Wimbledon comes to Collaroy – SW2097
- Collaroy Tennis Club
- Jul 11
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
With the Finals of the 3rd Grand Slam for 2026 being decided on the other side of the world, Collaroy continued its celebrations of ‘The Big 4’ on Saturday, 11 July, with our own Wimbledon Round Robin & Social.
54 members entered to play, and though we were restricted to 8 players per court (48 in total), after receiving the usual few late withdrawals, all but one received a call up for the big event.
After a week of rain, the sun came out to shine on our big day as volunteers dressed the Club in flags and bunting and prepared the strawberries and cream, scones with jam and cream and a table full of other delicacies… it was then time to open the gates for the swarm of white-clad contestants who stormed the venue from 1pm.
We were privileged to welcome the newly minted CEO of Tennis NSW, Olivia (Liv) Thornton and our Tennis NSW Development Officer, Dane-Lucas Kovacevic to the Club, both joining in the fun on court. Liv said a few words at the welcome ceremony, congratulating Collaroy again on our back-to-back wins as NSW Community Club of the Year across all sports. She later sent a message saying “It was lovely to connect with Collaroy members, both on and off the court. You should be proud of the environment that you have created – I could feel the warmth from the moment I arrived.” (Thank you Liv.)
An all-British soundtrack (including Sir Cliff Richard of course) played over the sound system throughout the day, creating an ambience that flowed over every court. Many of those present commented on how good it was to hear classics from The Dave Clark 5, Dusty Springfield, Joe Cocker, The Who and of course, The Beatles among many others, filling the air at Collaroy.
In the Clubhouse, Table Tennis made a long-awaited comeback, with some skilled players taking advantage of our new bats and balls. While others hurled themselves around the table, Damian was his usual nonchalant on-court self, moving with efficiency, only when he had to, to hit another winner.
On court, the tennis matched the sparkling weather. It was wonderful to see our multiple Club Men’s Singles Champion, Chris Gillis and wife Karen (herself the reigning Ladies Masters Club Champ.) joining in the fun. We also welcomed back ‘Strathfield Stewie’ for what may be his last visit to the Club before heading overseas for work… and perennial boomerang Warren B. made another welcome appearance.
The scores on most courts were super close, with Joint Runners Up on three courts and almost a 4th on another. A full run down of individual court winners and runners up reads as follows:
Court 1: Kerry (Winner), Ed & Paddy (R/Up)
Court 2: Chris G. (Winner), Lynne & Wil (R/Up)
Court 3: Jacquie (Winner), Garry and Col (R/Up)
Court 4: Mark W. (Winner), Clair (R/Up)
Court 5: Anna C. (Winner), Stuart (R/Up)
Court 6: James W. (Winner), Pam (R/Up)
The Sovereign of Slice (Richard) was expected to dominate on his favourite surface, but Kerry B. ruled on Court 1, with Paddy and Ed fighting hard before finishing as Joint Runners Up. On Court 2, Chris G. was always a lock for the main prize, with Lynne and Wil sharing 2nd place and Simone and Geoff only a point behind them. On Court 3, Jacquie cleared out to an early lead and was never headed, while Garry and Colin S. featured in another tie for 2nd place.
On Court 4, that crafty Leftie Mark W. ruled, with Clair almost chasing him down and claiming 2nd place. Court 5 showcased some sensational play with only 2 points separating the first three placegetters. In the end, Anna C. (another Leftie) took the chocolates, a point in front of Stuart and 2 ahead of Dave. This was Anna’s 4th ‘Grand Slam title’! (Watch out Novak… she’s coming for you.)
On the same court, our visiting dignitary Liv, demonstrated all the hand-eye co-ordination you’d expect from someone with her cricketing background, often playing off the front foot against balls targeting her toes. Her speed around the court and non-stop attacking forehands caught more than a few of her opponents by surprise. On Court 6, James W. was the clear winner with Pam (in training for the US Open) finishing in 2nd place.
Special presentations of perpetual trophies were made to Karen G. (2025 Inaugural Ladies Masters Champion) and Harrison H. (2025 Junior Doubles Champion with his mate, 'the other Harry'.)
As always, the ‘Best Dressed’ Awards were hotly contested. James’ wife Liz was a standout, her all-white outfit topped with a white furry hat, but most importantly, she sipped PIMM’s throughout the day from an oversized ‘strawberry drink container’ – a very Wimbedon accoutrement that sealed the deal. Garry also took home a prize for his white top with oversized Wimbledon logo. Special mention to Wil and Fran for their very dapper Wimbledon jackets.
Wil also contributed a souvenir towel from Wimbledon 2020 to the decorations – the year the event was cancelled due to Covid. This is a rare piece of merch., obviously printed ahead of the cancellation – the first since World War II. (Of course, Wil amended the date to read ‘2026’, just for our special day.)
A huge thanks again to Kate and her merry band of volunteers for preparing and presenting the wonderful spread of food and to Ros for organising her bottomless jug of Wimbledon's signature lemonade-based beverage, complete with finely sliced floating fruit. To Col B. and John F. for manning the BBQ (great to have Col back at the Club and his BBQ pineapple slices back on the menu), to all the committee and members who helped bring the event together, to Ed, Glenn, Lionel, Dave and Damian for doing most of the dressing of the Club prior to play, to Wil for the great photos (see more below) and to those ladies in particular, (plus Geoff), who helped with the clean up at the end of play.
So now it’s on to the last Grand Slam for 2026 - the US Open in September. This will be all about Hot Dogs, loud outfits and The Boss on permanent rotation… oh, and the tennis of course! ‘Til New York comes to play!
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