Where would Marlborough Tennis be without Hilda Moore? A very good question that could be answered in either one or two words, or a book…. Hilda’s contribution to Marlborough Tennis has been enormous and fundamental to the Club’s success and achievement of where it is today. Wiltshire Tennis recognised her role and what she has managed to create by the recognition of a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.
But her input and influence hasn’t just been limited to Marlborough. As well as here Hilda has made a strong contribution to tennis in Scotland. She has played tennis from the age of 10, joining the Titwood Tennis Club committee in Glasgow at just 19. She supported player development and ran their first fundraiser.
Hilda moved to Marlborough at the age of thirty. She ran junior tennis, qualifying as a coach herself in 2004 and has coached a vast number of players ever since. Her energy saw junior tennis grow to 120 juniors on the programme, recruiting 4 coaches and growing coaching income at the same time.
Appointed as Club Chair in 2002, Hilda’s leadership and enthusiasm enabled the club to think big and move to a new location, obtaining loans and grants for the new six court site. The challenges this presented cannot be understated but the many obstacles were overcome and she successfully helped steer the club to its new £820k venue in 2018.
Hilda then continued on the committee in a coaching lead role and now as a Trustee of the Club. Leading the coaching team, she continues to encourage juniors to achieve Level 1-2 qualifications to support an expanding camps programme.
She was instrumental in establishing the multi-sports Marlborough Sports Forum, helping run annual events for over 150 children across 12 sports to encourage physical activity. She was an early adopter as a ‘She Rallies’ ambassador joining Judy Murray. She started the club’s growing Walking Tennis offer in 2024 collaborating with the local u3a. She actively pushed the club’s Facebook site and took part in the initial pathfinder pilot for the Deloitte ‘Digital Champion’ programme, significantly updating our social media strategy.
When asked for comment, Hilda told Marlborough. news: “Wow ! Im humbled. It’s not just for me but everyone who’s supported me over the years. And I’ve not finished yet!”
If proof were needed of Hilda’s successes in coaching and encouraging junior players, the third award for Marlborough Tennis was made to the club’s Under 10s team who won their Wiltshire Tennis division.
Her ethos is participation. Her enthusiasm and personality have been an inspiration to many.
That’s Hilda, just a short summary of what she has done for tennis, Marlborough Tennis and the reasons behind the Lifetime Achievement Award. As with the club, Hilda will now go forward for consideration to the National LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) Awards later in the year, so we wish her every success there.
‘Club of the Year’ award for Marlborough Tennis at the Wiltshire Tennis ceremony
