Our Club - Autumn 2026

September 21, 2026

The year is racing by - I can't quite believe that winter tennis club play starts in less than two weeks! It's been a busy time at the club, and another successful tournament in which over 60 members of the club enjoyed some competitive yet friendly tennis throughout the summer. The new coaching year has started and winter league matches are just around the corner. Summer tennis is great but winter tennis is just so refreshing!

Emma Pattison
Club Chair

our annual btc tournament

Our club tournament runs through the summer and culminated with a Finals Weekend on 12/13 September. What a lovely weekend of tennis it was!

Saturday was a glorious day for our American Doubles - a friendly rotating doubles competition, hotly contested by 21 members. The beauty of this format is that we level the playing field so all players have the chance for glory - whether that's via seeding of players, restrictions on first serves, and/or sneaky penalty points!! Thank you to everyone who took part with such enthusiasm!

Yet again this year, the weather was not our friend on Sunday but everyone played on, despite a fair amount of soggy clothing! Players battled out in 18 Finals across our junior and adult singles and doubles competitions, with some very close matches and really great tennis on show. Cheered on by a hardy crowd, everyone was fuelled by great company and a mountain of edibles, including your generously baked cakes and a tasty barbecue.

Well done to all those that competed throughout the tournament and particularly to our finalists and winners - follow this link to celebrate them all!

Specific thanks to:

Our Umpires (most got soaked!) - Sam W-K, Tom F, Michael, Tom Ch, Nikita, Nick B, Pippa, Hannah, Katie, Steve St & Kathryn

Our BBQers - Karl & Michael, aided by Stuart B & Matt F

Our Kitchen helpers - Sara W, Hayley & Julie

Our Masters of Ceremonies - Pippa & Tom F

Our Photographers - Ben K & Graham W

Everyone who made cakes - too many to mention but so much appreciated

Everyone who set up & tidied up - thank you for your help

And finally our amazing Tournament Director Zoe Fearnley, enthusiastically and ably supported by Steve Stephens and Pippa Barry. This event takes a LOT OF WORK which they've completed on top of their committee volunteer roles, driven by their passion for the tournament, for the club and for tennis. Simply brilliant work - BIG, BIG THANKS from everyone!

celebrating the end of summer league

Another summer of adults league - the Club competes in both the Avon and North Somerset Leagues, with two ladies teams and two mens teams in both competitions. We fielded 32 players across the Avon leagues and 36 players in North Somerset - with everyone enjoying lovely tennis, (mainly) in the sunshine!

Let’s just say that results were mixed (!) but congratulations to our Mens 1sts in Avon and Ladies 2nds / Mens 2nds in North Somerset who all got promoted. The end of our league season was celebrated with a relaxed and sociable BBQ in August - it was great to see so many people there and gave us the opportunity to recognise the people who make our league tennis possible.

The biggest thanks to our captains, Zoe Fearnley and Pippa Barry, for the unstinting energy and positivity they put into the jigsaw of fixtures, players and seasonal variables. The first year I’ve known where matches were postponed because it was too hot!! Thanks also to Dave, Michael, Stu and Martin for leading the men’s teams.

Zoe and Pippa would want me to mention that winter mixed leagues start in early October - please contact them if you’re interested in playing

juniors @ BTC

A very warm welcome to the 22 juniors who have joined the club this year - we have close to 60 juniors now which is brilliant. It’s so energising to see you play and we really hope you are enjoying your tennis!

We’ve had 21 of our juniors playing Avon Youth League across five age groups - our thanks to the parent captains who make these matches possible. The more players we have, the easier it is to run these teams, so if your child is interested in playing Youth League then please contact our Junior Rep, Katie Barry, to find out more.

In addition to League Play and the annual Club Tournament, periodic Match Play and Junior Club Play sessions have also been organised this summer. We’re happy to see our juniors on court playing more often - if you have ideas for other sessions then please contact Katie and volunteer to make it happen!

BTC in the community

Last year, we created a small fund to help everyone in our community get access to tennis. Our club funding was matched by a contribution from Ovation Finance (a certified B-Corp company who have very special links to Backwell).

During 2026, we have funded five sessions of adaptive tennis to groups of children from Ravenswood School who have a wide range of different/ challenging needs. In June, an adaptive session was run for young adults from Weston College. In July, we partnered with Access Sport and the LTA to design two open taster sessions of tennis inclusive for disabled, d/Deaf, and/or neurodivergent children and young people with long term health conditions. These were so well received by the parents and children who attended that we have a four-week programme of adaptive tennis running for the same audience from mid-September.

None of this would be possible without the dedication of our club coach Tom Fowler. Tom was recognised as Avon Coach of the Year in 2025/2026, in part because of his commitment to tennis for everyone. Tom approaches these sessions with energy, passion and fun - it’s inspiring to watch!

Continued thanks also to Ovation Finance and to the generosity of our members for enabling all this to happen. The outcomes are incredibly positive for the children, the families and for us as a club.

a new coaching term & year

Ben Tilling and our coaching team have designed a full and comprehensive programme of group coaching for Adults and Juniors for the September term, with 150 players already signed up. There really is something for every age and ability, with private lessons also available.

We’re very lucky at BTC to have such a great coaching offering and a lovely group of coaches. The coaching team for this term are Ben, Tom, Sam, Katie, Nikita, Joe and supported by Finley.

Many of you will know Andy Gray who has played and coached at Backwell for many years. Andy left this summer to travel around South America before he spends time coaching in Australia - we wish him well.

For any enquiries about coaching, please contact Ben on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

drop shots

A reminder that Visitors can be invited by members to play at the club - cost of £5 per visitor, payable to the club bank account. No more than three visits for each individual each year.

The LTA and Avon LTA Awards nomination window has opened for 2026/2027. A great opportunity to recognise volunteers, coaches and/or our club! Window closes 30 November. Nominate here for LTA Categories: LTA Awards 2027 – Nomination Form Nominate here for Avon Tennis categories: Avon Tennis Awards – Nomination Form

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