We're speeding towards Midsummer Day already and tennis is beginning to take centre stage in the sporting calendar, especially with Wimbledon fortnight on the horizon.
I am pleased to see our courts filling up again following the recent resurfacing work. The problems we had with slippages in damp weather seem to be much less of a concern now - but please continue to take care as always when it rains! If you are aware of any other teething problems, I suggest you have a word with Joe Waters who has been working closely with the contractors.
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, we are holding a special event on Saturday 25 June to celebrate the courts being back in action. Please come along and support us if possible, even if you can only come down for part of the day. The event begins at 0930 with the usual weekly Cardio tennis session. Joe Waters will then provide some coaching for all comers and this will be followed by a fun mixed doubles tournament at about 1230, concluding by 1430 when the overall winner is announced. Tea and coffee will be available, as well as bacon rolls (after Cardio) and beef burgers/hot dogs from about 12 noon. Joe has also arranged for a rep from Dunlop tennis/K-Swiss shoes to visit and he will be bringing rackets, footwear and other merchandise for us to sample. To ensure the success of the mixed tournament, could those wishing to play please email me at rbmcnally1@gmail.com so we can put together the names of entrants and work out the round robin element. To make this work well we need at least 12 names - come on, have a go!
Since the new season began, we have seen a drop in the number of members renewing subscriptions. Lots of clubs and societies are reporting the same trend, probably stemming from a break in sporting activities during lockdown. This is putting some pressure on our finances, and I urge everyone to make sure that you have paid your membership fees for the current year. Can all league players also pay their match fees promptly please, together with all outstanding league fees from the previous season.. Strictly speaking, the LTA rules prohibit anyone from playing if they have not paid up. I realise that this sounds draconian but every penny counts.
I have some very good news - after his success in the U18 national deaf finals, club member Charlie Denton recently competed in a European deaf tournament and won gold in the doubles, while finishing a very creditable third in the singles. I am running out of superlatives to praise his achievements!
Some of you will be aware that a few local families are hosting Ukrainian refugees for a while, and the committee has arranged for some of them to come and play as guests of the club over the next few months. If you see them on the courts, please make yourself known to them. I hear that a couple of them are of a very decent standard.
Finally I would like to thank everyone at the club who helped to support the recent Frampton Fund Raiser's Platinum Jubilee celebrations; we gained a lot of goodwill from local residents and that is very gratifying. Perhaps we might even pick up some new members? - fingers crossed!
Hope to see you all on 25th
Regards
Bob McNally
Chair