It was wonderful to see so many familiar as well as new faces at the pre-season tennis mingle. We very much hope you enjoyed the evening. Now the new season has begun, we wanted to get in touch with an update from the Tennis Committee on all things tennis at the club. We’d also like to extend a very warm welcome to the new members who have recently joined us – it has been great meeting you on and off the court.

Survey

Many thanks again to everyone who completed the recent survey. Whilst there are a couple of areas for improvement, the Committee is pleased to see that the club is mostly giving players what they want. Where areas for improvement have been identified, the Committee has noted them and, in some cases, is already working on them. We will provide progress updates in future copies of the Tennis Newsletter, so do look out for these - starting with the new club session below. The winner of the draw for a free tennis lesson with Tom was Steve Ainley – congratulations Steve!

New Club Session

We are delighted to announce that due to popular demand a new club session will start on Sundays from 11:30am-1:00pm, from 30th May. Everyone is welcome, so do come down and have a game.

As a reminder, the other club sessions available are:

• Tuesday morning 9:30-11:30am
• Wednesday evening 7:00-9:00pm
• Saturday 9:00-11:30am

Supported Club Sessions

A club session which is supported by experienced players has been running since October 2022. It is held every Saturday at 11.30 for an hour, immediately after the general club session. It was designed to help new starters and those new to tennis to learn the structure of the club sessions, scoring, doubles play and court etiquette so that people could feel confident to join the general club sessions. It has been attended by between 2 (in the pouring rain) and 8 players each week and supported by 2 experienced players. There is no charge for the session and those supporting are a team of volunteers namely Ali, Ken, Angela, Peter, Ray and Judith. Several players have already gone on to join the regular club sessions which has been great to see. Due to the success of the sessions, we will continue to run them throughout 2023. If you would like to join in please message Ali on 07717500146 and you will be added to the WhatsApp group and will be welcomed.

If you would like to volunteer to help support the sessions, then please also get in touch. Our volunteers have been answering questions such as: 'How do you find rough or smooth?', 'Whose responsibility is it to call the serve out?', Why don't we say 45 rather than 40?’, 'Why do we say deuce?’ - and so often we're learning too!

Colchester & District League

The new season has now begun with a few matches having already taken place. Congratulations to the Ladies C Team who secured the Officer’s Club’s first win of the season in their first match against Essex E!

There are a few changes for this season – the main one being that at the AGM in March it was agreed that sets will now be to 6 instead of 8 as follows: ‘Each couple of one team must play the three opposing couples one normal set. A normal set is the first to six games, by two clear games, with a tie break at six-all if necessary.’ (A tie-break in this case is the standard first to seven.)

Matches will come thick and fast over the next few months. Very best of luck to everyone taking part. You can keep up to date with league tables here.  Do feel free to make the most of the longer evenings, come down to the club to enjoy a drink and support our teams in their matches.

Future Events

Our next fun tournament is on May 13th. Information about how to register and join in will follow soon – so keep an eye on your inboxes.

Some other dates for your diaries:

• June 3rd - Fundraising Tournament
• July 8th - Wimbledon Tournament
• July 29th - Charity Tournament for MIND
• September 17th  - Club Final's Day

We will be in touch with information about the tournaments and the 2023 Club Championships in due course.

Tennis Ball Recycling

We wanted to remind you that we have a facility for recycling used tennis balls. The box for this is positioned outside court 3. There is information inside about which balls can be accepted. They must have writing still visible, some fluff left and no felt pen initials – see the photos below for examples. Recycling these balls generates a small amount of income which the tennis committee will use on tennis events and equipment, so please do recycle your old balls when you have finished with them. Please make sure the box lid is closed after use to keep the balls dry.

Acceptable ball with fluff and writing

Unacceptable ball

Defibrillator

We wanted to remind all members that we have our own Defibrillator stored safely behind the bar. A defibrillator can help save the life of someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. The defib is portable, easy to use, with clear step-by-step instructions.

Floodlights

Courts 1-3 will be unavailable this week until Saturday 29th April as new floodlights are being installed – this is part of the club’s commitment to keeping our facilities in great condition.

Friendly Reminder – Member’s guest fees

We wanted to remind you that you are very welcome to bring friends or relatives for occasional use of the club. This is limited to a maximum of 6 visits per year. You are responsible for your guests during their visit and must pay a £5 fee for each introduced guest using any of the sports facilities, which includes use of the snooker table. The fee can be paid at the bar.

Your Committee

As a reminder, your committee members are:

• Peter Halliday – Chair
• Tom Perry – Club Coach
• Kevin Eastaugh – Club Captain
• Anna Bisco – Secretary
• Angela Eastaugh – Safeguarding Officer
• Loess Overbury-Tapper
• Ali Hysom
• Anil Mahendra

Do come and talk to us with any feedback, ideas or queries.