Padel

Success at the iPadel Finals!

 

Report by Craig de Silva

 

Having won this competition twice, but not for a couple of years, we were really keen to get our hands back on the trophy.

 

Our group stage involved five matches. We had some solid victories but also one defeat (against Chelsea Harbour Club) and our qualification hung in the balance. Fortunately, Rocket Padel Ilford fielded a very strong team (including three GB players) against Chelsea Harbour Club which meant we narrowly qualified for the finals day.

 

The finals day was held in Kingsley, Hampshire, a newly opened indoor club. Our squad for finals day was Alfonso Patacho, Javier Etayo, Oscar Warneryd, Ryan Storrie, Nick Brookes and Craig de Silva. We beat Otro, David Lloyd Bushey and Kenilworth on our way to the final.

The final was against Rocket Bristol. In their team was Jack Hazlewood, formerly of Roehampton Club, and GB Seniors Captain, Ben Gudzelak.

 

We fielded Alfonso and Oscar as pair one and then Javier and Ryan as pair two. Both matches were extremely tight in the first sets but both our pairs fought so hard and came through those sets. Then both pairs were far more comfortable in their second sets.

 

We won the tournament winning a total of 16 sets out of 16. A very proud moment for the Club – iPadel National Champions.

 

A big thanks go out to the Finals Day squad and to all those who played in matches to get us there – Chris Salisbury, Jonny Binding, Bojan Jelovac, Ruairidh Fraser, Harry Lazell, Arthur Olney, Jorge Alcover and Fred Warneryd.

Coaching April to July 2025

As part of the Padel offer to Members there is coaching available for all standards and ages. The professional coaching team of Paul Lindsay and Chris Salisbury are available for lessons and will run social sessions for members. Whether you are a complete beginner or a high-performance player our team of coaches can provide you with a great Padel experience making sure your Padel skills will improve and you will enjoy the game even more.

Coaching sessions are bookable via roehamptonclubracquets.as.me/
Please contact Paul directly to discuss any coaching questions.

U3&Me / Matchplay Coaching – Adult and Junior

A game played with 3 players and one of the team coaches. This format provides you with a fun but competitive game while receiving advice from the pro for skills that you can implement in future games.
Payment, £60 per hour, made at point of booking on-line.

Individual Coaching – Adult and Junior

A great opportunity to practice certain shots or tactics with a coach.
Payment, £60 per hour, made at point of booking on-line.

Over 60s Pay and Play – Friday

Coach-led session providing drills and games for those wanting to try Padel.
Booking made on-line or at Reception one week in advance.
Payment, £12 per hour, made at point of booking on-line.
All standards are welcome. Friday from 11am to noon.

Adult Term Group Coaching

Sessions available on request.
If a session does not have a minimum of 3 Members the session will be cancelled in advance.

Junior Term Group Coaching

Our junior programme provides every child (from 7 years upwards) with the most appropriate coaching according to their age and standard, going from picking up the racket for the first time to being able to play with friends and family, and enter junior competitions.

Sign up to term coaching roehamptonclubracquets.as.me/ (please put the child name attending in the ‘Your information’ details.)
Junior term group coaching will start from Wednesday 23rd April
Wednesday 5pm to 6pm (under 14)
If a session does not have a minimum of 4 Members the session will be cancelled in advance.

To arrange coaching with either of the Padel Professionals or to discuss further please contact Paul:
Paul.lindsay@roehamptonclub.co.uk / 07841429910

Social sessions April to July 2025

These sessions offer an opportunity to meet other players of all standards, play fun games with our qualified Padel coaches are there to get you up to speed.

All sessions are bookable through the online booking hub: roehamptonclubracquets.as.me/

Ladies Club Morning – Monday

Padel Club Morning is overseen by a qualified Padel coach and offer an opportunity to meet other player of all standards to play fun games.
These are no cost, sign-up one week in advance.
All standards are welcome. Monday from 09:30 to 10:30am
The sessions are for a maximum of 8 people per session, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Club Night – Monday

Padel Club Night is overseen by a qualified Padel coach and offer an opportunity to meet other player of all standards to play fun games. Sign-up at no cost when the session is convenient for you.
Session One – 6:30pm to 7.30pm (rating 2.0 – 3.5)
Session Two – 7.30pm to 9pm (rating 3.5+)
The sessions are for a maximum of 8 people per session, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Club Morning – Saturday

Padel Club Morning is overseen by a qualified Padel coach and offer an opportunity to meet other player of all standards to play fun games. Sign-up at no cost when the session is convenient for you.
Saturday 8.30am to 10am
The session is for a maximum of 9 people per session, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Courts One and Two

The court mesh on both courts has been replaced from 3mm to 4mm and extends closer to the playing surface. This is to provide a better playing experience and in keeping with new court builds.

We continue to increase our maintenance routine but the wet / cold conditions have restricted the courts being brushed with machinery just twice.
The Padel court surface playability in wet / cold conditions can become inconsistent and slippery, especially on the covered court. When Members play in these conditions it compacts the pile and sand further, increasing the slippery nature during play. Please take care.

More maintenance with a firm machine brush is scheduled in March along with additional topping up of sand in the dry conditions.

It is hoped to see greater improvement with playability and provide future data points for research of the new court surface to be chosen for the new Padel courts in the Hub.

Padel and Pickleball Hub

Options for the location of a new padel court hub are still being thought through and a meeting with Wandsworth Planners will be arranged early in the New Year to see what permissions are likely to be given. That will give us a steer on what is possible and how we can plan to future proof padel , pickleball and tennis to all flourish alongside each other.

General Padel Information

Court Bookings, no-shows and late cancellations

No-shows are bookings where the Member who booked the court did not check-in within the allowed check-in window.
The MyCourts court booking system allows one no-show before the second triggers a 7-day booking ban, and/or one late-cancellation before the second triggers a 7-day booking ban.
Reminder; please only book a maximum of three 30-minute sessions for your Padel matches.

Internal Padel Leagues

Please email Paul Lindsay if you wish to join the Padel leagues – paul.lindsay@roehamptonclub.co.uk

Noise

We want you to fully enjoy your game of Padel but please respect our neighbours at Fairacres by keeping noise to a minimum.

Padel Success

Since introducing Padel Tennis Courts in 2021 Roehampton Club has celebrated success in Padel, both regionally and nationally.

Click here to find out more