Hunte and Cudd in fine form as Henley triumph

HENLEY Tennis Club enjoyed another successful weekend of league action, with both the men’s Berkshire teams putting in strong performances on court.

Henley 1sts maintained their good early season Berkshire Dunlop Winter League Division 6 form with a convincing win against Maidenhead 6ths.

David Hunte and James Cudd were in top form, cruising to a 6-0, 6-1 victory in their opening match before following up with another dominant performance, taking the second rubber 6-3, 6-1.

There was also a debut appearance for Frankie Rogan, partnering with Julian Milne. The pair came through a tight first match
6-1, 3-6, before holding their nerve in the championship tie-break to edge it 12-10.

Building on that momentum, they went on to secure a 7-5, 6-2 win in their second match.

In Division 7, Henley 2nds faced a tough fixture at Twyford. With the hosts fielding a strong first pair, Henley’s hopes rested on their results against Twyford’s second pairing.

Both encounters were tightly contested and went to championship tie-breaks. Robert Dickie and Dominic Scott narrowly missed out
6-7, 6-3, 0-1, but as the light faded, Simon Perry and Andrew Grant battled through to secure a consolation rubber 4-6, 6-3, 1-0.

Meanwhile, following Henley juniors Oxfordshire Youth Winter League matches earlier this month, players rounded off their day with a visit to the Henley Literary Festival to see Judy Murray.

Murray shared her remarkable journey through the highs and lows of raising tennis champions, the challenges of funding and opportunity in grassroots tennis, and the importance of getting more children — especially girls — involved in the game.

The session left everyone feeling inspired and motivated to continue building on the club’s growing junior programme and to keep pushing boundaries both on and off the court.

Speaking after the even, Henley head coach Tom Scott said: “The weekend was a real milestone for Henley Tennis Club. Seeing our juniors represent the club for the first time, playing with such enthusiasm and teamwork, was something very special.

“We’re incredibly proud of how far they have come and Judy Murray’s talk was a timely reminder of why grassroots tennis matters so much. Her message about making tennis fun, game-based, and team-focused so that every child enjoys learning and playing together reflects what we’re trying to achieve here at Henley.”