We are delighted that 2023 proved to be a highly successful year. Thanks to the efforts of the committee and all our members, the Club has continued to prosper with some excellent tennis being played in the Basingstoke Leagues, at our own in-house tournaments and of course socially. Below is a summary of what we achieved in 2023.

We continue to work intensively in our quest to have court lighting installed on Courts 2, 3 and 4 and hope to have made further progress by the end of 2024.

A major highlight of the year was the launch of our junior coaching programme in May 2023, as we strive to grow the membership of the Club. .Junior classes covered the age range of 5 – 14 during the summer, and these are continuing during the winter months at Hampshire Court in Chineham. From April 2024 the classes will resume at the Old Basing Tennis Club and the feedback from the parents has been very positive. The expansion of our coaching team for juniors and adults from two to five during the year is especially pleasing and offers more scope to everyone to raise their standards.

The Club ran three Mixed Doubles American Tournaments in 2023. These enjoyable events will continue in 2024.

The Club’s “Tennis Target” stall at the St Mary’s School fete, organised by Friends of Old Basing Schools, was a highly successful venture in our attempt to raise our profile in the community.

The Summer Tournament, and our Finals Day with its popular barbecue, was again a highly enjoyable occasion for both players and spectators. We saw some intensely fought matches being played well into an idyllic sunny evening. Voluntary entry into the Men’s and Ladies’ Handicapped Doubles fixtures resulted in a far more popular experience than in 2022.

Membership levels remained stable at 119, but our ambition is to see this rise steadily during 2024 as we consolidate our coaching programme for juniors and adults.

Our social tennis sessions on Tuesday and Friday evenings, Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons have maintained good momentum throughout the year and we hope to see increased attendance at our social evenings this summer.

Once again we aim to enter seven teams in the Basingstoke Leagues in 2024 and are grateful for the support of our players who willingly give up their time to represent the Club.

We are delighted with our newly redecorated club house and now have an even more welcoming and relaxing environment in which to enjoy a drink and chat before, during or after play.

Finally, I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to all our volunteers whose valuable contributions range from clubhouse cleaning and winter court maintenance to child welfare duties. Without such dedicated support from so many people, we would not have the thriving Club we currently enjoy.

New members are always welcome regardless of ability, so if you fancy taking up the sport for the first time, or if you haven’t played for a long time but would like to pick up a racquet again, please come along and talk to a member of the Committee. This invitation is of course extended to friends and relatives. You will be assured of a friendly welcome.

I look forward to meeting you soon, in the meantime enjoy your tennis with us.

Nigel Hatt

Chair