Leverstock Green win men's tennis title for fourth year in a row

The club’s men’s’ first team played their last match of the season in the Watford and District Tennis League 2022 and won it 8-0, finishing top of Division One again for the fourth consecutive year.

The team, composed of players from various walks of life, comprises Mick Hook, William Anthony Knight, James Droy, Jinesh Shah, Stefano Campana, Marc Hartley, Mark Masters, Stuart R Foster, Addison Petrie, Matthew Appleton and Rhodri Gruffydd.

The players meet up regularly at the club to practice in team training sessions ran by the club’s coaches, and their close bond and strong team spirit have also played a part in their successful run.

This is only one of the many teams that the club nurtures and develops all through the year. In the Watford and District League, beside the men’s’ first team, there are men’s’ second and third teams, as well as several ladies’ teams and mixed doubles teams competing through the season.

The club enters ladies’ and men’s teams in various divisions of the Herts League, as well as the Hot Rackets league and Vets leagues. The club also runs in-house tournaments for its members all through the year.

Valerie Askins, a member and volunteer at the club, says: “Despite what a lot of people think, tennis is not just a summer sport. It is really an all-year sport. There are so many opportunities for members to play all year long, and we have divisions and tournament to suit all abilities.

"We have teams playing in top divisions as well as teams playing in less competitive and more relaxed divisions. And for members who prefer to use tennis as a way of keeping fit but don’t really like playing too competitively, there are several drills every week where players can just turn up and play friendly doubles for one hour and a half.

"These sessions are fun and are also available to non-members and they are generally followed by coffee. In fact, these are called ‘Coffee Morning Drop-In Sessions’.”

Skilful juniors have also helped the men’s third team get promoted in the Hot Rackets League.

The club also focuses strongly on developing its young players and has a lively and ever- increasing Junior section from age four upwards.

There are a lot of coaching sessions taking place every week and during school holidays, including some competitive junior squads training sessions.

These juniors also play for the men’s teams and have largely contributed to the men’s third team being promoted from Division Three to Division Two in the Hot Rackets League, after they finished the season as champions of Division Three.