Henley’s ladies doubles team win league title

HENLEY Tennis Club is riding high after an impressive winter league season, with teams competing in both the Oxfordshire and Berkshire leagues.

In the fiercely competitive Oxfordshire League, Henley’s A team, a squad of 14 players led by Max Miles-Thomas, held their own in Division 1, finishing seventh out of 12 teams.

The B team, captained for the first time by Gordon Stoddart, impressed in Division 4, finishing comfortably mid-table despite a 12-point deduction due to an unintentional rule breach.

Seventeen players featured across the season, with Jeremy Wright topping the leaderboard with seven wins from 14 matches.

In the Berkshire League, Henley fielded two men’s doubles teams, a mixed doubles team, and — the stars of the season — the ladies’ doubles team.

The ladies’ doubles team stormed to the top of their division with dominant wins against five of their six opponents. They dropped just two points all season in a tight draw against Wellington.

Captain Natalie Wakefield summed it up perfectly, saying: “It’s been a great winter season for us. Not only have we secured promotion to the next division, but we’ve built a strong bank of players who are playing with belief and commitment.” The men’s first team, under the steady leadership of David Hunte, finished third in Division 6, winning five of their seven matches and losing only to the top two teams, Marlow and Riseley. Ten players contributed to this strong performance and the team now waits to hear whether it will be enough to clinch promotion.

In Division 7, the men’s second team, captained by Rob Dickie, secured third place, with a balanced record of two wins and two losses. Dickie was supported by a dedicated core of six players. Meanwhile, the club’s newly formed mixed doubles team made a fine debut, finishing second in Division 8. With three wins from four matches, they were only narrowly beaten by a strong Maidenhead side. Captain James Cudd and his team are hopeful their efforts will also be rewarded with promotion.

Anyone interested in playing tennis or joining one of the teams for the summer season should email info@henleytennisclub.com for further details.