Summer is here and more importantly, Wimbledon with an exciting line up of top tennis, heroes and villains (yes, I have just watched the Tsitsipas vs Kyrgios match). I won’t make any links to typical day’s tennis at the club tempted though I am.

Social Tennis

Like the broader world of tennis, we are flexing the format of things a little to try to meet more of our members needs and so have made a few changes

Social tennis start times

We have decided to introduce two start times for our social tennis sessions on Saturday and Wednesday evenings. This follows feedback from a number of members that people are tending to start earlier than the current times and then consequently leave earlier. This means the people who arrive later on find no one is available to play. These people in the future don’t come later as they assume people will have left. The hope is that people who can’t make the earlier slot can arrive knowing there will be a second group of people coming along at a later time. The start times will be as follows:

Saturday:      first session 1.00pm – 2.30pm     second session 2.30pm – 4.00pm

Wednesday   first session 5.30pm – 7.00pm     second session 7.00pm- 8.30pm

Anyone coming to the first session is of course welcome to stay on to the second session but will need to stop play and mix in with those arriving for the second session. For those arriving mid-session (we all know the challenges of Box Lane traffic!) the existing 5 games rule will apply (each court will play first to five games then mix in new people).

Sunday Tennis

The early morning men’s and women’s sessions (previously ‘by invitation only’) will now be open to all players who have played three matches in Club teams entered in league matches.

The Sunday social sessions which start at 11.15am will be open to all other members. We will book all 5 courts each Sunday to ensure good court space. We understand that some less experienced players may well prefer to play with people at a similar level so two courts will be for people choosing to do this. The other three courts will be open for all members who are not covered by the earlier club teams sessions. We would ask all players to adjust their play as required to ensure that social tennis is a fun enjoyable experience for everyone.

We’ll maintain an FAQ on the changes on the website HERE

If you have any further questions on these changes – please do drop an email to Steve, head of tennis activities (Steve)

Club Champs

The club champs are now in full swing.  If you haven’t seen them already, you can check out the draws Here.  Make a note of the deadlines for each round, and if you’re due to play and need contacts details, please let the Steve know.

New Adult Beginners / Rusty Racquets Sessions from Saturday 9th July

 We are delighted to announce that we will be running an hour-long session from 11-12 specifically for any members new to tennis or returning to tennis after a while off court. Please do come along however unconfident you feel about your tennis skills. You will be made to feel welcome – the key is to enjoy the time on court. No need to book for the 9th July – just come along.

Please do get in touch with (Craig) if you’d be interested in sessions after 9th July. There is also a WhatsApp beginners group that members are welcome to join. This exists to give people the chance to arrange informal tennis hits or potentially share lessons. Craig can add you to this group if you are interested.

Hot Racquets: New player/ captain needed

We are urgently looking for a captain for our group 5 men’s Hot Racquets team. There are four remaining games left for this season so please do get in touch with Ali L (Here) if you can help.

If you are new to hot racquets this is a fun local league for teams of four. All matches are doubles and are the best of three sets. If a third set is necessary it is played as a Champions 10 Point Tie Break to decide the rubber. Sets one and two are normal 6 game sets (by two clear games) with a 7-point tie break if necessary to decide the set.

Teams comprise of four players, making two pairs consisting of a Number 1 and Number 2 Pair.

Matches consist of 2 Rounds and 4 Rubbers being played as follows:

Round 1
1st Rubber: Home Team 1 v Away Team 2
2nd Rubber: Home Team 2 v Away Team 1
Round 2
3rd Rubber: Home Team 1 v Away Team 1
4th Rubber: Home Team 2 v Away Team

Accident Reporting: Important Requirement

A quick reminder to all members that any accidents requiring first aid need to be formally reported i.e., you need to fill in the accident book kept with the first aid kit (this is a legal requirement for the club). This needs to take account of GDPR regulations governing personal data confidentiality so we have provided a stack of envelopes for members. Each completed form needs to be sealed in an envelope, addressed to Kay Gobby (head of safeguarding) and posted in the club letterbox outside the club house. Once this has been done members should then email Kay on safeguarding@bftc.club to let her know a form is waiting for her.

Report on the recent Club BBQ

On 11th June, the Club hosted the annual summer BBQ. Once again, a great time was had by all, helped by the fact that the weather behaved and we enjoyed a wonderful evening. With people providing delicious salads, breads and accompaniments, we were all treated to a delicious feast with the BBQ expertly cooked by Tim, Kev and Jacques (Jill's husband who is a very experienced BBQ'er). In addition to the great conversation there were fun tennis games run by Ian and Matt with worthy winners showing skills beyond their normal tennis expertise!

Thank you to all the organisers Tim, Kev, Ian and particularly Rebecca who put on this splendid event. 

Bovingdon Social Tennis Chat

A plea to all members of this chat – can we try to keep this to its agreed purpose of being about Bovingdon Social Tennis? Humour is welcome but with an understanding that it needs to be mindful of different levels of sensitivity – the same is true of opinions about e.g., tennis players. Wimbledon tickets are good but we aren’t trying to run an alternative to Bovingdon market. We appreciate this sounds potentially a bit killjoy but the Committee is responsible for ensuring that any club related activity is in line with best practice.

Pilates: Tennis Workshop to Enhance Performance and Prevent Injury

We are looking at running a workshop with an external trainer who is a Biometrics coach and Pilates instructor. This will be available on two dates: Wednesday 27th July at 6.30 pm and Saturday 20th August at 12 noon. Please see the flyer below for more information

The links to book on to the sessions are here: 27th July and 20th August