victorious in a closely fought final. They look very pleased with themselves, together with Jan Gibbons, in the photo above. Court Care/Autumn Leaves – The annual deluge of leaves has started late this year but is now in full flood. Please, please, please remember to clear leaves and other debris off of the courts before playing. It is difficult in strong winds but we really do need to stop debris from getting trodden into the court surface. The recent heavy rain has caused some puddles to form and has brought slippery silt to the surface. These are both clear indications that debris is getting compacted into the sand base and affecting the drainage of the courts. The committee are looking at additional maintenance activities to reduce this impact but it is essential that everyone help to keep debris off the courts. The two drag mats on the courts are very effective at collecting loose debris which should be put into the BLACK bins beside Courts One and Three -­‐ there are 'paddles' inside the dustbins to use for this purpose so no need to get your hands dirty. NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013
Sunday Tournament – The latest Sunday tournament took place on 3rd November when the weather was still reasonably mild and sunny. There was a great turnout for this event and again many thanks to Caro St John for arranging this; also to Angela Smith who, despite not being able to play, came along to help with the organisation and scoring. And many thanks to the ladies who provided a staggering array of cakes to stave off the hunger pains! Floodlight ‘Tokens’ – With the long dark evenings now here there is no need to give up on your tennis entirely. Courts One, Two and Three can be floodlit until 9.00pm. The floodlights are card operated (often referred to as tokens); each card gives 35 minutes light and costs £2.00. Floodlight cards are available from coach Andy, who is at the courts frequently throughout the week. Alternatively, the secretary, Graham Levers, has a stock of cards – call 01590 682066 if you would like to arrange to collect some.
As usual this tournament had an interesting handicapping scheme that seemed to work well in most cases. Pat Indge and Janet Stanton were eventually New Year's Day tournament – Blow away the Christmas cobwebs and work off some of that food and drink at the next tournament on New Year's Day 2014. 1 The tournament will start at 11.00am and will be a handicap format, as usual. If you wish to enter, either as a pair or as an individual, please put your name on the list that will go up on the club noticeboard in a week or so, or contact Caroline St John ([email protected]). Please feel free to bring along any Christmas/New Year leftovers for a “picnic lunch”. club is allocated for its Wimbledon Draw. BTM membership is absolutely free and is open to everyone over the age of nine. So, if you or your children have not yet signed up why not do so now at https://www.lta.org.uk/Members/Join/. If you are not sure if you have signed up as a BTM then contact the club secretary, Graham Levers ([email protected] or tel 01590 682066), and he can check this out for you. Quiz Night – This took place on 9th November and was a great evening, as usual. Craig McEwan was again the quizmaster, adding his own little twists to the competition and hopefully everyone had a very enjoyable time. In addition the event raised a total of £190 for club funds. 2014 AGM – The club’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 5th March at 8pm in the Jubilee Pavilion. Please put this date in your diary and make every effort to attend. There are a number of issues to be discussed and your views are important. The committee works hard on your behalf but members’ input is essential to guide the committee in its development of the club. Junior’s Christmas party – Coach Andy will be organising a Christmas party for all Juniors. The date for this is planned for Monday 16th December. There will be the usual Monday tennis coaching from 5-­‐6pm and pizza and games for everyone from 6pm. For further details contact Andy ([email protected] or tel 07920 498821). 2014 SOCIAL EVENTS – An organised outing to the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club in June or to the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2, London in November has been proposed. The committee need to know if there is enough interest; if you would be interested in either of these trips please let David Gibbons know ([email protected] or tel 01590 682088) or tell any committee member. Adult’s Christmas Games evening – Craig McEwan will be organising an evening of tennis games on Wednesday 18th December from 7pm. This is always a fun evening and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who attends so why not come along and join in. This will be followed by an ‘American supper’ where everyone brings along a plate of food to share. If you don’t fancy the tennis games do come along for the supper at around 8pm.
Foot Faulting – Yes, many people do it! It has been noted that some members seem to have become more prone to foot-­‐
faulting when serving. Just to be clear – neither foot should touch the baseline, or any part of the court inside the baseline, before the ball is struck. If you find yourself doing this try starting your service action a couple of inches further back from the baseline. You are unlikely to get called on a foot fault during club play but during the tournament finals the line judges will certainly pick up on it. BTM Membership – The Club still has a large number of members who have not signed up for British membership (BTM). A key aspect of BTM membership is that the club’s allocation of tickets for the Wimbledon tournament is based on the number of members who are BTMs – the more BTMs we have the more tickets the 2