Matters Arising LLTC 2019

Preparations are already in hand for summer tennis at LLTC in 2019. The grass courts are getting a lot of care and attention. The fencing has been patched and soon we should see‘Green Thumb’ banners advertising their sponsorship of LLTC - in exchange for free grass treatments and advice.

Meanwhile, we have had a successful winter of social tennis. This is the fifth season running social tennis with a team of organisers and it brings together a large proportion of the Club every week. I hope people will join in the ‘playing-in’ days in May and July, and take part in the Club tournament that runs through the summer. Most of all – enjoy your tennis.

David Gillibrand (Chair)

Committee 2019

David Gillibrand (Chair) Bob Barski
John Braithwaite
Helen Bramley

Jim Coldwell (Treasurer) Rosanne Sagar
Patrice van Cleemput Moira Peelo

Welfare Officer

Patrice van Cleemput

Club Captain: Patrice van Cleemput

Match Secretary: John Braithwaite

Team Captains: David Marle
Tom Greenwood Claire Worthington Helen Bramley Bob Barski

David Gillibrand

Dates for the Calendar

•   Grass Court Opening Saturday 27th April

•   2 Playing-In Days – May 5th and May 12th

•   Wimbledon Sunday Playing In Day – July 7th

•   Social Tennis Starts 1st May

•   Dingles and Speed Tennis – May and June

•   Captain’s Day – Sunday August 4th

•   Finals Day – 7th September

•   Captain’s Dinner – Friday 11th October

•   AGM 14th January 2020



The Club thanks -

Social Tennis organisers:
Peter Hearne, Peter Edge and Brian Francis, Kate Young (Winter 2018) and Phil Bebbington for organising the Club tournament, Dingles and Speed Tennis.

All those working with juniors:
Patrice van Cleemput, Margaret Carr, Annabelle Cartmell, Claire Worthington and Gill Hopkinson. Particular thanks to Siobhann and Alex Tough for their years of work with Club juniors.

The team captains for their energy, time and leadership.

And to all the volunteers who regularly sweep, clear and clean the courts – many thanks.

Grass Courts are living, breathing beings that need lots of love and attention but get upset easily. They do not like heatwaves – anyone remember lastsummer’s hosepipe ban?

Grass court programme of works:
Autumn 2018 - Special feed mix prepared just for our grass courts by Green Thumb and applied to the courts.
January 2019 - Diesel roller hired fromHartley’s and grass courts rolled andflattened.
January 2019 - Green Thumb aerate courts.
Pre-season treatment – special mix of fertiliser and weed killer plus localised seeding.
Pre-season cutting – a number of cuts will bring the grass down slowly.
Pre-season rolling – use of heavy roller as needed.

During the season the courts require light rolling, cutting and marking for matches and general play. The courts are regularly‘walked’ to find weeds (Bob Barski takesout each plantain individually) to avoid spoiling courts with spot weed killers.

Post-season – Green Thumb will apply another tailor-made treatment and some loam (depending on how the courts have survived the summer weather).

When ready, the courts will be rolled and aerated again.

The courts are watered at a variety of times through the year. Any improvement work is slow to show in grass courts, but any problems show up in the blink of an eye.

Our courts are cared for by John Braithwaite with other volunteers, and backed by sponsorship and advice from Green Thumb. They will be joined in the 2019 season by Neil Blenkinship.

Club Coffers

LLTC finished the year with a small but healthy surplus. But there will be some larger outgoings showing up in nextyear’s accounts and coming over thehorizon.

1. (1)  Payment of the outstanding loans from members for the extensive work on grass courts from two years ago have now been settled.

2. (2)  Neil Blenkinship will work with the Club this season in place of Eric Beniston, our much respected Groundsman, who died in January 2018.

3. (3)  The astroturf will need renewal and cleaning again in about two years. In about five years the surface will need replacement.

As part of building up funds ahead of this work, the Membership fee was increased this year and the discount for new members reduced to 25% of the standard fee (rather than the current 50%).

Helen Bramley is ordering tennis tops with the new LLTC logo printed on –ready to buy in the near future. She is also working on a new website which will go live soon – providing news and information about Lunesdale Lawn Tennis Club.

Juniors LLTC will field two junior teams - under 16s and under-14s –organised by Annabelle Cartmell and Patrice van Cleemput. They will hold a Junior Tournament later in the season, after running the LTA Lancashire grant- funded training sessions to encourage girls into tennis.

Team Tennis – if you would like to play for LLTC, let us know via the form in the membership pack. Don’t be modest – teams need to call on a range of skills for backup and to develop for the future.