SEPTEMBER 2019 NEWSLETTER

New website!: Welcome to my newly re-vamped site, with all the best content from the old one, and a few new additions. Why not phone up your friends and tell them about it right now?

Widely contrasting club tournaments!: The Orange Open back in May could have been deemed a complete failure, with a very low turn out. However, everyone who did attend had a great time! We'll give this fun family event one final chance in 2020 to prove its popularity!

In contrast, the Summer Tournament was a roaring success! We introduced 'Let's Play' events just for less experienced players, and these proved very popular, along with the usual great support from our stronger players, meaning we had over 50 competitors!

Singles winners this year were: Lloyd in the Yellow Open, Sam in the 13U, and Nicho in the 11U. Let's Play 11+ saw Yusuf win after saving match points in his 1st round match! Let's Play 11U saw Ben win a very tight final. Awesome day all-round, thanks to everyone who supported it!

Team Tennis domination!: Hawker Jets had their most successful Team Tennis season yet! We had 7 teams involved, and 5 of them won their leagues, whilst the other two came 2nd place!

Our players consistently produced winning tennis, and we also pulled out some great victories against Surrey's top clubs. St.Georges Hill - played 2, WON 2, Woking - played 4, WON 4, Roehampton, Surbiton, and Wimbledon Club - all played 1, WON 1! We lost to Westside's U16's with an U14 team, but still went on to win that league! Our U14 A's were undefeated in Surrey's strongest U14 division, but just missed out on league victory when we drew 3-3 at Weybridge and then lost the sudden death shoot-out! Our U12 Boys and U12 Girls were both awesome, winning every match they played! Hawker Jets played 24 matches in total, and won 20 of them!

Surrey National League Team Trophy 19/20: This Winter's Team Trophy event has incorporated the brand new National Winter team tennis competition, but will follow the same format of group stages before Christmas, and knock-outs afterwards.

6 of our 8 teams are in Division 1 for the group stage, and we once again look forward to doing battle with all the big name clubs in Surrey!

Instagram: Why not brighten up the misery of social media by following our Hawker Jets on Instagram (hawker_tennis)!

Individual success: Much to report once again! Congratulations to Charlie on winning a Grade 4 at Bishops Park! Also to James for winning a Grade 5 in Slough, Tristan for winning a Grade 5 at Hawker, and Nicho for winning the U12's Surrey Junior Trophy. He had won the U10's a year earlier, whilst Rosie narrowly missed out making it a double when she lost her U12's final. We also had doubles success, with Tristan and Georgiy winning the Grade 4 at Teddington, and Nicho winning a Grade 4 doubles in the U12's. Jackson came very close, making two Grade 4 finals in Epsom and Bishops Park, and we finished the Summer very strongly with back-to-back Grade 3 semi-finalists! Georgiy beat a string of seeded players to make semi-finals in Esher, where he was 2 points away from the final! Also, Tristan beat seeded players on the way to the semi-finals of the Surrey championships in Sutton, where he and Georgiy also made semi's in the doubles!

Remembering Joe Horner: Joe was a regular face at Matchplay during many of his teenage years. He loved coming down to play, to mix with friends and enjoy the special atmosphere. His highlight was winning the 2009 Summer Tournament Doubles.

Sadly, Joe struggled with severe depression from his early 20's, and his mental health largely deteriorated over the last 5 years. He was very open about his problems, and had so much love from family and friends, but tragically in April this year, he took his own life.

I have very fond memories of Joe, because he really understood what Hawker Tennis was all about, and fully appreicated being part of it even from a young age. He turned into a fine young man, so considerate of others, and always a pleasure to chat to.

After finishing education, Joe worked as a keeper at Chessington Zoo, and then moved on to ZSL at London Zoo. ZSL work worldwide on conservation to help save endangered species, something that was very close to Joe's heart.

For those who knew Joe, perhaps you would like to donate to this cause, or write a few words on his memorial page. Links as follow:

Fundraising Page

Memorial Page

Autumn Term Classes: We have just kicked-off the new term with the usual packed programme, running 7 days a week. Classes for all levels, along with weekend Matchplays, Grade 4 and Grade 5 tournaments, and adult tennis!

Matchplay: Matchplay is a gem for local juniors who wish to compete regularly and without having to travel too far. It’s open to players from other venues as well as Hawker, and caters for all levels. Those starting out shouldn’t be put off, as we often have helpers to assist them, and we won’t match players up where the ability/experience gap is too wide. The 2019 Race is also well underway, and building to an exciting finish!

Hawker Tennis Squads: The success of our players in team and individual competition continues to speak for itself. We have a handful of spaces in our squads, and welcome new players to have a free trial, please contact me directly if you're interested.

Thursday Night Tennis (TNT!): A great addition for higher standard players to add to their weekly training, and also a suitable session for competent players who can't commit to tennis, but still want to play each week. This term is pretty full up, but if you're interested to join, please get in touch and I'll do my best to find a spot for you.

YouTube channel: 56 videos that continue to receive huge support from around the world. Do check them out via my website!
 

Richmond/Sheen Sports: You could go to an online retailer, or a budget superstore, and you may save a few pounds, but you won't get better overall value. Here's the best option, pay a visit to RichmondSports or SheenSports!

They are managed by enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable staff, equally passionate about sports as they are about the local community, where they support many local clubs and schools, including ours.

Your individual needs will be met in a way the bigger retailers can't match, in terms of better advice, a more personal service, and a genuine desire to fulfil your sporting needs whatever they may be.

Being part of Hawker Tennis also entitles you to 10% off, so you'll be getting excellent all-round value, whilst helping them to keep helping  us and other local clubs.

Adult Tennis at Hawker information here

Feel free to get in touch about anything at all.

In the mean-time, I'm looking forward to a great Autumn Term!
 

All the very best
Nick