TEAM NEWS
Winter League results: In the Saturday winter league both Ladies teams have performed brilliantly with 1st pair being crowned Champions – very well done to Rosanne, Linda, MC & Louise. Our 2nd pair were runners up in div 2 so are promoted to join the 1st team in div 1 next season – many congrats to Hollie & Clare! Both team’s final league positions were by a fine margin of only 1 set – highlighting a tightly fought season and the importance of competing for every point, game and set of each match. Our Men’s 1st pair had a solid season coming a worthy 3rd in div 1, with 2nd pair performing consistently resulting in 3rd place in div 3.
In the Floodlit League ISC Men’s 1st team won div 1 so many congrats to captain Ryan and his team comprising Jack, Harry C, Ben and Tom, with a special mention to junior players James B, Alex B and Matthew M for stepping up. There were mixed fortunes for ISC’s other teams, but never a lack of energy or commitment – see below for final table positions. A huge ‘thank you’ to all captains for their organising skills during another challenging season weather-wise and to all players that have represented the club.
Club Tennis Captain Louise Woods recently attended the local league AGM and proudly received champions trophies on behalf of the club for our Ladies and Mixed teams for summer league 2024.
The summer league started in the last week of April and so far the weather has been glorious! It’s starting to feel Wimbledon-like already and we’ve still got the French Open to come. The club’s new menu recently launched so why not come down for a drink and enjoy a tasty meal whilst watching some great tennis. Home matches start at 7pm on the astro courts – pending weather!. (NB: the food menu is available until 7pm). Here are the dates of home matches: (this sheet is also up in the club!)
Academy
Many of our academy players have been in competition action recently all over the country. Well done to all for representing the club. Here are some highlights:
• Harry S and James B ventured to Jersey with Harry winning the U14 singles and together they were runners up in the U18 doubles. Harry has qualified for the grade 1 U14 National finals in a few weeks in Cheltenham. Very well played to both and congrats on such a successful few weeks on court!
• At the East Anglian Junior Open in Norfolk James B won the U16 singles; Ava S and Isla D took the U12 doubles title; and Scarlett P won both the U14 and U16 singles titles and together with partner Juliette V won the U14 doubles (by a very close 2 points!) and the U16 doubles – a superb achievement!
• Juliette V won the U16 grade 4 Felixstowe Open.
• Many ISC players represented Suffolk in last few weeks at County Cup events across the UK. In the U14 County Cup event Harry S, Joshua B, Brendan F and Oscar C travelled to Oxford with Coach Ryan Lambert and came in a close 3rd place in their league.
• In the prestigious Lionel Cox regional event, Oliver M, Ethan B and Alonso A played brilliantly to come 2nd place in the U12 event. In the U9 boys section Freddie L, Amay P and Adam C performed solidly resulting in 5th place. Alana A, Ava S and Isla B played extremely well in the U12 girls’ event as did Evelyn B in the U10s.
• Matthew M & Josh B won the boys U14 doubles at the Connaught Club Easter Open.
• Scarlett P and Juliette V have been selected to represent Suffolk in U14 National finals.
In preparation for the upcoming summer competition season, academy sessions are focussing on the mental side of the game, specifically the 5 C’s: Commitment, Concentration, Control, Confidence and Communication. In keeping with our aim of providing excellent facilities, there are plans afoot to improve our studio spaces to create a dedicated Strength & Conditioning facility which our academy players can benefit from under the guidance of our trained gym instructors. Many of our juniors are currently focusing on exams so we wish you all the best of luck!!
Coaching
Last term saw the introduction of the new innovative ‘Elevate Your Game’ coaching series with an impressive array of guest coaches visiting ISC and over 80 players participating – all keen to hone their doubles tactics and improve their game. We were delighted to welcome local top coaches Jez Cowley, James Ling and Josh Dashwood to the club and it was a unique opportunity for members and non-members alike to experience first class instruction at a very reasonable price. In addition, renowned coach and commentator Mark Petchey also joined us along with Neilson holidays, for whom Mark produces a tennis programme for their summer season at various locations around Europe. In the final session we hosted Active Away who also run tennis and padel holidays around the Med, as well as weekend coaching sessions over the winter in the UK. It was also an invaluable experience for our younger coaches and coach apprentice to learn how to bring a new energy and focus to players you’ve just met. At ISC we firmly believe you’re never too young or old to improve and every day is a learning day! Our thanks go to all guest coaches and to Chris Dearling for organising the coaches, players and sessions – no mean admin feat which was much appreciated by all participants!
This successful theme continues in the summer term with a new weekly ‘Adult Doubles Masterclass’ session on Thursdays from 1:30-3pm with our very own Tennis Manager Chris Daynes and Academy Head Coach Ryan Lambert. These classes will focus on developing advanced shot-making technique and doubles tactics, and are open to members and non-members. If you’d like to get involved, please email Chris at tennis@ipswichsports.co.uk
In our tennis section at ISC we strive to make tennis accessible to all and try our best to offer coaching and/or group sessions to cater for all ages and abilities, so we’ve incorporated a new intermediate coaching session for adults on a Wednesday night 19:00-20:30. This will be with coach Ben Coupe and is aimed at players who already have a solid foundation of the basic strokes who are looking improve technique and tactics and put those into practice in both singles and doubles play.
Coach Steve Joint continues to run a mixed disability session at 12 noon on a Saturday. It’s been wonderful to see some fresh faces having great fun with a racket, embracing a new challenge and making use of our courts and facilities.
2025 Events
We have an action-packed summer of tennis ahead running alongside our usual weekly coaching classes and playing groups, including (but not limited to):
May 24th – 1st June: ISC Junior Open 2025 Grade 3 competition. (NB: court availability for members during this time will be limited but courts will be released during the day if not required so keep an eye on the booking system).
June 9th: Tennis section AGM – to be held in Henley Road function room at 7:30pm.
June 14th: The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust Camp for players with learning disabilities.
July 13th: Morning Pro-am tournament for members, followed by lunch whilst enjoying the Wimbledon Men’s final.
August: Suffolk LTA Junior competition, dates tbc.
September 21st: Club champs finals day – everyone welcome to watch some great tennis!
October 28th – Nov 2nd: ITF MT200 Masters Competition
Finally, we’re delighted to read that the new Pope Leo is a keen tennis player!! Italian tennis is riding high at the moment so hopefully some divine inspiration will filter down to us all on court. As always, please get in touch if you’re interested in playing tennis at ISC at any level, or would like to have a tour of our facilities.
