A village club, run by the village.
Founded in 1946, Smalley Lawn Tennis Club is a small, friendly LTA-affiliated club in Smalley, Derbyshire. We're entirely volunteer-run, with two all-weather hard courts and two grass courts (May–September, weather permitting), kept by our Professional groundsman Anthony James, plus LTA-qualified coaching, juniors, socials and leagues. Smalley's home of tennis since 1946 — new members always welcome.
Our ethos
We're a community club first and a competitive one second. Whether you're picking up a racket for the first time, returning after twenty years off, or playing county-level tennis, you'll find a place here.
Our fees stay deliberately low so cost is never the barrier. Surplus goes back into the courts and the junior programme.
The Committee
- Chairman & Head CoachSimon Klugman
- Club Secretary & CoachEden Klugman
- TreasurerBex Donnelly
- Welfare OfficerJane Musson
- ITMac Wasilewski
- Committee MemberDave Allsop
Committee Funding Helpers
Jayne Stallion · Gillian Stallion
Our history
From Stainsby Tennis Club to today
Smalley Lawn Tennis Club traces its roots to the original Stainsby Tennis Club. After the Second World War, the club was revived and reopened in 1946 as Smalley Lawn Tennis Club, fielding Men's, Ladies' and Mixed teams in the Derby & District Tennis League through the 1950s and 1960s. Saturday afternoon matches drew a strong turnout, summer tournaments were a fixture of village life, and play often carried on into the dark — drawing lots for partners when light allowed.
The club began with just the two grass courts, then — after much fund-raising by members (jumble sales, whist drives) and a small grant — extended the area to include a hard court. The original pavilion was a single-decker bus body donated by Mr North of Horsley Woodhouse, later replaced by a wooden Woodhouse pavilion with two changing rooms, an open kitchen area and outside seating on the grass. Lighting was by Calor gas, water was boiled on a gas ring for tea-making, and toilet arrangements were an Elsan in a separate wooden hut.
As family commitments changed and members grew older, the original club eventually wound down — but tennis in Smalley never quite went away. The club has been revived again, now with two all-weather hard courts and two grass courts (available May–September, maintained by our professional groundsman Anthony James), an active junior programme and league teams. The aim is the same as ever: friendly village tennis, open to anyone who wants to play.
History adapted from "Fond recollections of Stainsby Tennis Club" by Elizabeth Fletcher, Smalley Village News, July 2009.
