Team of the week: DULTC

A week of stellar performances saw Durham University Tennis Club retain their overall position at the summit of the BUCS points leader board. Facing perhaps their toughest set of fixtures to date DULTC shone through, recording five wins and three draws across all teams.

Special praise must be reserved in particular for the Men’s 1s and 3s, and the Women’s 3s; each contributed crushing 12-0 victories over the opposition. In spite of just a hint of partisan implication, this author feels no shame contending that the Men’s 2s inspired the most surprising result of the week by sealing a crucial away point against strong league favourites Leeds Met 1s.

Elsewhere, key victories were secured by the Women’s 2s against Nottingham (10-2) and the Women’s 1s against Leeds Met 1s (10-2), while gritty draws for the Men’s 4s and Women’s 4s provided a shining testament to the physical and mental tenacity of our players.

Preserving an immaculate, undefeated record so far this season, DULTC has every reason to be smiling. Coming into the 2013/14 season on the back of our most successful year to date, expectations for the upcoming season are unsurprisingly high.

Continued and extensive restructuring of the club’s set-up under the ’visionary’ auspices of incumbent Club President Tom Newman has made it hard to resist the feeling that DULTC is being ushered into a new era.

A man renowned for going the extra mile in both his sporting and social capacities, Newman has been unrelenting in his efforts to drive University Tennis in the direction akin to its elite rivals. In his own words, ‘it is a privilege to remain at the helm of one of Durham’s most successful clubs.’

Similarly, the advent of a full-time head coaching position for Lucy Scott combined with a rigorous re-shuffling of student exec positions has established the framework for a more organised, professional team to emerge.

With the hope of an indoor tennis facility in Durham materialising soon, the future looks bright for University Tennis. What seemed impossible several years ago is now being expected, with the standard of players improving year on year.

Indeed, our unparalleled depth in squad is arguably best evidenced in the quality of our development players, whose commitment and enthusiasm has been ever present this year.

As more Durham teams seem to be in contention for BUCS Championships and trophies than ever before, who knows where the club will be next year? One hope lives on stronger than all others however; that someone might actually come and see us play!