Tennis
West Heaton has a vibrant, family friendly tennis section and we offer the opportunity to play tennis at all ages and standards. With six all-weather floodlit astroturf courts, our tennis is a truly all-year round sport with plenty of us enthusiastic enough to play in all but the harshest of elements!
Weekly court use
Court usage at West Heaton can vary depending on the time of year and school holidays. Throughout the week there are various club activities including junior, adult and private coaching sessions, social sessions, matches and tournaments. All of these bookings are reflected in our online booking calendar alongside regular member bookings.
Please remember you must book a court to secure it and that only rackets members can book
Booking Allowances
Rackets members are allowed 2x tennis court bookings of up to 2hrs each in a rolling 7 day period up to 7 days in advance.
For more information on how this works, please read through the pages on our micro booking site.
Adult Tennis
Adult Social Tennis
Social tennis is popular with players of all abilities. Players mix together to play doubles in an informal and friendly atmosphere. It's a great way to meet other members. Advanced Social sessions are for players who play in or at summer league team level (more details on the session link above).
Wednesday 6.00pm-8.30pm
Co-ordinator: A member of tennis committee
Sunday 1.00-3.00pm
Co-ordinator: Debbie Bond when available
Sunday (Advanced) 3.00-5.00pm
Co-ordinator: Matthew O'Connor
Fridays from 7.00pm
Fun tournaments, and social matches April-September, communicated by email.
Note: Some Sunday sessions may start earlier if there is a tournament. We have a Social Tennis WhatsApp group where you can keep up to date with start times and other information. Our members also use it to organise informal games with one another at other times. Any variation in session time will be communicated by WhatsApp and email, and will be reflected on the court booking calendar.
Team tennis
Co-ordinators: Team Captains
We currently have five Men’s, three Ladies’ and three Junior teams playing in the North East Cheshire Summer Leagues. Four adult teams play in the East Cheshire Mixed Winter League. One Men’s team also plays in the LTA National Summer and Winter Leagues.
All members are welcome to try out for a team. Try-outs take place January-February when teams are selected, and are announced through notices and emails. If you are interested in joining a team, please get in touch.
Annual Tournament
Two weeks in September: Ladies Singles, Men's Singles, Ladies Doubles, Men's Doubles and Mixed doubles.
Our annual club tournament takes place every year over two weeks in September. Members may enter up to 3 categories. The doubles pairs are decided by draw, and each pairing is allocated a handicap based on their combined ability.
The last Saturday is Finals Day and everyone is encouraged to come down and support the finalists. All winners receive a trophy.
Junior Tennis
For your own and everyone's enjoyment please observe the guidelines on playing times and etiquette on court. Please wear recognised tennis kit. If you require any further information or have a friend who wants to join contact the junior co-ordinator or any member of the Tennis Committee. Also, if you have not done so already, please give the club an email address (parent or guardian) so you can receive up to date news of junior club events. To do this please email Anne Porter.
Adult Playing Status
The Tennis Committee recognise juniors who have achieved a good playing standard and who display acceptable behaviour on court by giving them "adult playing status." Recognised juniors can then play with adults on social tennis nights, in social tournaments, as well as in the Annual Adult Club Tournament. They can also be invited to play on the Adult teams. The Tennis Committee updates and reviews this list regularly.
Junior Social Tennis - paused until further notice
Co-ordinator: Head Coach Andy Perry
For all abilities, with free use of floodlights when necessary. Just turn up and play. New players welcome.
Players mix together to play doubles in an informal and friendly atmosphere. This is a good time to mix in and socialise. Any parents who are able to help out on these nights are most welcome – please contact Head Coach Andy Perry if you can help.
Fridays 5.00-6.00pm social tennis April-September only
Coached Group Sessions
Co-ordinator: Head Coach Andy Perry
Our coach team provides a weekly programme for a range of abilities, priced depending on the session.
Courses are run in term times and are open to those aged between 3 and 16. In school holidays, tennis camps run during the day and are open to both members and non-members.
The club has established club-school links and supports tennis in our local primary and secondary schools. Our programme is also fully inclusive - Andy and Sue have experience working with a variety of disabilities.
Junior Club Tournaments
Tournaments, providing singles & doubles events for all players, will run throughout the year. Details will be advertised nearer the time.
Other events such as mini-tennis and box leagues arranged during the season will be advertised on the notice boards and by the coaches.
Junior Team tennis
Co-ordinator: Helen Taylor (07861 453153)
We have three Junior teams at West Heaton, U13 Boys, U16 Boys and U18 mixed.
Juniors who want to play on the junior teams are welcome to attend the match practices as advertised pre-season. Details will be displayed on the Tennis Notice Boards. Match dates (usually Saturday and Sunday afternoons) are distributed in early March. Any interested junior who wants to play can contact Head Coach Andy Perry or junior co-ordinator Helen Taylor.
Tennis Guidelines
Bookings and cancellations
Courts must be booked in advance using our online booking calendar and can only be booked by West Heaton members. If you are unable to attend your booking slot please remember to cancel it so that other members may use the courts. Matches and organised tennis sessions will be shown on the online calendar. Details of all tennis events and tournaments will also be posted on the Tennis Notice Board.
Note: For the sake of those playing and your own safety, please wait for a break in play before crossing behind the courts.
Dress code
Any recognised tennis wear is permitted at West Heaton. Beachwear, football and rugby shirts are not allowed. Shoes must be non-marking tennis shoes.
Floodlights
To use the floodlights, you will need to purchase tokens from the bar. A token for 30 minutes costs £2.00. The light boxes can be found at the entrance to Squash Court 1 (a card key is needed to access which can also be obtained from the bar for £5). A red warning light comes on five minutes before your token runs out. To continue playing you should use another token immediately as once the lights go out they will not come back on for 15 minutes. Please note that the lights automatically go off at 10pm.
Changing Rooms
The changing rooms, toilets and showers can be accessed via the door leading to the Squash Courts. You will need a card key for the door and this can be purchased from the bar during normal opening hours. Please make sure that the outside door remains locked at all times and that lights are turned off when you leave.
Tennis Section Etiquette
At West Heaton we are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for our diverse community of players. Part of that is being selected to play for one of our Summer, Winter or Junior teams. The following are the principles that we ask all our players to commit to whilst representing our club in a positive manner.
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Respect your fellow players and be courteous throughout the matches- whether they are playing on our team or for the opposition – no foul language is to be used
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Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person regardless of gender, ability, cultural background or religion. Do not condone, or allow to go unchallenged, any form of discrimination, treating everyone equally.
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Be friendly, supportive and inclusive to all players both on and off court
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Familiarise yourself with the rules as per our club handbook and the rules of the any league you play in
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Arrive in good time for any matches with all the equipment you need
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Refrain from ball/racket abuse and mistreatment of the court
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If part of a team respect the decisions of your team captain
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Communicate any changes in your availability to the team captain as soon as is possible
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Take personal responsibility for knowing what the score is in order to avoid confusion
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Show good sportsmanship and etiquette at all times and encourage fair play. For example, If there is a dispute over a line call, request that the point is replayed in a polite manner
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At the end of a match ensure you appropriately thank the opposition and your partner
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When all the sets are completed ensure the courts are left in the correct manner and match balls collected in
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Have fun and enjoy yourself!
Breaches of this code could result in a member being suspended from team participation.
Racket restringing
Our head Coach Andy is a qualified stringer offering this service at West Heaton. Andy can provide a 24 hour turn around if necessary. Go to our Restringing page for prices and other information regarding restringing, or contact Andy directly.
Care of Courts
The preparation and maintenance of the courts is the responsibility of the Tennis Section. The club employs a sub-contractor to carry out some regular court maintenance but day to day responsibility lies with all members so please use the Aussie drag nets to clear any leaves or seeds before you play & remove all litter (including ball tubes, lids & water bottles) when you leave the courts. If you are last to leave the court, please slacken the net cords. Also, please ensure that you wear the appropriate footwear.
Visitors & Guests
Members may bring the same guest to play on only three occasions in any one year; after three visits, it is expected that the visitor will apply to become a Rackets Member. The same rule applies to Social and Country Members. Only Racket Sports Members may enter our Open Tournaments but visitors are welcome to enter Social Tournaments subject to the three occasion rule.
LTA Membership & the Wimbledon Tickets
West Heaton is an LTA Registered Venue so you can take up Advantage Play+ membership for free. This gives you various offers and entry to the Wimbledon Ballot.
The Wimbledon Ballot is now managed directly by the LTA. You will receive an email form them if you are successful.
