Latest News for 2021

Update  -  20 July 

We are so pleased to have had an influx of new members recently, many of whom enjoy coming to our regular club sessions. Indeed, we may never have had so many adult members before! However, we would be delighted to see more Juniors, so please encourage your children to sign up and perhaps make use of the expertise of our coach,

Paul Taylor.

Although the government has now lifted most of the legal restrictions that have been imposed on us, we still wish to keep our booking system for the time being. So, please remember that you MUST book a court in advance. The system has one small change. Times for Club Sessions have not been blocked, but PLEASE do not book a court during these times. That is, Saturday mornings until 12pm, Monday afternoons 1.30pm - 3.30pm and Wednesday evenings from 6pm. 

We are making progress with our club tournaments, though there have been some inevitable delays owing to injuries and because people are at long last able to get away for some sort of holiday! However, if you are still lucky enough to be involved in the later rounds, please do your best to contact your next opponents and arrange a time to play.

In case you haven't seen it, below is the latest article about us in the Farnborough/Orpington Local.

American Tournament  2nd May 

It was great to be able to hold a tournament again after so many months of lockdown, albeit with limited numbers and the required social-distancing and other protocols.

At first we feared the worst. After weeks of dry weather, dark clouds appeared on our way to the courts and it started to rain. Fortunately it was just a brief light shower and in fact we had a very pleasant afternoon.

16 members took part in a mixed doubles format, swapping partners each round. Jane, the organiser of the event, emerged as the overall winner (purely a coincidence). Rohan and Alan were the joint top players on the men's side. Peter, who organised the draw, finished well down the field and will need to tweak things if he is to do better next time. 

Courts open again from Monday 29 March

Our courts have re-opened, in line with the easing of the national lockdown. However, we will need to operate under the same rules that applied when we were last open, before Christmas. Apart from our Club Sessions, courts must be booked in advance.

It is not allowed to just turn up and play, without booking first.

The exception to this will be our 3 weekly Club Sessions (Saturday mornings, Monday afternoons and Wednesday evenings), when you will just need to sign in at the courts and mix in with other members. Balls will be provided for these sessions, but the Clubhouse will be closed. Rules about social distancing will need to be observed, of course.

We will review these arrangements in line with government guidance and advice from the LTA and Bromley Council. 

From 1st April, the new season will begin and renewal fees will be due. Members have been contacted about this.

New members welcome from 1st April. Go to the Contact tab to find out how to join.

Nigel Holmes steps down as Chairman after 15 years

Nigel originally intended to serve as FTC Chairman for just 3 years, but was persuaded by popular demand to extend his tenure.

Now, Nigel has decided that the time is right for him to hand over his responsibilities. Our new Chairman is Stephen Wade.

Nigel has overseen many important developments at the club, including the re-surfacing of the courts (twice), the replacement of our clubhouse and negotiating a new lease with Bromley Council.

In recognition of Nigel's many years of service to the club, we presented him with an engraved wine cooler and some wine to go in it. 

Mince Pie Tournament

As 2019 came to a close, we had our traditional "mince pie" tournament. It turned out to be a sunny, if not very warm, Sunday morning.

In a friendly but competitive spirit, 17 members took part, spurred on by the chance to win a bottle of wine and to have their photo taken.

Brian Keegan deserves a special mention for managing to be runner-up in both the men's and ladies' sections, for reasons which are too complicated to explain here. It is unlikely that this feat will ever be repeated.

However, the overall winners were June Beesley and Terry Beedell. Congratulations to them!

We thank Jane Wells for organising the event and all those who brought lovely food, including the mince pies. The tournament schedule was put together by Peter Sargent, who once again failed to fix the result he wanted.

   Mens Singles Champion 2019  

                   David Stirk                                           

Many congratulations to David Stirk who retains his Singles title for another year. David defeated Chris Ponulak in a repeat of last year's final. The quality of the tennis did both players proud and it  was not difficult for the spectators to see why David and Chris have contested the final for the past two years and have both been previous champions of the club. 

The following article appeared in the local press.

            QUIZ NIGHT 2018

On Saturday evening, 5th May, over 100 members and guests turned up at St Paul's Church Hall, Crofton, for our latest very successful Quiz Night.  The questions were challenging, the competition was fierce and the cake was delicious! 

Many thanks to Louise Nicholas and her "team" for organising a great evening.

To find out more, contact us via the links on this website, or just pop along during one of our club sessions (for example, on a Saturday morning) where members will be delighted to help you.

In the "Contact" section, there is an application form which you can download. The form gives details of the fees applicable.

We have hit the front page of the newspapers!

Read the article below.

Celebration!

In 2015, FTC was 40 years old. To celebrate our 40th anniversary a special Dinner was held on Saturday Evening, 3rd October, at Cherry Lodge Golf Club in Biggin Hill. Current members were joined by many former members, including several who were there at the very beginning of the Club's history. Our thanks go especially to Margaret Gooden and her family for organising the event. Margaret and her late husband Colin Shakspeare were two of the founder members back in 1975.

The red carpet was rolled out and trophies were presented to the runners-up and winners of this year's Summer Tournament.

Coaching available

Please contact:-    Paul Taylor   01689 253031