OUTSIDE THE LINES

OCTOBER 2026

A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

Welcome to the first “Word from the President” for the new season. It’s been a busy start to the year with Love Tennis, AGM and Presidents Cup held over the last month, summer club days recommencing and the interclub season starting. 

At the AGM, Mike Graham decided to stand down after over 20 years on the committee, the last 5 of which as Treasurer. Michael is an absolute stalwart of the Club having been to virtually every working bee, club function, fund raiser and opening day held over the last 20 years and inevitably involved in the organising and running of these events. In addition, Mike took on the treasurer role and has expertly guided the Clubs finances every since. Mike also organised the club day roster for several years and did club day duty on countless occasions as well as introducing new members to the Club. He is a true “club man” and in recognition of this was granted life membership several years ago. Mike will not be taking a rest, however, and will continue to be heavily involved with Club activities as well playing and captaining interclub teams. 

The AGM saw Daniel Taylor elected to the committee for the first time and other existing committee members being re-elected. The Club’s officers are now myself (President), Nicky Beale (Secretary), Andrea Travers-Jones (Treasurer) with the committee comprising Ben Leggett (Club Captain), Karen Donnelly, Mark Leggett, Mike Smith, Daniel Taylor and Mike Upchurch. This is a strong team to lead the Club. 

Love Tennis was held last month and is the Club’s chance to attract new members as part of a nationally run campaign. The day was an absolute success at both Newtown and Salamanca with a great vibe throughout and a good number of people either joining or indicating they would join. A report on Love Tennis is included in this newsletter. 

The Presidents Cup has been held annually since 2022 to acknowledge members who have made significant contributions to the Club both on and off the court. Congratulations to the winners of the individual awards and especially to Maurice Fearon who won the Supreme Award for the second time. An article on the Presidents Cup is below. 

Members will be aware that court 1 remains slippery, and work continues on the court to try and make it more playable. One of the reasons slipperiness has developed is the accumulation of pine needles, leaves etc and if members could take a few minutes to sweep the courts every so often this should help to prevent the build-up of debris. All equipment is in the room next to the downstairs entrance to the clubhouse and pine needles/leaves can be placed on the garden or in the area behind courts 2/3. 

Members may have noticed that the entrance to the Club off Alexandra Road did have a number of potholes. These have now been repaired in association with neighbouring Poneke House. 

As members may be aware the Club does not currently have an active social media presence. We are looking to change this by updating the Club’s facebook and Instagram, initially with a video of this fabulous Club and then regular postings, so watch out for this. 

It was great news to hear that Steve Logan’s restaurant - Logan Brown - was recently awarded one Michelin Star in the inaugural Michelin Guide New Zealand. Steve has been a long-term member and sponsor, and on behalf of the Club a huge congratulations on this very special recognition. 

The Club’s very popular annual fundraising quiz night is being held on Friday 27 November with more on this to follow. And just a reminder that membership subscriptions are due by the 30 October. 

Thank you to all members who came along to Love Tennis, recent working bee and the President’s Cup. Also, to those who have volunteered as interclub team captains and to run club days. Our Club could simply not operate as it does without this help. 

Here’s to another successful and busy summer tennis season. I look forward to seeing you all at the Club.

-- Paul Rountree

CLUB CAPTAIN'S CORNER

Welcome to another summer season at Wellington Tennis Club. After a successful winter, it has been fantastic to see such strong engagement from members, with an impressive 18 teams entered in this season's summer interclub competition. Thank you to everyone who has put their hand up to play, captain a team, or help behind the scenes.

A special congratulations to our winter interclub teams. Wellington F claimed the E Grade title, while Wellington E finished runners-up in F Grade and Wellington H were runners-up in I Grade. These results reflect the depth of participation and commitment across the club.

As the days get longer, don't forget to make the most of our social tennis opportunities. Club Days continue on Wednesdays at Newtown, while Club Nights are back on Thursdays at Salamanca. Whether you're new to the club or a long-time member, they're a great way to meet other players, enjoy some competitive tennis, and soak up the summer sunshine.

Before the season got underway, Salamanca hosted its two pre-season tournaments. Unfortunately, the men's event, affectionately known as the Sengelow Open, fell victim to the Wellington weather. The women's Donnelly Open was completed successfully and, in a fitting result, was won by Karen Donnelly. Congratulations Karen!

Wishing everyone an enjoyable and successful season on court. See you out there.

-- Ben Leggett

LOVE TENNIS

Wellington turned on a stunning day for our Love Tennis Open Day on Sunday 13 September. We had a fantastic turnout — around 60 new players of all ages across our two sites in Newtown and Kelburn. The courts were buzzing from start to finish, and it was great to see so many people stay for the whole session rather than just dropping in for a quick look.

There was a huge effort in the lead-up to the event with over 2,000 flyers delivered, plus around 300 Golden Tickets for a free family membership and colouring-in competition entries were distributed to Newtown School, Hataitai School, Roseneath School, St Marks, Clifton Terrace, Te Aro and Kelburn Normal Schools.

On the day, Hervé and Finbar did an incredible job getting the beginners started, making everyone feel welcome. Off court, our BBQ team ran a sausage sizzle that was a huge success, keeping players and families fed. Ben took charge of Club Day and kept everything running smoothly from end to end. It was also great to see so many of our current members pop in to support the event and help make new players feel at home. 

We had a great response — around 20 expressions of interest to join the club, which we’re now following up. The free family membership draw attracted 31 Golden Ticket entries, with the Hewison family — Dean, Adrienne and Baxter — taking the prize. They’re delighted to be joining the club.

A big thank you to Andrea Travers-Jones who organised the event and her team of volunteers - Karen, Dave, Paul, Nicky, Mike, Mike G, Mark, Steve, Ben, Hervé and Finbar. 

Presidents Cup

The fifth annual Presidents Cup was held at the Renouf Tennis Centre on Sunday 11 October. This event acknowledges significant contributions made to the Club and recognises members who have achieved considerable success on the tennis court over the last 12 months.

Prior to the awards presentation, a fun tennis tournament was held with a great turnout of some 40 members taking part. Kari Garelja and Dave Chan were the tournament winners on the day.

The Presidents Cup awards were then held upstairs in the lounge over pizza and refreshments. This year's champions were:

Congratulations to all of the winners