The Ipswich + District League has provided regular competitive play for club players of all standards for nearly a hundred years and is still going strong ! The League was formed in 1920/21 when Ipswich won the Mens, Orwell the Ladies and Bury the Mixed.In 1938 there were 15 clubs entering 33 team, Ipswich winning both the Men’s and the Mixed, and Felixstowe the Ladies. This year there were 21 participating clubs entering 39 Men’s , 24 Ladies and 39 Mixed teams, with 43 Men’ s teams and 51 Ladies’ teams competing in the last Winter League.
It is thought that the highly popular Winter League was introduced for Men in the 63/4, being won by Exiles, with Felixstowe winning the inaugural Ladies’ season in 70/71. At the height of its popularity in the 90/91 season there were 91 Men’s teams and 47 Ladies. There used to be a knockout tournament for both seniors and juniors, won in 1947 by R.Colby and Miss P.Halls, with the champions in 1956 names that readers will recall in Cliff Roberts, Julian Tatum and Joan Stedman, now the evergreen Joan Hassell. Unless my memory deceives me, I think I was a winner too many years ago !
The league is administered by a volunteer committee of 10/11 people, including a President, ill health forcing former Suffolk LTA Chairman Gordon Blake to step down from this position after 7 years, after at least 27 years as a hardworking committee member. It was decided at the last AGM that the “Gordon Blake Award” should be purchased and engraved and awarded in connection with the Winter League. Current Secretary Janet Hambling, winner of the Suffolk LTA’s Derrick Pearce trophy,follows a long line of industrious administrators, including the late, legendary Peter Goodman.
Suffolk children are being encouraged to pick up a racket as the country celebrates National Mini Tennis Week this week. The aim is to give over 15,000 children across the country a fantastic first tennis experience, and as part of the week and as one of only 100 ambassador clubs for the event, Wortham hosted an Open Afternoon on Wednesday, and are also running “taster” sessions in local schools. Wortham coach Emily Wharton already runs a successful tennis club at Wortham Primary School and also ran sessions at Mellis Primary School as part of national Mini Tennis Week.
Mini Tennis is aimed at getting more children between the ages of three and ten playing tennis, and offers the perfect introduction to the sport with smaller courts, nets and rackets and lower bouncing balls. Manned mainly by Ipswich Sports Club coaches, the Suffolk LTA Rig welcomed over 1,000 interested youngsters at the recent Suffolk Show, and the Sports Club are running a free “drop-in” session tomorrow, June 15th, when juniors from the ages of 5 to 10 years can pop in to Henley Road and try their hand at Mini Tennis. Children will be welcome any time from 1pm to 4pm.
Finally, Haverhill Tennis Club recently held the Annual School Games Tournament for Years 3 and 4, but disappointingly only 4 schools turned up. Kedington made a great effort in bringing along 2 teams ! This certainly paid off, with Kedington “A” winning the event, and Hundon just edging ahead of the Clements School by one point. Coupals School and Kedington “B” also competed well. The Tennis Leaders from Samuel Ward were excellent, having rallies with the children after each match and giving advice to the younger players. Beth Ranson from the Schools Games ran the event in conjunction with Haverhill club coach Rob Jeffs, with Kedington School qualifying for the County Finals at Bury St Edmunds on July 5th.