RATC Newsletter - December 2024
We've been meaning to send out a regular club newsletter for some time now but never quite managed it. So here it is, think of it as a pre-New Year resolution. We'll try and provide you with an overview of the various opportunities to play and support tennis within the club and some of the work the committee is doing in the backgound. We hope you find it useful. Please do get in touch with any comments.
The Welfare Officer is a key role in the club and the committee would like to express our sincere thanks to Helen Winstanley who is standing down after three years. We are looking for someone to take over this role. Prior experience of safeguarding is helpful but not mandatory. You will need to be DBS checked and undertake the LTA's required safeguarding training. The club will cover any costs related to the role. The LTA Welfare Officer role description can be found on the LTA website. If you are able to help, please contact Patrick, Helen, Mihály or Veronica.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of the club. We'd like to share some insights into the work of the committee. In this newletter we focus on the Membership Secretary role and the fantastic service that Sue Tippett has given over many years. Sue is standing down as Membership Secretary at the next AGM. We're keen to find a replacement who could shadow her over the final few months. Again, if you are able to help, please contact Sue or Patrick.
We renewed our LTA venue registration in November. This provides a number of benefits - use of Clubspark, public liability insurance and free Advantage+ Play membership for members. As part of this we reviewed and refreshed a number of our policies, in particular our Safeguarding policy and Code of Conduct. Providing a safe and inclusive environment is the top priority for the committee and for me personally as Chair. A full list of the club's policies can be found on at https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/RomseyTennis/Contact.
Keeping the courts clear of leaves and other debris at this time of year is a challenge. We had the courts treated for moss at the end of October and have engaged a contractor to clear the courts twice a week to try and keep on top of things. Please note, the club's booking policy also requires you to ensure the courts are fit and safe to play. Please do let me or a member of the committee know of any issues.
I hope the weather is kind and you get a chance to play over the festive period. Either way, best wishes from the committee.
Patrick Fuller - Chairman
Club Champs
The courts of Romsey & Abbey Tennis Club buzzed with excitement for our highly anticipated Club Championships Finals Day 2024. The October sunshine provided the perfect backdrop for an action-packed day of tennis that showcased intense competition, dramatic comebacks, and memorable moments.
Men's Singles
Daniel Alborough vs. Michael Stickley (3)
Winner: Michael Stickley
4-6, 7-5, 9-11
Women's Singles
Evie Jayne vs. Pati Buckle (2)
Winner: Pati Buckle
3-6, 0-6
Men's Doubles
Adam Johnson & Tomasz Wojtak vs. Michael Stickley & Kevin Stickley (2)
Winners: Adam Johnson & Tomasz Wojtak
6-4, 6-1
Women's Doubles
Pati Buckle & Kate Martel (1) vs. Wei Lingard-Lane & Nelly Porter (2)
Winners: Pati Buckle & Kate Martel
6-0, 6-4
Mixed Doubles
Kate Martel & Owen Martel (1) vs. Pati Buckle & Kevin Stickley (2)
Winners: Kate Martel & Owen Martel
6-2, 6-2
The RATC Club Tennis Championships Finals Day was a resounding success, featuring competitive matches, sportsmanship, and camaraderie. Congratulations to all players who participated. Read a full report on the club's website.
David Kislingbury - General Committee Member
Programme
The club offers a range of mix-in sessions and coaching for members. Details of the social mix-ins and the club's full tennis programme can can be found on Clubspark:
- https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/RomseyTennis/PlayTennis/Social.
- https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/RomseyTennis/Programme.
Many thanks to the voluteers who run the weekly social mix-ins. Please do give them your support if participating in these sessions.
A special thanks to Meriel Fiddes for organising the Walking Tennis session which the club now offers all year round on Thursday morning from 11am. This session is free for members and non-members with costs being covered by the COVID grants received by the club. There's been a steady increase in interest and numbers over the last 12 months which is great to see. For more details about Walking Tennis please see the LTA website or contact Meriel on walkingtennis@ratc.org.uk.
We're thinking about offering a new mix-in next year. This is for members who've recently taken up or are returning to tennis and don't feel quite ready to join one of the existing mix-ins. This new mix-in, probably on Saturday morning (9-10am), would focus on cooperative play and provide a opportunity for members to practice in a friendly and non-competitive environment. If interested, please contact Patrick (chairman@ratc.org.uk).
Coaching
The Autumn term’s coaching is in full swing with a popular programme of group and individual lessons led by Mihály with support from the coaching team (James, Veronica, Tom, Ross and Owen). Coaching is available for adults of all play levels and for juniors/minis on red, orange, green and yellow ball. We also run a Cardio Tennis Session on a Monday morning (run by James). This is a fun, relaxed session and suitable for any play level.
At Romsey we currently have 70 juniors, and 40 adults actively engaged in the coaching programme. Most group sessions are full, but we do have spaces in our Adult Beginner group on a Saturday morning. It would also be great to get more members/non-members involved in the Cardio session (Monday @0930) as well. We are particularly pleased that we have a number of highly active coaching groups involving teenagers and young adults (including the Monday Teen Girls and Friday “Youth” Group).
In addition to coaching Mihály and the team are happy to provide technical advice on rackets etc., with Mihály providing an expert re-stringing service.
If you have any queries regarding the coaching programme, or suggestions for future services we may be able to offer, please contact Mihály or Veronica on tennis@ratc.org.uk.
Mihály Bukur - Head Coach
League Matches
Did you know we currently have 4 teams playing for the club in the Hampshire Leagues for competitive tennis? We have Mixed A captained by Owen, Mixed B by Brad, Ladies by Kate and Mens by David K. I would personally like to thank the captains and all the players who have been involved in these matches this year.
Competition is a fundamental part of tennis. Romsey are keen to have more people playing tennis competitively in the club, particularly ladies who would like to play some matches. Today Ladies played a home match against Swanmore and won 3-1 in a positive and supportive environment with good sportsmanship from all on the court. Well done team!
The teams are welcoming to new participants and we hope to start a new initiative to get more women playing from the New Year. Details to follow. However if you are interested in playing please contact Kate matchsec@ratc.org.uk.
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas.
Kate Martel - Match Secretary
Club Development
Romsey and Abbey Tennis Club continue to seek improvements to the Club’s infrastructure and service provision. The LTA Prime Video Youth Girls initiative which brought many new girls to the club will finish at the end of 2024. We are really pleased that we have retained some of the girls who took part in this initiative at Romsey. We now have a new teenage girls’ group with 10 teenagers regularly attending the Monday night session. We're looking for external funding to continue these sessions and ladies who would be able to help run them (a volunteer DBS would be required).
There is still a focus on improving the Clubhouse facility and we continue conversations with Test Valley over a lease land extension. We have sought guidance from Sport England and the LTA over suitable “model” buildings. Unfortunately, with the LTA restructure there is less direct advice available for such developments, hence we are looking to other Club’s for good practice. If you have experience of drawing up plans, delivering or generally helping out then please do get in touch.
RATC continue to seek improvements on the day-to-day management and upkeep of the Club. In particular, the regular cleaning of the courts, and the procurement of support for leaf clearing. It is important that the courts are regularly cleared as we are well into the asset life of the court infrastructure. New court surfaces are due in the next 5 years. This is a Test Valley responsibility, and we have requested that they include this activity in their budgetary planning.
If you would like further information on the Club Development activities please contact Veronica on Clubdev@ratc.org.uk or Patrick on chairman@ratc.org.uk.
Veronica Broughton-Shaw - Club Development
Committee Roles - Membership Secretary
I've been Membership Secretary since 1998 for Abbey Tennis Club before it merged to become Romsey & Abbey Tennis Club in 2010. I've played for the Ladies and Mixed teams for many years, supported junior coaching on a Saturday morning and am now actively involved with the Walking Tennis.
As Membership Secretary I'm the first point of contact for new members joining the club, sending them a welcome email about the club's mix-ins, coaching and other opportunities. I'm also the point of contact for all ongoing membership queries with a couple or so queries each week which I respond to by email, phone call or face-to-face meeting.
March to May is the busiest time of year for me. The committee reviews and sets the membership prices in January or February. I then load the new membership packages onto Clubspark and make them live at the end of March. Then it's a case of monitoring payments, responding to queries and chasing the stragglers! There's another burst of activity in September to October when we launch our autumn/winter memberships.
I used to manage the LTA ballot back when tickets were issued to clubs which then ran their own ballot. The ballot is now centrally managed by the LTA so it's just a case of verifying the list of eligible members.
I spend up ot 10 hours a week at the peak time of the year and 1-2 hours a week on average for the rest of the year. This excludes committee meetings which are typically every one or two months. I provide a Membership Secretary report for each meeting and represent their interests.
The LTA Membership Secretary role description can be found at:
Sue Tippett - Membership Secretary