Senior 140 League Tennis Players to Vie for First Championship

Ed Regan of Newport Beach came up with the idea: a tennis doubles league in which the ages of the two partners must add up to 140 or more.

“It has worked great,” Regan said. “Everyone really likes it, and the response has been excellent.”

The league began in February with teams from the Balboa Bay Club, Palisades Tennis Club, Park Newport and Newport Beach Tennis Club.

They play once a month, with each of the four doubles teams playing one set against the opposing club’s four teams.

“We play no-ad scoring because four sets can get to be a lot of tennis for some of the guys our age,” said Regan, 73.

And this weekend the Senior 140 League will crown its first tournament champion.

The four teams will compete at 1 p.m today at Park Newport. The Balboa Bay Club, which finished first during the regular season, will play Newport Beach Tennis Club, and second-seeded Park Newport will play Palisades. The winning teams will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday for the championship.

“We have 98 players on the rosters of the four teams, and around 80 of them are 70 years or older,” Regan said.

Regan says the league’s oldest player is Stan Mumford, 83, and the youngest is William Popejoy, 59, former Orange County chief executive officer.

Regan, who plays on the 4.5 level in his age group, says the level of competition is good.

“It was very competitive at first, but now I think it’s more a matter of everyone enjoying themselves, the tennis and the camaraderie,” he said.

One of the league’s cardinal rules: Never question a line call. In fact, players have to agree to avoid even a menacing glare.

Putting together the league was easy for Regan, who had organized sporting events before.

“One of the best things is that all four of the clubs are virtually within walking distance of one another,” Regan said.