Regional qualifiers announced for the autumn championship

Published 2026-06-30

Four regional qualifying events have been scheduled ahead of this year's autumn championship, spread across September and early October. Between them, the regionals will decide the bulk of the championship draw, with a handful of wildcard places held back for later.

The four regional events

Each regional is open to registered members of the corresponding zone, and covers all standard ranking categories. The schedule is as follows:

1. Hollowmere Regional — September 5-6, Hollowmere Racket Centre
2. Wrenfold Open Qualifier — September 12-13, Wrenfold Community Sports Hall
3. Thurnvale Regional — September 19-20, Thurnvale Indoor Courts
4. Portstone Regional — October 3-4, Portstone Leisure Complex

Exact court allocations and practice-session windows will be published closer to each date, once entry numbers are confirmed.

How qualifying spots are awarded

The top two finishers in each ranking category at each regional event earn a direct place in the autumn championship draw. That means up to eight qualifying spots per category across the four events, before wildcards are considered.

Standings are calculated on match results only — no separate seeding round is used this year, a change from the spring qualifiers. Category organizers will confirm final placings within 48 hours of each regional's last match, and results will be posted to the Tournaments page as they're confirmed.

Wildcard entries

Wildcard entries for players outside the direct qualifying spots will open once all four regionals have concluded, expected in mid-October. A small number of wildcard places will be available in each category, prioritising:

• players narrowly missing a direct qualifying spot at their home regional
• members with strong club-league form this season
• at least one open wildcard per category, decided by committee review

The wildcard application window will stay open for one week only, so players intending to apply should keep an eye on the news feed and their registered email address once regional results land.

Venues and travel

All four venues have confirmed court availability for the full qualifying weekend, including a warm-up court where schedules allow. Members travelling between regionals — for example, players entered in categories at both Hollowmere and Wrenfold — should note the short turnaround between the first two events and plan travel accordingly.

Parking and public transport details for each venue will be added to the individual event pages nearer the time. Members with accessibility requirements are encouraged to contact their venue coordinator ahead of the event so arrangements can be confirmed in advance.

What happens next

With the schedule now fixed, entry forms for all four regionals will open on the Tournaments page shortly. Categories may be capped if demand is high, so early entry is recommended, particularly for the more popular doubles categories at Thurnvale, which filled quickly last season.

Full draws, match schedules and updated standings will be published as each regional approaches. Further updates on wildcard timing and the championship draw itself will follow on this news feed.

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