OUTSIDE THE LINES

DECEMBER 2025

A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

Well, another pre-Christmas season has quicky come and gone, and I don’t think we have experienced a windier spring for a number of years. Fortunately, the club premises survived the weather conditions largely intact. However, it hasn’t been easy for the team captains arranging catch up games to be played and a big thank you to everyone for completing all the delayed interclub matches.

A very successful quiz night was held in early November at the club with 35-40 people attending. Some great prizes were won thanks to the fantastic support of the main sponsor on the night, Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar and Liberty Restaurant, which are operated by our long-standing member and regular club sponsor Steve Logan. Thanks also to Michael Upchurch for all his great work in organising and running the quiz.

A Special General Meeting was held in late November when a revised Constitution was approved to enable the club to reregister under the new Incorporated Societies Act. This has been the culmination of over 12 months work led by Michael Smith and I would like to thank him for all the guidance he has provided over this period to get this critical piece of work completed.

At the meeting, life membership was also conferred on Ben Leggett in recognition of his very significant contribution to the Club including the last 10 years as President and 18 years as Club Captain. The club would certainly not be in the strong position it is today without the huge input from Ben, who continues on the committee and in the role of Club Captain.

The club has been successful over the last few months in obtaining gaming trust grants from Four Winds Foundation (for 3 new nets), Lion Foundation (for tennis balls) and Pub Charity (for adult coaching). These grants are really important to cover costs and to keep annual subscription as low as possible, and I would like to thank these organisations for their support of the Club. I would also like to thank Michael Upchurch for his tremendous work in applying for these grants.

Hervé has successfully completed his first term as the Club’s coach in his own right, and it is great to see him around the courts coaching both junior and senior players. I would encourage members to contact Hervé for all their coaching requirements. For interclub teams why not arrange a regular hour’s coaching with Hervé as a group team session to improve your tennis techniques and tactics, and hopefully your interclub results.

Our very popular Christmas party is to be held on Sunday 14 December and I look forward to seeing everyone there. Our club days will then take a short break over the Christmas period but will be back in the New Year after Wellington Anniversary day.

As we move into the festive season, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the committee, team captains, clubday organisers and other members who freely volunteer their time for repairs, maintenance and other work, without which the club would simply not operate in the way that it does. Membership remains strong this season and the club continues to be, in my opinion, the best in Wellington largely due to the work of all our volunteers. I would also like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and New Year, and hope you all get a chance to relax and enjoy some social tennis over the festive period.

Paul Rountree

UPCOMING EVENTS

LAST CLUB DAY & BBQ - SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER

13:30 - 16:00 Tournament

16:00 onwards BBQ ($20)

The last organised Club Day for 2025 will be a fun tournament with spot prizes. No need to register, just turn up as usual and enjoy the tennis!

Following the tournament Wellington Tennis Club Committee invite you to stay on and join us for a Christmas BBQ.

Pay on the day or via the Club bank account. There will be a cash bar available and plenty of good cheer!

CLUB CAPTAIN'S UPDATE

Ben Leggett

What a fantastic season so far! We’ve had 18 teams on court this year—17 senior and 1 junior—and I want to extend a huge thank you to all our team managers for their tireless work, and to every player who has represented the club with pride each week.

It’s been a mixed bag of results, with illness, injury, and the windiest October in years making things challenging. Despite that, there have been some great highlights. Congratulations to our Women’s 3 team, who won their grade and earned promotion to Women’s 2 for post-Christmas - we are very proud of your efforts! A special mention to those playing their first season of interclub, amazing effort.

A big shout-out to our new team captains, Nicola Doyle (Women’s 3) and Billy Carden-Horton (Men’s 5)—you’ve done a fantastic job managing your teams. Thank you!

This season we moved to Matchpoint, a new system that’s more user-friendly but requires managers to stay sharp on weekly playing orders. There have been a few teething issues, but we’re hitting our stride.

Interclub resumes 31 January, so rest up, recover, and let’s come back stronger in the new year! Please note that organised club days and nights will take a break over the holidays, but the courts are still booked for social tennis, so do come along and make the most of them!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy the break, stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you back on court in 2026.

COACHING SESSIONS FOR 2026

Hervé Michaud

Keep an eye on the coaching page for details of courses for 2026: https://clubspark.kiwi/WellingtonTennisClub/Coaching

It has been a very good term and I still have plenty of available slots for individual or group classes coming up.

There will be no classes between 27 December and 10 January. Feel free to drop me a line if you want to create or join a class.

I would like to open up classes for interclub teams. It does not have to be weekly, but I could take a different group every week, and give them individual pointers and tips on how to take their game to the next level.

If you want lessons during the day or at lunchtime, please reach out as it is always easier to get available courts. 

At the moment I have availability on evenings on Mondays at 7pm, Tuesdays from 6:30, Wednesdays at 5: 30, Fridays from 5. Sunday mornings are also good, and Saturdays until February when Interclub starts.

If lunchtime cardio sessions (or normal group lessons) at Salamanca interest you, I would be keen to make them happen during the week in 2026.

COACH'S TIP - WHICH BACKSWING IS BEST FOR YOU?

To improve your forehand, understand that the backswing (or take-back) is what allows you to generate power and spin. The best players use different techniques, and all seem to work, but which one is best for you?

Some players lead the take-back with their racquet (below) and it has been called the WTA forehand. The longer take-back allows for more power, which is generated from your core.

Other players lead the take back with the elbow (below), with the racket staying on the dominant side of the body. It is often called the ATP forehand, which generates power from the shoulder and tends to emphasize spin.

Both forms can be performed as of a loop or a straight action, so the options are endless.

Rather than focusing on style, let’s look at the fundamentals:

• Complete your backswing before the ball bounces on your court
• Let the racquet drop with the hitting side facing down
• Drop your hand and racquet below contact point for top spin
• Make contact in front of you for efficient weight transfer.

Weight transfer forward is the key to your improvement.

Intermediate players tend to use the same motion to achieve consistency. Advanced players adjust their backswing to hit consistently in front of them. If you have more time and are positioned behind the baseline, extend your backswing for more spin and power. If you have less time and are positioned inside the court, reduce or even omit the backswing so that you can hit in front of you. You got it, the best backswing is the one that allows you to hit in front of you.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF BARBARA GRANT (1939 - 2025)

Members will be saddened to hear of the death in August of Salamanca life member, Barbara Grant.

Barbara was a formidable tennis player with a hugely impressive record of success. At Salamanca, she won 9 mixed doubles championships between 1966 and 1983, 7 of those with husband Des.  And 19 women's doubles titles between 1968 and 1992, 9 with Colleen O'Connor. But most impressive of all is her singles record. Between 1966 and 1988, Barbara held the trophy aloft an amazing 22 times! She will be remembered by many for her vicious, virtually unreturnable, forehand and backhand spin!

Like Des, who died earlier this year, Barbara was a huge supporter of Salamanca, from when she joined the club in the 1960s up until the end. Always interested in what was going on, she was great company, with a delightful dry sense of humour.

Barbara and Des will be missed by their Salamanca friends.