Tennis Club 2012

2011 has been a successful year for the Wits University Tennis Club. The club began the year with hosting its Club Championships in the first block of the year, the first one to be held in over five years. Both the men’s and ladies draw saw some tough competition but ultimately two first years, Alon De Koker and Alyson Rudman, went on to win the men’s and ladies singles titles respectively. The event was well attended and will continue to be a prominent feature in the club’s calendar for years to come.

The Club also competed in three of the Gauteng Central Tennis leagues this year, namely the mixed league, men’s Sunday morning league and ladies Saturday afternoon league. The mixed league was highly successful with the club entering three sides with the A team going on to win section 1 (3). This fantastic result reflects the clubs growing strength in both men’s and ladies tennis at the club. Along with the leagues, the club also participated in friendly matches throughout the year against Monash University and the University of Johannesburg.

The highlight of the year was undoubtedly the club’s success at the 2011 USSA tournament hosted in Stellenbosch. On the back of an unsuccessful 2010 year which saw the club get relegated to the B section for 2011, the Wits team trained hard and was ultimately successful in winning the B section, defeating University of Pretoria B in the final. This is a fantastic achievement for the club, who did not only pick up the gold medal but also received a standing ovation from the other universities at the final dinner for their performance in the tournament.

With a group of young and exciting players making their way through the clubs ranks, the next few years at the club look optimistic. The club continues to provide a platform for all levels of tennis players from social to elite, in a warm and welcoming environment. All members of the Wits community are encouraged to join the club on its social evenings throughout the year. For players wishing to compete at the highest level and compete in leagues and intervarsity tournaments, the A squad coached by Howard Espley-Jones is certainly the place to be.

We practise on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 17.30 to 19.30.
Our Tuesday practises are for social players and our Thursday practices are our team practices.
We practise at the tennis courts next to the Bozzoli Sports Hall (East Campus).
After our successes in 2011, we are confident and look forward to what 2012 has in store for us.

If you would like more information please contact: Alyson Rudman (Chairperson) on 082 386 8981;
Byron Rudman (Vice Chairperson) on 082 386 8857; E-mail Sports Officer: Erika.Venter@wits.ac.za