With life beginning to get back to some kind of normality, the tennis club is once more becoming a real social hub for Kingswood tennis players! Club sessions are generally well attended and the bar is humming, particularly on Saturday afternoons. Our first social event for many months took place on 23rd May with a very successful American Tournament organised by Chris Hyde followed by an impromptu BBQ for players courtesy of Gill Hyde. Many thanks to both for these organisational feats, particularly as the dreadful weather forecast for the afternoon nevertheless allowed for the tennis and a short bbq before the rain started. It was a great opportunity for players to meet and play with other club members outside their usual groups.

Clubhouse and Bar

It is fantastic that the Clubhouse is now open and we can begin to enjoy the facilities whilst remaining ever aware of the remaining Covid restrictions. The LTA guidance grid and notes at the end of the newsletter summarise the current position but broadly Government guidelines are: groups of up to 30 can sit outside but indoors remains table service only for groups of 6 or 2 households. Social distancing rules still apply and there is no ordering from the bar itself - it is table service only. Masks must be worn inside unless you are seated so if you are standing waiting or are walking between tables, you must wear a mask. Similarly, if you are accessing floodlight switches, first aid supplies or the disabled toilet, the mask-wearing rules apply. The bar is now open after Club social sessions and also on an ad hoc basis subject to the availability of bartenders. Our outside space is once again coming into its own with the arrival of much-improved weather and many members are enjoying the renewed opportunities to socialise during and after tennis sessions. In order to keep this area looking its best, if you move any of the furniture, please could you replace it before you leave. Improvements to our Club facilities continue and the installation of the ‘sails’ in the conservatory area has now been completed. They have already shown their benefits in keeping this part of the clubhouse much cooler and they also protect the furnishings and bar fixtures from the worst effects of the sun. Many thanks to Nigel for organising this.

Other Club areas

Replacement of the pathway into the Club is scheduled to begin in early July so access to all club facilities will be affected for a short while. Solutions to this may vary day to day depending on the progress of the works. A note will be sent out nearer the time to clarify how this will be managed.

There have been a couple of occasions on which members have found it difficult to open the front gates. If you are the last person to leave, please avoid slamming the gates shut as this is probably what causes the problem. Instead, re-input the code number and use the handle to close the gates gently. Hopefully, this will mean the gates and lock last a long time! Court maintenance will take place over the summer to ensure the surfaces play at their best so the courts will be unavailable for a few days. Please look out for emails giving details. In the meantime please can everyone ensure that they are respectful of the courts and other members by removing their rubbish after they have played and ensuring that all the balls they have used are returned to the appropriate location. Any old balls can be out in the large baskets in the clubhouse and these are then recycled.

Court Bookings

The Clubspark court booking system is now fully established and largely operates well. Whilst there are regular block bookings for social and organised sessions, remember to keep checking the website if you are looking to book a court as any unutilised courts are released 48 hours before these sessions.

Social Tennis

As mentioned above, the American Tournament which began our social calendar for 2021 was held in May. We plan to run more of these tournaments on Saturdays in July and August and the first of these will be on 10th July to tie in with the Wimbledon Ladies Finals; more details will follow soon.

Club Finals’ Day – Sunday 4th July

Tournament matches are now well underway. If you are competing in any of the events, please make sure to schedule in matches early to avoid a last-minute crush for courts! We are hoping to put on a catered buffet lunch as is the Kingswood tradition but this is contingent on further easing of Covid restrictions. Details will be circulated nearer the time.

Team news

We are running a number of teams in various leagues over the summer. Matches have now begun and this is how the teams are faring:

Junior News

Summer is upon us and the last term before the summer holidays has just started. The teen session is on every Friday from 6 pm-7.30 pm, followed by pizzas until 8 pm. If there is anyone aged 11-17 not already coming along and would like to join in please let Valentin know.

Our Junior finals days will be on the 27th June from 12-4 pm. We will also be running our usual summer holiday camps for 5 weeks. 26th July - 27th August (Monday- Friday) 9-11 am (4-9yrs old) and 11-12.30pm (10-15yrs old) For bookings or any other questions regarding our coaching program and summer holiday camps please contact Valentin on coaching.kingswoodltc@gmail.com or 07919453206  

Social Events

The upcoming social events are:

• 27th June 12:00 - 16:00 Junior Finals’ Day
• 4th July 10:00 - 20:00 Adult Finals’ Day and Official Bar Opening (latter postponed from 26th June)
• 10th July: 14:00 – 15:30 Wimbledon Ladies’ Final on Clubhouse TV 15:30 - 17:30 American Tournament followed by Pimms and strawberries
• 11th July 14:00 – 17:00 Wimbledon Men’s Final on Clubhouse TV with BBQ

A link to a sign-up form will be sent on the Club Whatsapp approximately 2-3 weeks before events depending on Covid restrictions then in place.

You can find other social events for later in the year below.  

Coach News

Nigel is retiring from his coaching role at the Club and his last teaching day will be 17th July. Many have benefited over the years from his excellent coaching talents and he will be sorely missed. The Club is very grateful for all he has done in this role. However, he will focus his energies on his own tennis from now on so opponents be warned!