Outside the Lines - April 2025
Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00
OUTSIDE THE LINES
APRIL 2025
A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
As we've come to the end of another busy summer season, I wanted to reflect on some of our successes. A massive well done to the summer interclub Men’s 5th grade for their sensational first place finish – it’s night and day compared to last season, very proud of your efforts and how much you are all improving. Well done also to the Mixed E team for your grade winning efforts, impressive stuff.
It’s a Churchillian effort that is put in every interclub season – a huge thank you to the captains for making this all run so smoothly, to all of the supporters and of course to all of our members who went out there week by week representing the club with pride.
We are in the middle of the club champs, with the senior competition starting on 3&4 May. Players turn up on the day between 8.00 and 8.30 am with games from 9.00 am.
We have already completed the Veterans, Masters and Juniors. Well done to Vets doubles champs Juan and Peter (mens), Karen and Treacey (womens) and Asoiva Marty (mixed). Hervé took the mens singles and the women's will be on 4 May with the senior club champs. Masters champs were Karen and Treacey again (womens), Maurice and Treacey (mixed) and Patrick and David (mens). And Junior champs under-17 winner Rafael Every-Palmer and under-12 winner Luke van der Bijl.
The committee continues to work hard for our members. In positive news, we’ve had a preliminary assessment from our lighting experts that lights are viable up at Salamanca. There is still a process to follow and more work to be done, but it’s great to receive such positive news and we know that lights will be a game-changer for more tennis at Salamanca. On that note, we are going to trial publicly bookable courts at Salamanca very soon, the idea here being to generate some revenue and interest during the day on weekdays. We will continuously assess how this is going and make the right decision for the club moving forward.
In other Salamanca news, we were sorry to hear of the passing of life member and patron for many years, Des Grant. More below.
Byron is about to make the big move overseas. Byron has been heavily involved in the club over his time, whether that be governance, volunteering, playing high level tennis or being someone who embodies our values. Byron is a friend of many. Please do pop along to Club day this Sunday 13 April and join Byron for a drink afterwards to wish him well.
Marcus is also leaving us, with a move back down to Christchurch. Marcus has been a fantastic addition to our club and I wanted to wish him well.
We have a working bee on Saturday 12 April, please do come along and make the club beautiful over the off-season. Our grounds are always in good nick anyway with a dedicated team of volunteers putting in their time – thank you Arthur, Peter, Maurice and everyone else for your efforts here.
Tennis doesn’t stop just because it isn’t summer, with our Sunday club days continuing. It was great to see club nights return to Salamanca this side of Christmas, thank you so much to Karen and the effort she put in to making this happen.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the Senior Club Champs. Remember that all club members can enter regardless of level. But in the meantime, a big thank you again to everyone who volunteers their time to make our club the best in Wellington.
Here’s to another successful Summer!
UPCOMING EVENTS
END OF SEASON WORKING BEE - Saturday, 12 April
9.00 am - 12.00. All welcome, even if you can only stay an hour. More information to follow closer to the date.
SENIOR CLUB CHAMPS - Commencing 3 & 4 May
3 & 4 May - Preliminary Rounds
3 May - Men's Singles and Doubles
4 May - Women's Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles
10 & 11 May - Finals (It is hoped all games can be played on the 10th, but in case of rain delay players must be available both days).
Registration: Players turn up on the day between 8.00 and 8.30 am. Games will commence from 9.00 am. Players must be available for the whole day as there will be no facility to reschedule games.
There will be NO Club Day on Sunday, 4 May, but it's a good opportunity to come and watch some competitive tennis!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM RECENT VETS, MASTERS AND JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPS
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DES GRANT
Members will be saddened to hear of the recent death of Des Grant. Des was a life member of Salamanca (as is his wife Barbara), having joined the club as a young boy, and was patron of Salamanca for many years.
Des was hugely influential at Salamanca and when his playing days were over, he and Barbara could be relied on to be there at social functions, working bees and AGMs, providing wise counsel and support. He was always interested in what the club was up to and will be missed.
His many Salamanca friends send their condolences to Barbara.
SUMMER POST-XMAS INTERCLUB SUMMARIES
Premier Interclub
Premier Womens 1
By Robin Dodderidge
It was a tough season as we were hit hard by injury and illness. We were appreciative of the other teams rallying around us and helping us out with players. Nonetheless, the team fought hard in every fixture and we look forward to next season!
Premier Womens 2 A
By Naomi Burwell
We had an awesome post-Xmas season coming 2nd. Our core team of Daisy, Naomi, Monika, Iris, Clare and Ayoung had some fantastic wins and great games over the season. It was thoroughly enjoyable and we look forward to the next season at the end of the year.
Premier Womens 2 B
By Andrea Travers-Jones
The Prem 3 team levelled up to become the Prem 2 B team after winning the pre-Xmas competition. With nothing to lose, we gave it our all. A massive shoutout to our incredible team - Karen, Emma, Sophie, Eve, and Rosy! You are absolute legends and the reason we finished 3rd EQUAL! 🔥💪
Premier Mens 1
By Hervé Michaud
Just like pre-Xmas, our team finished tied on second place, with notable wins over Avalon who went on to win the grand final. Aryav, Oscar and Hervé played most games, and it was amazing to bring in players from other teams every week. A big thank you to, Simon, Milo, Marcel, Aarav and Sam who played for us. We are hoping to see more of you next year for another successful season.
Premier Mens 2
By Sam Blackburn
Having stayed in the Prem 2 division pre-Xmas, we had a strong second half to the season finishing joint 3rd in a very competitive grade. Well done Nizar, Chris, Aarav, Riley, Simon for a really enjoyable year, hope to see you back for another season.
Premier Mens 3
By Ben Leggett
A tough post-Xmas competition but the team performed credibly again in what was a strong competition. It was great to see the team finish on a high note by burying our rivals Karori United. Well done on the season Juan, Maurice, Feng, Mike, Byron and Peter.
Premier Mens 4
By Ben Leggett
The team gained promotion to Prem 4 for the post-Xmas season which was a fantastic effort. The competition was tough and injuries didn’t help, but the team represented the club with pride. Well done on the season Igor, Milo, Marcus, Ben, Ben and Ivan. In sad news Marcus is moving to Christchurch and will be missed!
Tecnifibre Senior Interclub
Womens 1st Grade
By Nicky Beale
Post-Xmas there was a clear division between the top four and bottom four teams. We had a mixture of results but came through with a late flurry to finish fifth on the table. It was great to have a full squad available and injuries were a distant memory.
Mens 1st Grade - 1
By Dave Chan
Tough second half of season again with injuries and players being away. Had some close matches but only able to get one tie win post-Xmas leaving us near the bottom of the table. We're looking to stabilise the team next season and get some more consistency with doubles combinations.
Mens 1st Grade - 2
By Craig Sengelow
We had an excellent second half of the second, coming second to the perennial winners Titahi Bay. We did this, somehow, with half our team falling to bits. Our team is single handedly responsible for the health crisis in the Lower North Island. Even our 'junior' Jeremy got tennis elbow. A key ingredient was the generosity of the regional four team. Milo, Marcus and Igor – thank you. Justin showed why he is our number one winning all of his singles matches. And Patrick won all but one of his matches, except when he had to retire after pulling a muscle (typical for our team...). Finally, it was great to have Mike U back for the last round of the season.
Mens 1st Grade - 3
By Henry Craib
This was another great season for us. With our consistent results we proved that we are men's 2 team. The two highlights were: {REDACTED} hitting an underarm ace and then smashing his racquet in the same day, and Andrew winning a singles match.
Mens 2nd Grade - A
By Mike Graham
Very strange post-Xmas seasons, we finished fourth but only won two matches but having two matched defaulted to us. Special thanks to Robbie Zohrab and Patrick Knowles for being super subs. Best doubles Tim Naylor and Steve Logan won three out of the four doubles played.
Mens 5th Grade
By Josh Wright
A strong showing in an extended post-Xmas season for Men's 5th. We won seven of eight ties and ended up taking out the grade by a narrow margin. Had a lot of fun in the process. Next season we'll be tested by some tougher teams in the rearranged grade. But great momentum to build on, and a lot to be proud of. Well done guys.
Womens A Grade
By Nicky Beale
Wow, talk about a roller coaster post-Xmas. The Wellington wind put in an appearance for a few games and the deuces and tie breaks just didn’t seem to go our way. Frustration with a capital “F” summed up a lot of the season. After cruising to the top pre-Xmas we were dicing with relegation by the end of the season and it all came down to the last game. Waiting for other team’s results was nerve-racking but we finished sixth overall and are spared relegation. Love the spirit in this team!
Mens A Grade
By Ben Leggett
Another successful campaign with the team finishing second, pipped only by the Miramar team who had to field a Prem 1 player or two to win. It’s a fun team to manage and a really good attitue week in and out. Well done Nizar, Byron, Ruahridh, Marcus, Carlos, Milo, Mike and Juan.
Mixed A Grade
By Paul Rountree
The team had a good post-Xmas competition ending up third equal in the grade with 5 wins from 7 rounds. The last two wins were particularly exciting, coming down to the last match on both occasions which were won in the deciding tiebreaker. Asoiva and James were our two regulars with Asoiva winning all but one of her games. Special thanks goes to all those people who filled in – Andrea, Angie, Byron, Clare, Dave, Henry, John, Karen, Leon, Matt, Neysa and Nicky.
Mixed E Grade
By Josie Bullock
We're very pleased to come top of the grade. We had equal points to Tawa, but as we beat them in the tie with them, that makes us top! Onwards and upwards to Grade D!
Midweek Summer Interclub
Womens Grade 2
By Angela Chan
The season for the Monday women’s competition went from 3 grades down to 2 grades, with the withdrawal of two midweek teams. We started the season strong and finished the season off as a strong 2nd in Grade 2. We were missing two of our regular team players due to work commitments, so it was good to have Jane play to complete our team.
Wellington Junior Interclub
WGTN Boys B - Wellington Pīwakawaka
By Emma Duffy
To come.
WGTN Boys C - Wellington Kākāpō
By James Every-Palmer
Wellington Kakapo had an awesome post-Christmas season. First time in C grade and won 3 out of 7 rounds. The wins were 8-0 and the losses were close, so we ended up third in the grade. Well done everyone for playing so well and in great spirit!
2025 Tennis Central Hexangular (Wellington) Pool A
Tis is a yearly tournament with six associations that are part of Tennis Central (Wellington, Wairarapa, Taranaki, Manawatu, Kapi Mana, Whanganui. The top players from the local clubs are selected to compete for the bragging rights, played in Wellington this year, There was good representation from our club with five of our players selected (Oscar Horsley, Hervé Michaud, Sophie Michel, Ava Doddridge, Sahana Sambhus).
Wellington finshed 2nd in our pool with two 6-6 draws and lost in the 3/4th place playoff against Kapi Mana.
COACH’S TIP - LOOSEN UP
By Hervé Michaud
One of the ways to get better while avoiding the risk of injury is to play with a more relaxed hand. As you swing forward, a loose grip allows you to use your racquet like a whip and generate effortless speed, whereas a firm grip only allows you to use your racquet like a hammer, which is tiring and potentially traumatic for your wrist and elbow.
During your warmup, hold your racquet with just enough grip so that it does not leave your hand. Your aim is to generate the same power with less effort. As it becomes a habit, you will be able to relax when you are under pressure too.
Here are two changes you can integrate to your warmup in order to relax your grip:
- Drop your little finger off the grip for a few minutes (only holding the racquet with 4 fingers). It will make you loosen your grip.
- In the ready position, use your non dominant hand to carry all the weight of your racquet. It will help with hand relaxation, and you will change grips faster between forehands and backhands.
