A GREAT SUMMER OF SPORT AT HURLINGHAM

Swim England recently released some research that indicates that 70% of children in swimming lessons are being pulled out of these before reaching a recommended level of competence in the water. The requirement is to safely swim 100m, tread water for 60 seconds, float for 30 seconds and swim in clothing. This would be the equivalent of Stage 7 on our swimming programme. If your child would benefit from more tuition to gain greater confidence in the water, we encourage you to contact our new Swim Programme Manager, Thomas Roberts, who will be glad to assist (thomas.roberts@hurlinghamclub.org.uk)

While all our racquet sports enjoy healthy levels of participation, Pickleball has burst onto the scene with a vibrant group of players. Given the growth of this community, a Pickleball Committee has been established which will act as the focal point for all matters related to this game. Along with the other Sports Sub-Committees, the Pickleball Committee reports to the Sports Committee.

This is a particularly exciting time at the Gym. You will recall in the last issue that we reported on a more spacious layout of the gym equipment downstairs. Since then, we have been able to recruit a fully staffed team, led by David Lester (Gym Manager) and Igor Doncila (Senior Gym Instructor). If the Gym hasn't typically been your environment of choice, we recommend an induction to find out more - there is something for everyone and we look forward to even more improvement when the cardio equipment is upgraded later this year.

PAIVI DUBOIS, CHAIR OF SPORT

DANNY SITTON, DIRECTOR OF SPORT

A GREAT SUMMER OF SPORT AT HURLINGHAM

PAIVI DUBOIS, CHAIR OF SPORT

DANNY SITTON, DIRECTOR OF SPORT

BOWLS

BOWLING ALONG

My last report said that spring was still a long way off, but here we are already; the Greens are open and bowling has started – hooray!

By the time you read this, entries will have closed for Club competitions and I’m hoping for a good turnout this year. The list of our usual friendly matches against other clubs is also up in the locker room, so please check your diaries, put your name down and tick those matches in which you would like to play.

Just a gentle reminder – Monday mornings at 10.15am are for beginners on Green 2, and club mornings are on Green 2 at 10.15am on Thursdays and Sunday. We are also pleased to announce that Green 2 is now bookable, either online or by contacting the Fitness Centre on 020 7610 7483. In addition, we are introducing a new bowls roll-up on the first Sunday afternoon of each month, from 2.30 to 4.30pm. This session is open to beginners and all other abilities. Please encourage your friends and family to join in!

The season’s Bowls Booklet is also available to collect from the locker room, giving a complete timetable of bowls activities throughout the season, plus Rules of Play and Regulations, dress code, guests, scoring, signalling, etc. – all very useful. Please take only one copy.

We’re all looking forward to another great bowls season!

MICHAEL WRIGHT, BOWLS COMMITTEE

CROQUET

It’s Not The Mallet. It’s The Mind Behind It

Do you like trying out different sports, but struggle to keep up with all the new ones on offer? Taking up a new sport requires time. It involves learning the rules and developing a strategy and tactics. It can also be expensive, as the equipment needed for any sport seems to be becoming ever more technical.

Why not try a sport that has been firmly associated with Hurlingham since the Club’s foundation? In fact, 150 years ago in 1875, the Club was instrumental in formalising the Laws of Croquet. Although players in 1875 would not recognise the game as it is played today, the basic principles are unchanged. Like any good sport, it continues to evolve. There are now game formats that will suit all levels of player, competitiveness and equipment budget. Ultimately, you can play with the best advanced polymer mallet on the market but can still be beaten by someone using a traditional wooden Jacques mallet if your tactics are poor.

The croquet section is always looking for new players who would like to play competitive, as well as social, croquet. We enter teams into all the main National Inter-Club knockout competitions. We also manage a number of Open tournaments, which attract competitors from around the UK and overseas, as well as our own Club players.

If you are interested in a new challenge, have a look at the Club website, or feel free to get in touch with Katja Harju in the Sports administration office.

RICHARD ANDREWS, CHAIR, CROQUET

CRICKET

GIVE CRICKET A GO

The cricket season is now well underway with four wins out of four already. We have a strong cohort of capable cricketers, but we are always looking for more. If you're interested in playing, simply go to the Cricket section on the website. You can apply for any game this summer by clicking on the ‘apply for adult cricket matches’ button, and then choosing the game you would like to play in – it’s as simple as that.

The ground staff, headed by the amazing Neil Harvey, have prepared some excellent pitches, including cricket nets for adults on Tuesday nights at 6pm. There’s no need to book; just turn up and have a bowl and a bat, especially if you are new to the section.

The juniors are well managed by our ever-present coach, the wonderful Briony Brock, and the parents are represented by David Lloyd. Julian Stocks already has the Vets Team up and running, and its popularity grows every year with its own brand of T20 cricket on Wednesday nights.

We really do cater for every age group, ability and gender, as we look to expand and improve cricket at the Club. We even have our own club shop now, in collaboration with Gray-Nicolls, which sells not only cricket kit, but also training kit and leisurewear. Anyone is welcome to purchase apparel via the website.

The cricket team has always been an integral part of the Club, and we hope that as many members as possible will decide this year to participate as players, as well as spectators. Whilst we may not rival England at a skill level, we enjoy our own brand of competitive and skillful cricket, whilst enjoying ourselves and keeping each other entertained.

Come along and give it a go! Young or old, experienced or a newcomer, you will always be welcome to the Hurlingham Cricket Community.

WILLIAM PYM, CHAIR, CRICKET

GOLF

THE END OF THE SEASON

The end of Hurlingham's 2024/2025 golf season on Saturday 8 March was quickly followed by our End of Season Dinner, which was particularly well attended. The dinner gave us a chance to collectively, and nostalgically, muse over the season's highs and lows, the great shots and the bad misses. It is also when the prizes for our many competitions are presented.

We also used the evening as an opportunity to raise funds for The Hurlingham Foundation, with some energetic selling of raffle tickets. As always, the golfing community stepped up and £765.00 was raised.

In February we played 2 matches, one against the Marylebone Cricket Club which was won by Hurlingham 4-1. The other match, which has only been played once in recent times, but will definitely be a permanently recurring fixture in the future, was against The Stage Golfing Society. This resulted in a hard-fought draw. A very convivial lunch followed, during which members of the SGS performed a hilarious vignette.

As this is the last article that I shall be writing, I would like to express a huge debt of gratitude to Katja Harju who organises all our events and keeps us all in line, to the ground staff who prepare and maintain our course so well and to the F&B staff, who have supplied us with such excellent fare throughout the season.

I am now standing down after 3 years, with Moira Penney in position to take over as Chair of Golf.

IAN GILL, CHAIR, GOLF

Rump Cup: Winner - Mark Pettigrew; Runner up - Melvin Guest (last year's winner)
Miller Salver: Winner - David Thomas; Runner up - Robert Leather Begg
Begg Coasters: Ladies - Lesley King-Lewis; Gentlemen - Mark Pettigrew
Hole in One award - Ian Annand

TENNIS

SUMMER STARTS ON THE GRASS

With the sun making a reappearance, the grass courts having opened and the Club Championships underway, it is clear the tennis summer season at Hurlingham is in full swing. On Wednesday 7 May we held a Club Evening Season Opener, and club evenings continue every weekday throughout the summer, with all welcome to attend. The second Wednesday of eachmonth will play host to a specific younger player club night, which is being trialled for the first time. More information on this is available from the Tennis Office but all levels are encouraged to brush off the racquet and meet other players in the Club.

The Club Championship once more has many entries and will come to a culmination o ver the weekend of July 19-20. Members are most welcome to come and support all the different finalists across the Club’s playing community. The Junior Club Championships will take place earlier in July, when all juniors in the Club, even if they play externally at school, or elsewhere, can enter and meet similar aged players.

There are a number of both adult and junior teams competing in the Middlesex Leagues. New players are always welcome to join, with both league and friendly matches taking place at weekends and during the week alike. Would any potential new talent please contact the Tennis Office, even if it has been a few years since their last competitive encounter.

SUZIE TOYN, CHAIR, TENNIS

EARLY BIRDS

SUMMER STARTS ON THE GRASS

Years ago, a friend sent me a link to a short film which has very much stayed with me. It was about a group of women on the Faroe Islands who meet every morning to swim in the sea together. There were perhaps half a dozen of them, young and old, and they go for a dip regardless of the weather, unless a storm has whipped up the sea and it’s too rough. They even rub themselves and each other with coffee grounds they’ve brought with them before they immerse themselves in the chilly waters of the North Atlantic. There, they bob around and stretch and swim a few strokes. When they emerge, they wrap up (no ghastly dry robes in sight) and have coffee together before strolling off.

The joy which emanates from the women is striking. And while much has been written about life-enhancing benefits of cold-water swimming, the film suggests that there’s rather more to their evident contentment, and that it derives from the company of each other as much as from the health-giving benefits of their shared activity.

While the water of the Outdoor Pool is far warmer (and far, far too warm for my liking), I often think a similar short film could be made at Hurlingham. Early Birds have been going for decades, and the fantastic community which exists around them makes it the very finest aspect of the Club.

An early morning swim outside sets one up for the day and is in itself a delight. The way the light changes through the seasons is entrancing, and there’s even been the thrill of swimming in the snow on occasion. But again, as with the women in the Faroe Islands, it’s rather more than that. The demographic is obviously self-selecting (I know my own husband would rather sever a critical artery than get up at 5.30am to swim) but Early Birds seems to attract so many of the Club’s best eggs. And while there’s a degree of changing room eccentricity, there’s less massaging of each other. We’re all rather too British for that!

ETTIE NEIL-GALLACHER

PADEL

THE ALFRED DUNHILL CLASSIC RETURNS!

The Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic at Hurlingham, on 14 and 15 May, followed last year’s successful inaugural event, this time with even more excitement and innovation.

We had the first-ever floating padel court in the UK, set on our beautiful Lake – which might not have looked out of place sitting snugly beside the Jal Mahal in Jaipur! It’s been the talk of the town ever since the go-ahead was received! We even got the pleasure of being able to book it ourselves for a couple of weeks after the event concluded.

We are also super honoured to welcome Miguel ‘Miguelito’ Lamperti, one of the sport’s most iconic and loved professionals, whose dynamic skills and passion for padel have inspired fans worldwide. Look out for his trademark ‘el remate’, the famous kick smash.

Tickets for the event sold out very quickly, and those fortunate enough to have got their hands of them also got to see an array of fantastic padel, including two of GB’s brightest young padel talents, Chloe De La Mare and Rosie Quirk, just 14 and 15 years old, respectively. They are the youngest players ever to reach No.1 in the UK LTA Ladies’ Rankings.

The Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic trophy, lifted by the Hurlingham team last year in a fiercely contested and tightly fought final (I promise it wasn’t rigged!), sits on display in the Long Gallery. It is so magnificent that it would not look out of place, sitting beside the British Open’s Claret Jug or Wimbledon’s Men’s Singles Trophy.

SAVERIO CAMPIONE, CHAIR, PADEL

PADEL

THE POWER OF PADEL

On Friday 7 March, The Hurlingham Club Foundation hosted an International Women’s Day brunch, in partnership with Empower Padel and Evelyn Partners. The event, which was attended by more than 60 people, included a panel discussion between sports broadcaster Gigi Salmon, ex-GB hockey player Sophie Bray, alpine ski racer Chemmy Alcott and Empower Padel founder, Pep Stonor. They gave inspiring accounts of their own sports journeys, with a strong message that we should be encouraging girls as much as boys to get involved in sports. Other topics were on how to be successful, learning from failure and competitiveness for women.

The event raised £2,500 for the Foundation’s Girls’ Racquets Programme, which has paid for padel and squash lessons and equipment, at the Club, for 96 girls from Lady Margaret School. The girls are supported by Club coaches and volunteers from the padel community to increase their enjoyment of sport and physical activity, build their confidence and self-esteem and improve their overall health and fitness.

Talitha Holt, Head of PE at Lady Margaret School said: “Having the opportunity to take part in the racquets programme has been such a fantastic addition to our curriculum. We have been able to introduce our students to two new sports and hope they will continue to pursue these outside of school and later in life.”

Anyone interested in making a donation towards this fabulous initiative can visit The Hurlingham Club Foundation - JustGiving

KAREN POWNALL, PADEL COMMITTEE

PADEL

THE ROAD TO HAMPSHIRE

After a fiercely competitive season, the Hurlingham ladies padel second team proudly reached the finals day of the Winter iPadel League. The team, which included Abi Browne, Cassie Tucker, Alex Cummine, Amelie Johansson, Amanda Browne and Andrea Gallyer, battled through six matches against clubs from across London. The team won all bar one of the six matches, with an honourable draw getting in the way of a clean sheet! Nonetheless, we headed into the final’s day, looking forward to some good matches.

The finals took place at Advantage Padel, a newly-opened indoor club in Hampshire. We played two matches to complete the box format, with the winner progressing to a final play off. After a frustrating, narrow loss in the first match, the team rallied and went on to win the second match. Unfortunately, we didn’t do quite enough to qualify for the competition final match. Although frustrating to miss out on gold, the day was a great experience and opportunity to compete, representing Hurlingham. The team have now been promoted to the Ladies iPadel Premier league, and we’re looking forward to playing more matches with the aim of going one step further this time!

ABI BROWNE

PADEL

THE POWER OF PADEL

Anyone interested in making a donation towards this fabulous initiative can visit The Hurlingham Club Foundation - JustGiving

KAREN POWNALL, PADEL COMMITTEE

PADEL

THE ROAD TO HAMPSHIRE

ABI BROWNE

REAL TENNIS

FANTASTIC FINALS

Following another fantastic winter season packed with fixtures, we reached the exciting final stages of our winter competitions. The semi-finals and finals of both the Wilson Gong and Campione Cup took place at The Queen’s Club. In the Wilson Gong final, Max Warner faced Rupert Stonehill, while Max also teamed up with his father, Nick, to do battle with Michael Marcar and Nick Pellew for a spot in the Campione Cup final.

The annual Carse Cup was held on Sunday 11 May also at Queen’s, with seven pairs competing in a roundrobin for the coveted trophy.

Once again, we’re fortunate to have full access to the two Real Tennis courts at Queen’s throughout July and August. Members are warmly encouraged to book courts and enjoy as much play as possible.

We’ll also be running Beginners sessions during the summer, so please contact Cristina Postolache, Games Manager, at the sports office if you are interested.

DOMINIC HIGHAM, CHAIR, REAL TENNIS

TABLE TENNIS

TABLE TENNIS THRIVES

The popular Staff and Members table tennis event took place on Sunday 2 February, with a large turnout from both sides. Kevin Galeano Corrales representing the Polo Bar and Harness Room, was the highest scoring member of the staff players; Kevin credited his success to keeping his bat in the refrigerator before a match. Diane Johnston was the highest scorer of the members. Both victorious competitors were delighted with the sports bags full of goodies presented by Cristina Postolache, Games Manager with responsibility for table tennis.

On Thursday 3 April we held the annual members tournament, featuring most of our regular players in an enjoyable ambiance. The men’s singles was won by Simon Meadows in thrilling close encounters. Simon joined our thriving group a year ago and his game demonstrates really good attacking technique. Simon also won the men’s doubles, partnered by Mark Wellby. The ladies’ doubles was won by Maggie Heathcote and Alex Jefferson, and the mixed doubles winners were Leila Armanazi and Roger Howells. Our thanks go to John Story and Cristina for organising both events so efficiently.

Our Thursday roll-ups at 2pm in the MUGA continue throughout the year, and all over 60s are welcome to join our friendly table tennis community.

MARK WELLBY, TABLE TENNIS COMMITTEE

SQUASH

The Annual Squash Championships or Squash at the Top!

Finals night commenced with fast-improving Sophia Lewis taking on five-times ladies’ champion Rina Borromero. Sophia started strongly, but Rina’s experience saw through, taking the Ladies title 3-0. The O45’s was a repeat of last year’s final, David Main up against Hugo Fisher. Hugo fought hard in a competitive match, with spectators hoping for a repeat of last year’s 5-setter, but David managed to secure a 3-1 victory. The Men’s final saw top seed Jack Webster against new member, and first team rookie, Aidan O’Brien. The audience enjoyed top-quality squash, with long, athletic rallies. However, it was Jack that saw off newcomer Aidan, to take his second Men’s title 3-0. In the Handicap Singles, Robert (Bertie) Graham took on Alexander West. Bertie’s guile prevailed and he took a 3-0 victory.

The final match proved to be the longest! Top seeds Alex Titchener-Barrett and Jack Webster against Aidan O’Brien and Seigo Masuda in the doubles. The match swayed back and forth with fast-paced exhilarating rallies, before second seeds, Aidan and Seigo, took a great 3-2 win.

At a somewhat later hour than anticipated, all players and spectators adjourned for pre-dinner drinks, followed by an excellent dinner. Before our finalists were awarded their trophies, we heard from our guest speaker, previous World no. 2, Peter Marshall, who gave us a real insight into Squash at the Top!

VICTORIA KING, CHAIR, SQUASH