Waverley Lawn Tennis, Squash and Sports Club in Newington crowns its 2026 champions

The courts on Suffolk Road were busy this autumn as Waverley Lawn Tennis, Squash and Sports Club held its annual club championships, and one name dominated the honours board.

Andrew Leitch was a serial winner. He took both the men's open and men's senior singles, and the open and senior mixed doubles, partnering Kim Atkinson and Claire Leitch respectively. For good measure, he also claimed the men's doubles title with Scott Tulloch, the player he had beaten 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a tight open singles final. That made six titles in one championships.

The ladies' open singles was won by Jules Mair, who beat relatively new member Daria Pershina 6-1, 6-2, before teaming up with Kim Atkinson to win the ladies' open doubles. Ronnie Petre and Allan Paton won the senior men's doubles.

The juniors had their moment too. Joseph Dingwall won at under-12 level, beating Finlay Ormond, and Donald Dow Ewing won the under-14 title against Oliver Davidson. The under-12 plate went to Hamish Mair, who overcame Duncan Usher.

The championships are a highlight of the year at a club with deep roots. Waverley's two-storey clubhouse, created in the 1960s, includes squash courts, changing rooms and an upstairs lounge, and club president David Ferguson has described that bold move as one that helped secure the club's future. This summer the club named its clubhouse lounge after former honorary president Jasper Carmichael, a former singles champion and the club's first squash champion, in recognition of his part in building it.

Among the other notable results, relatively new member Daria Pershina reached the ladies' open singles final, and the junior events produced close finals at under-12 and under-14 level.

The mix of results, from seasoned seniors to under-12s, shows a club that is passing the game on to the next generation, with new members already making their mark in finals.

Club championships like these are the lifeblood of community tennis, giving members of every age something to aim for at the end of the summer.

Waverley Lawn Tennis, Squash and Sports Club is based on Suffolk Road. Details of membership and coaching are available from the club.