Bridge Tennis Club
Newsletter July 2020
Editor: Penny Morgan (Send contributions to: penny@johnmorganlets.co.uk)
Firstly a BIG WELCOME to the many new members who have recently joined the club. I think everyone will agree with the committee that the timely repainting of courts one and two in May has greatly improved the playing surfaces, and together with the resurfacing of court three last year the club’s courts are in an excellent condition. It’s great to see the club so busy, and once the club returns to normal with mix-ins we look forward to putting names to faces. In the meantime while the temporary playing rules remain in place, the committee and our two coaches, Stewart Bristow (07530 26 97 37) and David Whitehouse (0785 22 79 040), are committed to keeping everyone safe. As a reminder the current rules are:
- Book a court and name the person(s) playing in line with the Government’s Covid19 tracing policy
- Play in groups of 2 or 4
- Please cancel your court if you can’t use it
- Adhere to the 2m distancing rules
- Remember to use the hand-sanitiser on the verandah
- Avoid using the clubhouse/toilet if possible – please bring your own towel for hand-washing
- If you need to re-fill your water bottle there is a tap located by the shed
- Lock the clubhouse if you are the last person to leave
Guests
You are welcome to invite guests to play at the club: however they can only play 3 times in any year.
£5.00 must be remitted to the club via the grey letter-box above the sink in the clubhouse. Please put your name on the envelope and the name of your guest. (There are envelopes in the drawer).
Helping New Members
With the mix-ins suspended it would be very helpful to be able to call on existing members to play with new members. If you are able to help integrate new members please contact Gerry: gerry@dcruz.eu
JUNIORS - Sadie Bristow Foundation - Design a T-Shirt Competition
Stewart is keen to promote a Design a T-shirt Competition for the foundation.
The trustees of The Sadie Bristow Foundation (which supports children with severe allergies) are looking for a new design to go on the foundation T-shirts. The T-shirts will be available to buy at fundraising events. The lucky winner will receive a Wilson racket, cookbooks and other goodies.
So come on juniors get designing and send in your designs to info@sadiebristowfoundation.org.uk.
Don’t afraid to be great!
***
Singles Tennis Ladder
Jonathan’s latest news about the Singles Tennis Ladder – Read on ….
The Singles Tennis Ladder is open to all – Men, Women, Girls and Boys. The idea is you join at the bottom and then you will find the level that you are competitive at. Every so often, we have a Finals tournament for the Top 8 – along the lines of the ATP Tour Finals.
The ladder is looking very healthy – with 24 players now participating.
The rules are here: https://www.bridgetennisclub.co.uk/competition/singles-ladder/
Also, on that page is a Live link to the ladder, who is challenging who and all the past results.
Please join the ladder – to do so, or if you have any questions, please email me: jonathandearth@hotmail.com
The first Top 8 Finals tournament – June 2020
Lockdown came in just as we were about to hold the first finals tournament for the Top 8 positions. A month or so after we were allowed back on court, we got the finals underway. Two groups of 4, where everyone plays a one set shoot out against everyone else. With the group winners playing a final.
Group B went first, managing to play all their sets on a Friday night together. 13-year-old Jake Wilson coming out on top, beating his Dad, Simon, on a tie break. And Simon also losing on a tie break to the only woman in the finals, Liz Dobbing, who came 2nd in the group.
Group A, saw 17-year-old Ed Glover winning the group reasonably comfortably. The set between Matt Osgood and myself took a horrific 1 hour and 40 mins – with Matt 5-0 and match point up, then I won the next 6 games, before Matt came through to win it 10-8 in the match tie break.
In the final, Ed held on to his number 1 spot in the ladder by beating Jake 6-4,7-5 in the final. Ed and Jake look favourites to dominate the Club Tournament this year – and possibly well into the 2050s!
Jonathan Dearth
Broken Lives – a novel by Teresa Devereux
Lastly but not least there is clearly more to the club’s players than just thumping balls up and down a court! Many of you will know one of our regular players Teresa Devereux but what you might not know is that she has had published recently a novel. Drawing on her experience as a social worker Broken Lives charts the working-life of social worker April Gardiner while simultaneously narrating her own personal struggle to find happiness. The reader is taken on a surging journey of highs and lows as April battles to help the unfortunate Samantha lost in a world of self-abuse and empty relationships keep her two young daughters from going into care. With Teresa’s wealth of experience this sensitively-written novel gives an insight into bleakly malfunctioning impoverished lives where opportunity and life chances play their part. Teresa told me that she doesn’t consider herself to be a novelist but “a social worker with a story to tell.” I think you will disagree: read this novel and you will want more from Teresa who is first and foremost a novelist with a compelling story to tell.