Landmark congratulate our sponsored tennis team: Carisbrooke of Leicester

                              Ryan Golesworthy (front) and James McKinlay.

Carisbrooke Tennis Club of Knighton finished equal third in the 2025 men’s national team tennis championships.  The club, sponsored by Landmark Planning of Leicester, reached the finals for the top 8 U.K. clubs by winning the Midland League with a 100% record.

The finals were held at the West Hants club in Bournemouth. Seeded fourth, Carisbrooke had an easy quarter final 6-0 win against Leeds Birkett.

Unfortunately the semi final was a different matter, losing by the same score to David Lloyd Raynes Park, the number one seeds. With all four singles players ranked in the top 500 in the world, Raynes Park then went on to win the final against Roehampton.

The team comprised  Stefan Cooper, Phoenix Weir, Dan Little, James McKinlay, Ryan Golesworthy and Alex Solonenko (Leics 2025 singles and doubles champion).

                       Some of our fans in good spirits watching the matches

Coach Jack Simpson said: “ I was really proud of the lads, as well as the supporters who easily outnumbered all the other teams. We have come on tremendously in the last three years: now we need to make the step up to be national champions. Competing against the big boys of London: Raynes Park & Roehampton (the equivalent of Man City & Liverpool in football) who between them have won for the last five years will be difficult, but not impossible.”

And I was really proud to be associated with such cracking players, as I could never play at that standard myself. The fact that they were all genuine nice guys as well meant that they were also a pleasure to be around for the weekend.

Carisbrooke win the men’s National Club League (NCL) Midland Division

Landmark Planning have sponsored the first men’s team of Carisbrooke Tennis Club for three years now.  Last year we won the National Club League (NCL) Midlands Division, which stretches from South Wales to Lincoln. This year we won the same division, this time with a 100% winning record.

Like last year this gives the team direct entry into the national finals played in September for the best 8 clubs in the country. With a 100% win record this year the club should be seeded in the top four, with a realistic chance of beating the top London clubs such Raynes Park & Roehampton that have dominated the championship in recent years.

 

It has been a really interesting journey from the first year of sponsorship where we just failed to reach the national finals. That year we finished second in the Midlands and then lost in the second play off round for the finals.

 

Last year we made the finals and were not seeded but managed to finish fifth of the 8 teams. So, this year we hope to make more progress into the top four in the country.

 

The team has not got any stars so we usually struggle at the top end, but we excel down the order and in the doubles matches, which gives us an edge.

 

Pictured after beating Warwick at home from L to R are Tiran Sanghera, Matt Howse, Stefan Grubisic, James McKinlay and captain, Jack Simpson.

 

 

 

• The NCL is regionalised in the first half of the year with the national finals played in September in Bournemouth for thewinners of the regions plus a couple of ‘lucky losers” at one of the top venues in the country.