Club news
Singles Ladder: The new Singles Ladder has received excellent uptake, with over 26 people signing up. Matches will start soon, and we wish everyone the best of luck! Due to this and the extra pressure it will likely create on court space, we will not be resuming the Wednesday evening Club Session for now. We are sorry to disappoint those keen to drop in and play on a Wednesday. We will review this again over the next month or so.
Hello from our new secretary: Hi everyone! I'm Kathleen Tuck and have stepped into Sylvia Hines' position as co-secretary with Ian Jeffries. Thank you Sylvia for all your hard work and dedication to the club. I've been a club member for several years, play on the ladies' teams, and am already on the committee as one of our Welfare officers. When I am not playing tennis, I work as a full-time GP in Islington. I look forward to serving you all in my new role and continuing to keep our club the best in North London!
Upcoming courses for juniors: These are open to both club members and non-members. Spaces are still available, so please pass on this information to anyone who may be interested.
SPRING COURSES: 22 April onwards
Maria's courses for juniors 4-11 years old run Mondays and Thursdays.
Joe's courses for juniors 9-17 run Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Full information here.
Finals Weekend: This will be Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 September. Our annual club tournament will run as usual over the summer, with the finals weekend in September, weather permitting! More details will follow in due course, but please save the date for the finals weekend. This is always a fun two days with great tennis to watch and food to eat, even for those not playing matches.
Middlesex Cup Winners: Congratulations to our Ladies 1st Team and their captain, Vivian, for a stunning five-hour performance in the final on Sunday 16 March, which saw them lift the crown as Middlesex Cup Division 2 winners!!
Membership renewals: Renewal emails for 2025/26 are currently being sent out to existing members. These are released in batches, so please do be patient if you have not received yours yet, as it will be winging its way to you very soon.
Can you help drag the courts please?: It significantly extends the quality and life of our courts if we drag them regularly, when the courts are dry. There are two dragging brushes on courts 1-3 and one on court 4. Regular dragging serves to brush up the pile, distribute the sand and discourage moss. Please drag the whole court, not just the playing area.
Summer mid-week tennis league 55+: We have entered a mid-week tennis league for players 55 and over. Matches are played during the day, usually starting at 11am or thereabouts. We would require 4 players for each match, 2 men and 2 women. Each player plays 4 sets: men's doubles (2 sets); ladies' doubles (2 sets); mixed doubles (2 sets). If you'd like to play just click here>>
Club hitters: A hitter is a consistent player, who is paid to play with you. It can be a great way to build consistency, get fit or focus on perfecting a new shot. It can complement coaching or just be a great way to shake up your game. We are conscious that it can be hard to get coaching time, so we are delighted to announce that the club now has two official club hitters in Louie Kovaci and Pete Ross! For more details about them, including contact details, just click here >>
Booking and cancelling courts: The booking system lets you book for the current day and the next six days for up to 90 minutes maximum per member (or group of members). Obviously if there is no-one using the court after this time there's no problem with you continuing beyond this. However it is not in the spirit of the club for one person to book 90 minutes and another in the same group to book a further 30. It isn't fair to other members, particularly at peak weekend times. Please be sure to cancel court bookings that are not needed. Just one more plea - to cancel them the minute you realise that's the case. So if you're looking for a court, it's always worth checking the night before, or morning you're hoping to play, as late cancellations do happen.
Club sessions: It's been great to see so many people coming to the weekend sessions recently, from 2:30 to 5:30pm Saturday and Sunday. Club sessions are open to everyone of 'club standard' (if you're not sure whether you're of that standard, then talk to Joe) and the principle is that we all mix in. So this is not an opportunity to arrange your own sets.
Thursday morning club sessions are from 10:30 to 12:30.
Junior club sessions are every Sunday from 5:30 to 7:00pm. 12-16 year olds welcome. Any questions, just contact Joe on 07956 265158.
Beginners' coaching session: Joe runs another beginners' group 7-8pm on Wednesday evenings. Cost £12 + £2 for lights. If you're interested please contact Joe at joetenis@hotmail.com or 07956 265158.
On court behaviour: Please do your best to keep shouting to a minimum. Emotions are part of tennis for sure, but swearing and shouting - even if it is only at your racket - can be off-putting to your opponent and in extreme cases disturb other people using the Estate grounds. In particular, please be aware of your noise levels if you're playing early morning. And we all play our best tennis when we feel supported and comfortable, so encourage your partner. Criticising is counter-productive and not in the spirit of the club. In the end it boils down to one simple principle - be nice!
Guest fees: you are welcome to bring guests to play at the club (except for weekend club sessions) but please:
- let us know in advance who you are bringing and when (email guest@muswellhilltennis.com)
- once they have played, pay £5 per adult guest, £3 per junior into the club account
This is important as we need information about who is playing for the purposes of our insurance.
Members may bring the same guest 10 times each tennis year. A member may bring up to 3 guests weekdays till 4pm.
Tennis balls: The club can supply Wilson US Open tennis balls to members for £6 per tin.
Contactless payment for the floodlights: We have a contactless payment system for the lights. All debit and credit cards and ApplePay are accepted (but not Amex). The card reader is behind the door on entering the clubhouse. As agreed with our neighbours, floodlights should not be on after 9:30pm.
Club tournament finals: Thanks to everyone who makes the tournament a special event - helpers, players and supporters. Have a look here at some of the photos. The tournament results are here.
The climate crisis: We're doing our bit. All the lighting at the club, both on and off court, is now LED.
Car parking : We ask that, where possible, you walk or cycle to the club. If you need to drive, we have 7 spaces in our car park and we ask that the first car to arrive parks at one end or other of the car park, to encourage others to park so that we make use of the 7 spaces. In addition, we need to remind long standing members and to advise new members of the following:
- We have a friendly arrangement (not a right!) with The Paddock to use their carpark when our spaces are full.
- When using The Paddock spaces we must always leave 3 spaces empty so that we do not deprive any resident or visitor of a space.
- Please ensure you have an MHMLTC sticker in your window if using spaces at The Paddock so that they know you are a tennis club member.
- We are not permitted to park in the curve opposite the entrance to The Paddock parking or in the bay at the entrance to Meadow Drive.
Car park stickers: Once you've renewed your membership, if you will be using the club car park, please pick up a 2025/26 car sticker from Mike, Ian, Joe or Kathleen.
Clubhouse security: If court 4 is the only court being used and there is no-one in the clubhouse, in the interests of security please lock the clubhouse.
Frost update: We have spoken to both Tiger Turf, the makers of the court surface and ETC who laid and maintain our courts. They say there should be no damage so long as the ambient temperature is above -5°C. Given this, members can play so long as the temperature is above -5°C. We have placed a thermometer at the entrance gate, above court 1, so we can all check the temperature. BUT each individual has to be responsible for their own safety. If you find the courts slippy you should not play. Remember that if there are frozen patches, the courts can become like an ice rink. The club cannot be liable for any injuries due to these conditions. So, please be sensible but hopefully you can enjoy some tennis in such conditions.
Fox poo is horrible! Please keep it off our courts by making sure you close the gates when you finish playing, at any time of the day. If allowed access to the courts, the foxes also love chewing our nets. Also, if there are not too many people around, they like to go into the clubhouse, so best to keep the door closed if you're on court and there's not many people about.
Closing up: A gentle reminder that if you're the last person/group leaving the club at any time of day please make sure that in winter the clubhouse heaters are turned right down to the frost setting (the red dot), doors are properly closed and locked and that the gate is closed behind you. With the weather so changeable it may well be that later bookings get cancelled, so don't assume others will be there later.
Emergency contact details: It's essential that we have contact details for a parent or guardian of junior members. But it is also important for us to have contact details for ALL members, particularly if you are the only person in your family who is a club member. Hopefully it will never be needed, but it would be terrible if there were a serious incident and we didn't know who to contact. So please check that we have up to date details in your profile on clubspark.
Supervision of Juniors: When children attend formal coaching sessions or holiday camps, they are supervised by the coaches concerned. However, when junior members and their guests use the club's facilities at any other time that is permitted by the club, parents and guardians must understand that there are no staff on the premises to safeguard, supervise or assist children, and at times there may not be any adults present at all. Parents must therefore accept complete responsibility for their juniors and guests when using the facilities of the club and the neighbouring North Bank estate, and either arrange for their play to be supervised or knowingly allow them to play unsupervised.
Safeguarding & Diversity: The LTA have asked us to make all members aware of their responsibilities when it comes to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Guidance and details of our Welfare Officers who will deal with any issue is on the noticeboard in the clubhouse. You can also find advice on what to do if you have a concern in the 'Club policies' section here>>
Feedback: As we reflect on the past year and what we want to change, the Committee would welcome your feedback! Things that have gone well, things we could improve - we'd love to know, so just drop us a note.