Spring 2017 Newsletter
www.colstontennisclub.com
Diary Dates
Dear Member,
This is my first newsletter as the newly elected Chair of Colston.
Firstly, let me thank Paul Sherratt for all his efforts over the last few
years to move the club forward. Colston now has ClubMark
recognition, we finally got some movement on the flood lights and
fundraising activities to enable this have been many, so thank you
from all of us.
My agenda for the club is simply to get more people playing more
often and through that to see more members being drawn in. If
more of you play, then I hope you’ll bring new members with you.
ON NOW! JUNIOR & ADULT
Ask your friends and neighbours to come and join in the fun and
COACHING SESSIONS
get a little fitter in the process of making new friends.
See below for more info
Colston, unlike most other village clubs, can boast 6 courts so
people can play whenever they want- even on match days. 10 new
members would transform our finances and see the courts used
more often without ever needing a court booking system like some
2nd APRIL 2017
other clubs!!
Club
Clean Up Morning
I hope to see you all on court soon.
10.30am
Best wishes for a great 2017 of tennis.
Gareth Tridgell.
17th SEPTEMBER 2017
Club Tournament
LIGHT UP COLSTON- where are we now
As everyone visiting since September has been able to see we
have installed new high quality poles and electrical wiring and
control equipment, and when the lights were first turned on they lit
up all four courts well. Unfortunately, they also lit up rather too
much of the surrounding area because of the angle of elevation
required and so had to be adjusted down. The resulting level of
illumination is frustratingly low especially given all the effort of club
members and after Ben Morley’s superb leadership of the work. As
already mentioned the work done so far is to a high quality,
replacing some very worn out electrical work, and provides a basis
to move forward. The solution is to install some central poles with
more lights and this work is in hand but with hindsight we were too
ambitious in trying to light four courts with the power available. To
light all four courts we either need 3 phase electricity or LED lights
2017
which take less power. Since the cost of those two options is
The new Colston LTC 2017
currently prohibitive we will settle for properly illuminating the 3 pair Membership form is enclosed with this
court for next autumn and once again Ben has agreed to lead the newsletter and we welcome new and
work. He truly is a marvel and we’d be lost without him. As with last
old members alike and wish you a
year Ben will need members to support with some muscle powersuccessful 2017 season.
more details to follow. Hopefully in the future the costs of LED
lighting will reduce and/or we will have sufficient funds to reinstate
lighting on the singles court. The club dinner last autumn raised
£3400 and Chris’ curry and tennis tournament event £250, and it is
this sort of fundraising that will get us there sooner so any ideas
gratefully received. (And Chris is promising another curry and
tennis tournament soon- look out for the invite!)
INCREASING PARTICIPATION
COLSTON SUMMER SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP:
Club Sessions 2017
Adult club night -Tuesday
We have relaunched the summer singles competition and have 6 ladies evenings from 5pm - All welcome
and 12 men competing. This will be a regular feature of the Colston (all year round)
summer so if you decided against it this year I hope you can be tempted
in for 2018. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of both tournaments.
SOCIAL TENNIS:
There is a regular hard core of players who turn out through the year in
some pretty grim weather for the adult club night on Tuesday evenings
and great fun they are to with some high quality tennis being played not to
mention the social events based around them. (Thanks Arthur and Co,).
But we know there are more players out there who might be tempted to
join in, especially those who are a bit rusty and some of our younger
members. Emma, our ladies captain, has instigated two sessions per
week to try and attract more players in. Currently it is mainly a session for
the ladies in the club but all are welcome to join in- be great to see
husbands and teenage children joining in and making them mixed/ family
sessions. Who knows we might be able to reinstate the mixed team at
some stage.
COMPETITIVE PLAY
If you’re interested in playing please contact the team captains:
Adult club morning -Sunday
mornings from 10am - All welcome
(all year round)
Social tennis: (see opposite)
Monday 7.30pm
Friday 9.30am
For more info contact Emma Horner
[email protected]
Coaching Sessions 2017
Junior Coaching sessions Saturday mornings
10am – noon
Men’s A: Gareth Tridgell 07831 645171
The A team finished mid table in winter & summer leagues, competing TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE
strongly when we had a full strength team but struggling at this high level
ABOVE SESSIONS OR
when calling on C team players for support. I’m grateful to those players
INDIVIDUAL COACHING
who helped us out, often at short notice- fun having you in the team!
CONTACT
Men’s B: Dick Collins 07836 705391
2016 was another successful year for the Bears securing promotion to
Division 3 in the Winter League and topping their division in the Summer.
This winter has been challenging, with injuries and the loss of a key
support player. That said, the Bears currently sit comfortably in mid-table
ready to regroup and push on again next season.
Men’s C: Ray Gibbons 07775 792188
This Winter Season found the “Cougars” towards (but not at) the bottom
of Division 7. We were competitive in all matches (even if the scores
didn’t always reflect that). Most importantly, we gave a good number of
people a chance to play and kept many players “match fit” for use by the
A and B Team. Sadly, our stalwart Rod Bridge has retired from
competitive tennis, but we have added some good, younger talent (Jack
Deo and Will Daft). Thanks to all who played for us this year and l look
forward to promotion in the Summer League.
Ladies: Emma Horner 07880 997683
The ladies team continues to improve and are consistently finishing in the
top half of our division, having competitive games and gaining match
experience all the time.
As I have been injured for most of the last year several ladies have
stepped up to take responsibility of captaincy on match days. Our
youngest member who at 14 has been nurtured and supported giving her
lots of confidence, so thank you to all for being so welcoming and
encouraging of teammates. With the days getting longer and the weather
warmer I am full of enthusiasm for ladies team this coming year as you
can’t beat playing tennis on a lovely summer’s day at Colston. Playing at
other courts around the county definitely makes you appreciate the lovely
surroundings we have at Colston.
Colston LTC Club Coach
Chris Hand
e: [email protected]
m: 07970 481707