Please find below some information about the Tennis Club along with some general rules and expectations.

Members will be provided with a membership card and the padlock combination number that opens all the courts. Court availability is excellent outside of Club Social sessions and matches and so generally no booking is required.

Adult members and senior juniors are welcome and encouraged to attend club social tennis, if or when they have reached a reasonable standard of play (assessment made by two members of the Tennis Committee or Head Coach). 

Social sessions are held on the following days and times with Tennis Balls being provided.

Sunday & Thursday             10:00 am - 12.30 pm

Wednesday:                          5.30 pm - dusk; winter times as advised

Format:                                Doubles (men’s, ladies, mixed)

Number of games played: Seven with short deuce system

WhatsApp groups:

1 OHTC (You will be added to this group automatically unless advised) 

This group is purely for official announcements and for arranging tennis games with other members (club balls are not provided for these games).

2 OHTC-Lite for non-tennis related content and general banter. 

3 Pickleball is for those who are interested in playing pickleball with other members. 

4 OH Match Teams are for those who are playing in interclub competitions.

To join OHTC-Lite or Pickleball, please  speak to a Tennis Committee Member to get added or email chairman.ohtc@gmail.com

American Tournaments, Club Championship, Interclub League matches and Singles Box League: 

The club will normally arrange American Tournaments and a Club Championship for adult members during the year. The club plays in a number of interclub leagues, which means the courts are sometimes required for matchplay and notice will be given of such events. We  also have a “singles” box league that runs from April - September for those members who want to improve their singles. Dates and details can be found on our website under the “Competitions” tab 

Coaching: 

Our Head coach is Farid Agha. He arranges "pay as you go” group adult lessons, as well as junior championships and adult team training. You can also contact him directly (07930 923387), if you wish to have an individual / paired coaching session.

Bringing Guests to the Tennis Club:

Any adult member who wishes to bring a guest down to try out the courts and club may do so on a FOC basis on the first occasion. After this the named guest must pay a £5 fee (payable directly to a Tennis Committee member). 

This should always be advised in advance by emailing chairman.ohtc@gmail.com with the guest name, so as to accord with the club insurance policy. Guests are not permitted to join in club social sessions, as these remain a benefit of membership. 

Guests can only play at the club 5 times in total (irrespective of which member invites) in the membership year (1 April to 31st March). Members are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that their guest follows the Club’s court etiquette and tennis rules, i.e. the guest must wear non-marking trainers, etc.  

Club Policies, Complaints, Resolution of Conflict and Welfare Officer details:

Please see the link below to our Club Policies, Procedures  and Documents, to help  support members in dealing with any issues arising at the club. 

https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/OxheyHallTennisClub

Social events:

As an adult member of the tennis club, you are also a member of Oxhey Hall Community Association and are  very welcome to use the bar when it is open and to attend events organised by the Association. The Club also runs snooker, pool and darts teams in local leagues.

Hall Hire

Members can hire the hall and bar, please enquire at oxheyhallclub@gmail.com

Junior members:

Junior sessions are organised by Farid (Head Coach), on Saturday afternoons between 2 and 4pm and during school holidays . Farid offers coaching to junior members at other times, by arrangement. Please contact him directly to request coaching: 07930 923387.

Junior members are welcome to use the courts outside these sessions but not during adult social sessions (please see times above) or when the courts are required for matches. 

In the event that all courts are in use, junior members must give way to adult members. A parent can practise on court with their children but cannot play on their own or with any other adult.

Court etiquette expected at Oxhey Hall Tennis Club:

• We request that  you wear appropriate tennis clothing and footwear (non- marking trainers).  
• Please do not walk across the back of a court or behind people whilst play is in progress.
• Please be courteous to other members and refrain from using offensive language.
• Please turn your mobile phone off or on a ”silent setting” during play.
• Only take four balls onto the court during social play and please leave them at the bottom of the net at the end of your set (for the next players).
• For safety reasons, do not leave loose balls on court; keep them in a safe area or in your pocket.
• When people are waiting, finish the set you are playing and let others have a turn.
• No chewing gum, drinking glasses or glass bottles to be taken onto the courts. 
• Do not use the courts in frosty or icy conditions for obvious Health & Safety reasons.
• If you are the last to leave, please always take responsibility to securely lock the court(s).

Please follow these basic tennis rules: 

• Only call the lines on your side of the net.
• Either partner may make calls in doubles, although the call of a player looking down a line is more likely to be accurate than that of a player looking across a line.
• If any part of a ball sphere covers a line, the ball is good (a ball 99% out is still 100% good). Therefore, a player should not call a ball out, unless the player clearly sees space between where the ball lands and the outside of a line.
• Call clearly and firmly what you see and what you honestly believe to be correct. If you are in any way unsure, the ball should be called in and must be given in the opponent's favour. 
• You may challenge your opponent's call by asking “are you sure?”. If they are not or there is any uncertainty, the point is yours. If a doubles team has differing opinions on the call (i.e. – one person thought it was in and the other person thought it was out), then the ball should be treated as in. Following these principles should remove the need to replay points due to uncertainty.
• If play is interrupted in any way (e.g. a ball from another court comes onto your court), players can call a “let” prior to attempting to play the ball and so the point should be restarted.
• The server should call the score out before each serve.
• If the ball hits your body or clothing (rather than your racquet), the play is deemed over and the point is awarded to your opponent(s).