A new league intending to help young players avoid late-night finishes is promising to be a success – and has attracted teams new to the sport alongside established clubs.

The two-versus-two development league for 2026/27 will be part of the Devizes League and has been instigated by league secretary Richard Ramsden in response to a common complaint.

“A lot of our parents were complaining about late nights when we did 3v3 in our main league,” he said. “If you’ve got children in Years 6, 7 or 8, parents are going to want them home by 9.30 – but our league games start at 7.30 and can finish at 10.30 or 11 if it’s a close match.

“The idea came about after I went down to a 4* in Plymouth with my son and was chatting to Paul Whiting (from Joola Plymouth TTC) and he said one thing that’s made a big difference in their league was when they got the players doing 2v2.

“So we’ve got the leisure centre booked from 7pm to 9pm for 2v2, plus doubles – they can play their games and still get a great education!”

The league will be played on Fridays, starting in September, with small divisions of four teams and several ‘mini-seasons’ being played during 2026/27.

Richard said: “I’m hoping to get 16 teams for the start so we can have four divisions of four teams for a six-week season, with promotion and relegation every time so everybody gets excited about going up for down.”

It’s not just parents who worry about late nights for their children – and one of the teams to have entered is towards the other end of the age spectrum, from a local U3A group in Marlborough.

“It’s a problem for about half the people I talk to that they finish late and they don’t want to be getting home late,” said Richard. “So we’ve decided to make the league not just for Juniors but also for new and improving players.

“A lot of people at the U3A tend to be social players, but a couple decided to enter as it finishes early, and they can walk to the leisure centre.

“Pewsey School have also decided to put a team in, so that’s two teams that have never had a league team before – and I’m hoping that will encourage others.”

Most of the teams will be from Kennet Vale TTC in Marlborough and Richard plans to enlist parents to act as match secretaries, entering results on TT Leagues.

If the format is a success, it could be integrated into next year’s summer league – and there is also the option of playing 1* style singles tournaments in spare weeks.

Richard was delighted to report that, from being down to 10 local teams just a few years ago, there could be close to 50 involved in the Devizes League in the coming season.

For more information on setting up and promoting leagues, different formats and TT Leagues, visit the Organisers and Venues section on our website.