The year of origin for the Stanley Park Tennis Club league teams has been lost in the mists of time. Patsy Regan, present SPTC League Coordinator, informs that she has been playing league for SPTC for nigh on thirty years, and the club had both men’s and ladies’ teams established before she came along.
The league in which SPTC teams play is sometimes referred to as City League. Actually there is one for women and another for men, officially named the Tennis BC Ladies Inter-Club Spring League, and the Tennis BC Men’s Inter-Club Spring League. Teams represent tennis clubs from all over the Metro Vancouver region, extending from Lion’s Bay to Abbotsford to the US border to the mainland western seashore.
There are over 40 men’s teams, and more than 100 women’s teams. As one might guess from those numbers, there are more divisions of play for the women’s league than for the men, however both leagues accommodate players from skill levels NRTP 5.0, (most highly skilled, Open category) to NTRP 3.5 (intermediate skill level). Teams consist of a roster of regular doubles players and spares, with the higher skilled men’s divisions also needing players for singles matches. League competition for both men and women extends from April to June.
For the ladies there are 11 divisions of competition including Open, Night (weekday matches scheduled for the evening), and Day (weekday matches scheduled for the day). The Open Division is the strongest and followed by divisions one through five.
Both the Stanley Park Tennis Club’s ladies teams are “Night” teams. One (the Stanley Park Acers) plays in division 1, the other (the Stanley Park Girls) in division 2. They both play matches on Saturday afternoons, with rain-outs rescheduled for weekday evenings. There are four doubles matches per team per scheduled inter-club competition. The League recommends that each team have a minimum of 12 to 16 players (including spares).
In the men’s league there are five divisions of competition: A (NTRP 4.5 +); B1 (NTRP 4.0 – 4.5); B2 (NTRP 3.75 – 4.25); C1 (NTRP 3.25 – 3.75); C2 (NTRP 3.5 and below). A minimum of six players is recommended for men’s teams, though more is the norm.
The Stanley Park Tennis Club has a men’s team in the B1 division. They compete one singles match and three doubles matches scheduled for Sunday mornings. Rescheduled matches are played on weekday evenings. Until this year SPTC had two men’s teams playing the B1 division. One of those lost its players for 2011, so the club lost that team. The Stanley Park Tennis Club is gathering a new men’s team, to play in the B2 division, beginning 2012.
For both men’s and women’s league, team players must be members of the competing club, members of Tennis BC, and registered as team members prior to the league season (by the first of January). Membership in the Stanley Park Tennis Club brings with it the requisite membership in Tennis BC. Beyond that, teams must pay a league fee of $56, provide tennis balls for matches, and their own transportation to matches.
Anyone seeking more information about participation on SPTC league teams should contact club League Coordinator, Patsy Regan. E-mail to mysptc@gmail.com, or get Patsy’s contact details from the club phone list. Members wishing to play on one of the club’s league teams may also contact the team captain. Team captains for the 2011 season (ending June, 2011), are:
Women’s Division 1 – Janney Jia
Women’s Division 2A – Patsy Regan
Men’s Division B2 – Ty Suzuki
Click below for Spring League results from 2010:
