We raised an amazing £3,850 for Cancer Research UK at our 5th Memorial Celebration Tennis Event when we remembered members, families and friends who have been affected by cancer.

After a junior event of tennis and games, followed by the ever-popular Junior Bake Off competition, 48 adult GTC members competed in tennis, table tennis and pétanque for the Paul Busfield Trophy. It was incredibly close, with only four points separating first and fourth place after all events had been completed. In a thrilling playoff tiebreak between the Blue Team and the Green Team, the Green Team were victorious and won the Trophy.

A huge thank you goes to everybody who supported the event by donating to the stalls, raffle, and other fundraising activities and, of course, to those in the Junior and Adult Bake Off competitions who made such delicious cakes for everyone.

A brilliant team effort for a really worthwhile cause.

Open Day on Sunday was one of our busiest ever, with visitors arriving for a great day of tennis, table tennis and snooker and some very fine dining! The sun shone nearly all day, and there was something for everyone including the very popular new liveball tennis drills, as well as social play and coaching – all thanks to our wonderful members, coaching teams and Bar staff! We know our Club is special – and it showed!

As a result, we are this week welcoming 38 new members, and we look forward to meeting them on court, at table tennis or snooker – or at one of our upcoming social events. If you missed out on Open Day but are thinking of joining a tennis, table tennis or snooker club, we have them all! Just email to arrange a visit: [email protected]

To see some of the best moments from Open Day, have a look at Robert’s brilliant highlights: https://youtu.be/gvf2k7HwSEg

What a fantastic day we had at our Play Your Way to Wimbledon event! Blessed with beautiful weather, the club was buzzing with energy as lots of spectators came along to support the players and enjoy the action.

The competition featured a range of categories, including men’s doubles, ladies’ doubles, and boys’ under-14s. Matches were played using the exciting Fast4 scoring system, which kept things moving quickly and created plenty of thrilling, closely contested encounters throughout the day.

Congratulations to our club champions, who will now go on to represent us in the area finals:

• Claire and Tina
• Maciej and Richi

A big well done also to our finalists:

• Judith and Sarah
• Mikael and Peter

We wish all our winners the very best of luck in the next stage and hope they progress all the way to the national finals.

We were recently treated to an amazing evening of music by the very talented David Sinclair Four, with GTC tennis member, David Sinclair, on vocals and guitar, Geoff Peel providing some commanding guitar work, the unmistakable blues feel of Laurie Garman on harmonica, Georgie Webb & Colleen Cooper with their signature backing vocals, Derek White on bass and Steve Jessop on drums. Take a look!

Next stop, London’s iconic 100 Club at 100 Oxford Street on Tuesday, 19 May: https://the100club.co.uk/

Our recent PRO-AM Snooker Competition final between snooker members, Simon and Marcos, was compelling viewing, with most of the frames closely contested and hard fought. Both players felt the pressure of the occasion and the potential glory of becoming GTC’s first PRO-AM champion! But a frame 2 in which Marcos boasted a swift 74 clearance helped him settle into the match, and he was the eventual winner 4-0.

Congratulations to both finalists and to all those who competed in earlier rounds.

Despite blustery and showery conditions, our Winter Championship Finalists served up some entertaining and high-quality tennis. Many congratulations to Andrea who won the Graham Carter Singles Cup and then returned to partner Maciej to win a compelling Men’s Doubles Final. Congratulations to all the other winners and runners-up, and thank you to all those who wrapped up warm and went along to support the players!

Spectators were on the edge of their seats during last week’s sensational all-action Division 1 Return Challenge Table Tennis Match between GTC A and arch rivals NET TTC A!  Both clubs’ finest players fought long and hard for the honours while the audience sipped table tennis themed cocktails. Alas, NET TTC A won the night, 6-4. But there’s always a next time. Many thanks to both teams for giving everyone such an entertaining evening!

GTC has a thriving table tennis section, with eight teams playing in the two local leagues this season, up from five last year. There is plenty of social table tennis, a growing Junior group, and great coaching. Find out more from Richard on: [email protected].