Unforgettable Wimbledon Experience for Claire and Nicola

Back in February, the Club signed up to participate in the Play Your Way to Wimbledon (PYWTW) national competition for amateur players in the UK. There were three stages involved, starting with a Venue stage – which we hosted for the first time – followed by a County stage and finally the National Finals stage at Wimbledon in August. Thousands of players across the country take part each year.

Two of our ladies, Claire Grant and Nicola Wilson-Fowler came out top in the Venue stage at Club Towers and progressed to the County stage at Northampton Tennis Club. There they were runners-up to Katie and Freya from Flitwick and Ampthill Lawn Tennis Club. They were then invited to the National Finals stage at Wimbledon earlier this month. 

On the manicured grass courts of Wimbledon and kitted out from head to toe in the obligatory white kit, they fell just short of reaching the quarter final stage, narrowly losing 6-4 / 6-4 to the leading pair in their qualifying round-robin group on the first day.  Claire and Nicola shared how much they enjoyed the day…..

“We had the most incredible day! A fantastic experience. It’s amazing to go to Wimbledon and watch the professional matches and it still doesn’t feel real to actually play there! It is so quintessentially British. With all the flowers and the tradition. We were looked after with drinks and snacks all day, lunch and even a media interview and photo shoot. It was great!  (Claire)

 “It is basically a once in a lifetime experience. What an adventure to get here and play on these courts – and we will never forget it!” (Nicola)

Three of our talented juniors also got within touching distance of reaching Wimbledon in the same competition.

Milla, Arka and Theo all progressed through the Venue stage we hosted in April, then competed in the (14U) boys and (14U) girls events at the County stage at Flitwick & Ampthill TC in June. There they came up against some of the most talented juniors in Bedfordshire. Arka lost in a hair’s breadth tie-break in his quarter-final while Theo went one better by reaching the semi-final. Milla also reached the semi-final but narrowly lost in a championship tie-break to the number 2 seed. This is where their PYWTW journey ended but it was a great competitive challenge for them to share in the Wimbledon dream.

We will host a PYWTW Venue stage again in March next year, so look out for details in early 2026….it could be you in SW19 next time!