTION OF YOUR FOB.  The easiest time is at the Tuesday Club Nights and Thursday Team Practice Nights (5.30 ONWARDS) and at the Club Afternoons on Sundays (1.30 start).

***  N.B.:  YOUR FOB MUST BE ORDERED AND PAID FOR IN ADVANCE – FOBS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE CLUB. ***