The Hill and Valley Lawn Tennis Club
Chedworth

SIZZLING TENNIS IN SOARING TEMPERATURES

The Coln Valley Annual Tennis Mixed Doubles Tournament on Saturday 14 June 2003, saw 80 competitors playing sizzling tennis in similar temperatures at Chedworth and other courts kindly loaned for the day in surrounding villages. The tournament culminated in a tenaciously-fought and nail-biting final with Simon Sheppard and Alison Armitage of Ashton Keynes narrowly defeating Chedworth's mother and son duo Sue and Jamie Francis to take home the Speke Challenge Cup.

New this year to the 21-year old event was an additional competition for a silver plate, enabling those who did not qualify in the first round of the main tournament to continue playing competitively throughout the afternoon. The plate was won by Mark Hall and Georgina Seel from Fifield. Commenting after the presentation, Hill and Valley LTC Chairman Stephen Scott Smith said: "If there has been any criticism at all of the tournament in the past it has been that for some people there was not enough tennis. The plate competition has addressed this and proved so popular that we will make it a permanent part of the fixture in the future. It should help us attract even more participants next year for what is an extremely sociable and enjoyable event".

Now that 16 year-old Jamie Francis has shown himself to be such a rising star you may want to see him in action next year! Details of next year's tournament on June 12th, which raises money for the club and for the churches of Chedworth, Coln St Dennis and Coln Rogers, will be posted on this website.

Hill and Valley LTC is putting considerable effort into encouraging young talent including holding annual tennis factories with the Gloucestershire LTA and starting a programme of junior and youth coaching. John Robson, the club's coach, is currently undertaking his LTA Development Coaching award. The club was runner-up in the 2002 Gloucestershire LTA 'Club of the Year' competition in recognition of its contribution to developing youth tennis in the area.

One to watch: Chedworth's rising tennis star Jamie Francis and his mother Sue