GRANSDENS LAWN TENNIS CLUB

NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2010

Dear Members,

The 1 st proper winter in many years has finally, finally left us and we can now turn thoughts to badly cooked barbeques, sunburn, insects, airport delays, rain sodden bank holidays, garden fetes and of course TENNIS.

Yet another year in the life of Gransdens Lawn Tennis Club is about to get underway and as ever it promises to be busy, busy, busy. As we stare fondly at last summers shorts we cast an eye back on a particularly strange few months for the club. The slog through the chill frost of winter may have been picturesque but it did nothing for those keen for their tennis fix in the long wintry months. The various sessions were decimated by the snow and frost as partners suddenly discovered that their Wednesday nights ritual of “Come Dine With Me”, bottle of Rose and a jumbo bar of Galaxy was disturbed by the restless fidgeting of those who would normally be elsewhere.

A look back at what we’ve done since the Autumn Newsletter:

The Quiz and Supper last October was another successful earner for the club. We’re thinking of ringing a few changes to what is always the main fund raiser of the year so watch this space. It wouldn’t be fair to move on without a mention to those who worked so hard on the night. Ian produced calm where there could have been chaos, Paulette broke away from her packing long enough to cajole the workers in the kitchen in to splendid action, Rosemary cajoled and co-erced local businesses to donate for the raffle, Jan kept order above the throng and Natalie ensured that licensing laws and decorum were in place. Thank you one and all, the sum raised was in the region of £1200.

The A.G.M. and Supper attracted an unusually high turn out and positivity throbbed through the reading rooms as the past year was analysed, digested and consigned to the archives. The normal procession of voting and policy decisions which allows the club to run as it does followed and various proposals were discussed, passed, declined depending on the merits. Emma Murden stepped down from the committee and in her place stepped forward 3 wiling, female volunteers. Natalie, Bridget and Nicola were welcomed unanimously with open arms.

 The Annual Boxing Day escape from the in-laws session was pretty well attended, considering the shocking weather. 12 hardy souls were having that bad a Christmas that they risked life, limb and eternal nagging to brave the blizzards for a spot of tennis.

The club bade a tearful farewell to Craig & Paulette in November. We shall miss their enthusiasm, hard work and the spirit they showed during a lively 4 years. They returned to New Zealand and to mark their time here the club presented them with an inscribed piece of cut glass to send them on their way if not to move them in to “excess baggage” category as they struggled through Airport check in.

As you may know we are planning one or two improvements to the facilities which will hopefully come to fruition this year. We are hoping to replace and upgrade the floodlighting, to add a knock up wall and a mini tennis court on the outside of the court and to generally tidy up the exterior of the club. The plan is to raise as much as possible from grants to protect the clubs funds, the anticipated upgrade costing between £20,000 and £35,000.

A lot of the last year has seen the club offering free coaching to numerous youngsters from the village and surrounds. We’ve tried to spread our net and to lift the club’s profile as well as offering “sport for all”. Through various grants we have been able to go in to local schools to offer curriculum coaching for the children. We’ve also been able to offer blocks of free coaching to selected age groups and sections of young people such as Guides, Beavers, and Teenage Girls sessions. All were fantastically received and good for the club in terms of spreading the net and lifting our profile in the village. We intend to repeat this programme subject to grant funding and volunteers.

So that’s the past and present now what’s on offer for 2010/2011:

Lighting Upgrade

The club is aiming to improve the facilities in the coming weeks and months. The 1 st part of the equation has to be the floodlighting system which has sadly passed its sell-by date. We are looking to undertake a total renovation with the addition of lighting columns down the side of the courts. This may have to be amended subject to the grant funding available but we’re aiming high. The plan is to add a purpose-built knock-up wall and mini tennis court to the facilities, these built on the outside of the court. If you would like to see the plans, win the lottery or know a friendly multi millionaire then let us know as any help will be much appreciated. We are applying for numerous grants in a bid to protect the club funds but we’d be glad of any assistance or guidance towards sources of revenue which will help us.

Subscriptions

These are due on 1 st April 2010. After much debate at the AGM we have decided to increase the subs very slightly, but only for the adult categories and only by a very small margin. Sadly our rent has increased by a hefty amount and a further increase is currently under review due to the rising costs. The rates for 2010 are to be £105 (Family Membership), £70 (Seniors) and £20/£25 (Juniors). We hope you appreciate the need for the adjustment and that we have passed on only a small portion of the increased costs. Please complete the attached renewal form and return it with your payment as soon as possible so that you can continue to play. Upon receipt of your form a new key to the courts will be issued as the existing lock will be changed in April. This key will also apply to the lock for the entrance gates. Please remember to let Nicola Hipwell (New Membership Secretary) know if your contact details change. A free tube of balls is still offered to existing members who introduce a new member.

Matches

Due to the success of the clubs various teams and the demand for league tennis we’ve added to the sides we’re putting out this year. We’ve put in a 3 rd team in the LTA Vets Winter League and are running a Men’s 2 ndteam in the Business House Leagues. Subject to the demand and being able to find suitable Captains for the teams we intend to expand further so if you are of a more competitive nature then please let us know. The club enters teams in the LTA’s Men’s, Ladies and Mixed sections for both the Summer and Winter leagues. As well as these the Vets (Men over 45, Women over 40) are cast out in Feb/March for the LTA Vets Mixed leagues. On top of all this we run teams in the Business Houses Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Leagues which are a little less formal. Results of any games are pinned on the clubs various notice boards so please have a look when you’re next in there.

For the record: the LTA Winter Leagues have just finished after a rain sodden set of games

 The Men’s 1 st’s had a messy stop start time of it, 2 teams pulled out and odd games were cancelled due to the weather. Of the 5 matches they played they won 2, lost 2 and drew 1 ending up nicely in 3 rd place.

The Men’s 2 nd’s came to a grinding halt after their promotion campaign last time round. They were roundly beaten in Div 3, finishing bottom. Their only chance of victory chalked off when leading St Neots by 3-1 the rains came down and the game was abandoned.

The Ladies 1 st’s were narrowly piped for the Div 3 title after the lights went out literally. The season ended with them in 2 nd place, 1 game short due to the abandonment, and needing 1 point from the bottom club to secure the title!

T he Ladies 2 nd’s were also “robbed”. They were relegated to Div 5 after finishing level with the team above them but separated by the narrowest of margins

The Mixed 1 st team had a torrid start in their return to the rarefied environment of Div 1 as most of the Senior players were unavailable for various reasons. Happily they avoided relegation with a battling win in their last game against St Neots to end up 3 rd from bottom.

If you’d like to play in one of the clubs numerous teams please let us know on the back page

 Annual Awards / Fun Day

We’ve decided to change this year’s format as our bid to attract new faces via the Awards/Open Day rarely brings in any one! We’ve opted for more of a traditional feel and a new format to our seasonal opener. The normal Sunday session on the 25 th April will be “replaced” by the running of the clubs “American” Tournament (Mixed Doubles where you play numerous games with different partners!). All members will be invited, cajoled, co-erced to enter the competition and there will be light refreshments and something a little stronger for those who peak too early. We’ve decided to scrap the formal presentation of the club’s various awards on the “Open Day” as they will now be done on Finals Day. We feel this is more appropriate and it means that the winners will all be there (see below) sweat stained and bedraggled as they receive their trophies.

Wimbledon Draw

The Wimbledon Draw will take place at 5 O Clock during the above event on 25 th April and only those who are in attendance or who have nominated someone to be there on their behalf can win . Do remember that you must have paid your subscription prior to the draw to be included in the draw and in accordance withBritish Tennis guidelines “you must be a member of British Tennis to be eligible to enter the draw” (to join see below). The guidelines also stress that the draw is open only to British Tennis members aged 9 and over. The draw was a nightmare to organize last tear and even worse for James who had to sort out the various choices and names and then to chase the money for weeks after the event. As a result we’ve decided to make it easier. Anyone who wants to be in the draw must be there on the day (or have someone acting on their behalf) and as importantly they will be asked to choose their tickets and pay on the day. We need to be able to sort the ticket allocation out on the day and we have been allocated 14 pairs of tickets this year, an increase on last year. We want to make the draw easier to control and to turn the day in to a tennis afternoon with a club competition on offer to celebrate the start of the new season. We’d love you to play on the day, if not pop along for a nibble and a drink and if you or your family want to be entered in to the Wimbledon draw then come along at 5.

Tournaments

The normal array of Club tournaments is on offer once more and due to the resounding success of the inaugural Gransdens Tennis Week we’ve decided to do it again! We will be holding the clubs 5 main tournaments on 5 consecutive nights in the same week with the Junior events taking place on the Saturday. We will then have a finals day 8 days later on the Sunday (to allow for any bad weather which allows us to fit in any cancellations). The details are as follows and we would ask as many of you as possible to take part and we will be in touch nearer the time to chase your participation. As you can imagine it is a time consuming process to contact everybody so please respond to avoid us having to chase everyone. Please feel free to contact the organizer if you want to take part and let’s make it a fun week. Please note ALL the finals will take place on the 19 th.

The Gransdens Tournament Week is planned for 6 th - 11 th September - Finals day 19 th Sept :

Matches to start at 6.30.

Men’s Singles Monday Andy Wilson

Ladies Singles Tuesday Sam Lodge

Mixed Doubles Wednesday Nicola Hipwell

Men’s Doubles Thursday Trevor Peer/Adran George

Ladies Doubles Friday Jan Foster

Juniors Day Saturday Trevor Peer/Natalie Rogerson [start time to be confirmed]

Finals Day Sunday 19 th Trevor Peer

The Family Cup and the return of the “Inter Club” Trophy Gransdens v The Rest of The World will all be pencilled in the calendar during the year as gaps in our hectic schedule allow and again we will be in touch nearer the time.

Club Sessions

The club offers numerous sessions for the good, the bad and the indifferent; please come along you will be made welcome as the sessions are designed for people of all abilities.

 Ladies mornings take place on Friday mornings from 9.00 a.m and everyone is welcome.

In addition to the above Rosemary has managed to cajole a few nervous females out on a Thursday morning, again if you want to test your skills, get back in to tennis or are just starting then step forward, 9.30 a.m start time.

On Sat mornings a hardy bunch of members turn up rain or shine for a knock up, 9 till 11, newcomers welcome

The normal Club Sessions take place on Wed Evenings from 7.30 p.m . and Sunday Afternoons from 2.30p.m. Over the winter these sessions have been well attended, despite the cold, and we hope this will continue as the weather gets warmer, if you’ve never been, feel free to turn up to have a look at any of the above, you’ll be made most welcome; we cater for all ages and abilities so don’t be shy.

LTA Membership

The LTA are still encouraging all members of the Club to become members of “British Tennis” and it’s still FREE. The club is keen to get as many members as possible to join to ensure that our allocation of Wimbledon tickets is maintained if not enhanced. Anyone who has already joined will have their membership automatically renewed for the season 2010/2011. There are all sorts of incentives and goodies to encourage you to sign up and if it appeals go to www.lta.org.uk/BritishTennisMembership and join. Please join the family as individuals, It’s very easy, kids go free, it helps our cause in many ways and gives all of you access to all sorts of things including the Wimbledon Draw!.

Website

A reminder that the club’s website is www.gransdensltc.co.uk. Please have a look and if you have anything to put on there (Team Capt’s you have been nagged) let Rosemary know.

Coaching

Adrian Goh has taken over the running of the Club’s Coaching schemes. So much of Chris Johnson’s time was being taken up by his LTA work that he asked Adrian to take over the running of the programme as well as the coaching. We thank Chris for the time and effort he has invested in the club over many, many years, and wish him well as he climbs the coaching ladder. Adrian has any number of new ideas which we hopefully implement soon once we find out what it is that the members want.

We are hoping to repeat the Ladies on ly coaching but want to make it more flexible for you. We are looking at offering 2 options Mondays 1.00 – 2.30, Fridays 1.00 – 2.30 the coaching to last for 8 weeks . Obviously we can’t please all of you ladies all of the time but we are determined to make this year “Ladies Year” and to get as many Ladies / Girls playing as possible. The cost for the 8 weeks will be a remarkable £32 and the sessions are designed for all ages and abilities. Ideal for beginners who need a bit of coaching, those who want to get back in to tennis and need a bit of encouragement or those who simply want to improve. The Ladies who have been involved in previous year’s sessions swear by it and we’d love you to step forward. Please let us know which day would suit you and we’ll get things moving, the plan that you have an hour’s coaching with Adrian and then 30 mins tennis.

We are keen to continue to offer coaching for Adults , in fact as part of the “ClubMark” commitment we have to offer Adult coaching. We’re currently trying to work out some new ideas and perhaps sort out better times to suit more of the members. We’re looking to run a batch of sessions on a Monday night as well as the more regular Saturday mornings format. Please signify your needs and preferences on the form at the back and we’ll liaise with Adrian to sort out the dates.

If you wish to take part in any of these, please complete and return the relevant forms included in this mailing, the coaching is for all standards from beginner to rusty so don’t be shy!.

 Village Court

The village court is now sadly not going to be renovated, after much hard work the plans have been shelved!, please note that the courts are no longer part of the clubs facilities but can be used at your own risk.

 Tesco Sports Vouchers

We collect Tesco’s vouchers via a box in the Clubhouse. This helps us replenish our mini tennis balls stash and over the previous years has saved us a great deal of money. Your support is much appreciated if you can spare us any vouchers as and when the promotions are held then we’d e more than grateful.

Juniors News

Please see the separate enclosure.

 Kit

Jan is now in charge of kit and as well as trying to make sure our youngsters look smart when they are on duty we’ll try and smarten up some of the adults as well. She will be placing an order shortly so watch this space.

Balls / Tokens

As ever we are offering new tubes of four balls for only £5 or, when available, ex. match balls for £2. Please contact Jan for balls and if you want to purchase tokens for the floodlights.

Committee Contacts

The committee comprises this fine cross section of society: Tim. Mason, President & Treasurer (677284); Trevor Peer, Chairman (01954 710599); James Blott, Secretary (01954 718265); Jan Foster, Kit/Clubhouse (677082) Ian Darroch, Sportsfield Rep (679949); Nicola Hipwell, Membership Sec (677968), Brenda Johnson, Court Bookings (650658); Sam Lodge, Resting (677763); Andy Wilson, Grant Applications (677196); Rosemary Hussain, Website (677979); Bridget Flanagan, Rota’s Sec (01480-456370) ; Nicola Thomas, Juniors (677889); Natalie Rogerson, Social, Juniors, Chivvying (677196), All codes are 01767 unless stated otherwise.

We’re all looking forward to another bumper year and hope you’ll be able to join us.

The views in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the tennis Club committee but very occasionally are.

Trevor Peer……………..For the Tennis Club Committee

Coaching

As part of our responsibilities to fulfil the “Clubmark Accreditation” we have to offer Coaching to all our members . We are planning to again offer 10 week coaching courses for Adults on Saturday mornings and for Ladies on Friday mornings (this is flexible so let us know if you would prefer a better time or day) . Both of these courses are designed to help all levels progress, the Ladies sessions aimed at those who are starting out or who are keen to get back in to tennis again. The sessions are for an hour and if you are interested then contact Trevor (the exact details and dates to be released in due course). If any of the younger one’s are interested in being coached please refer to the Juniors sheet, there are numerous sessions available for all ages . Please note WE NEED MORE WOMEN ! The club needs more Ladies for both social and league tennis. If you’re not sure about your ability, need some coaching, nervous, coy, shy, desperate to escape the hum drum existence of everyday life then step forward, we need more ladies. The tennis club is very friendly and there’s always wine in the fridge!

Club House

The club house is still in excellent order but we still need members to look after it, particularly theparents of the juniors. Please put recycling stuff in the recycling bin!!!! (Plastic cups and bottles canbe recycled!). Avoid your little cherubs trashing the place or leaving it in a mess, as importantly try and avoid them using 23 cups for their 14 drinks during their sessions. There are always various items that have been left of late, all are kept in a bag under the chair near to the balls, they will all be sent to a 3 rd world country shortly if they are not claimed. We would ask that when your children are being coached or are at junior sessions you send them along with a drink! Wedon’t have running water on site and can only offer the drinks dispenser. Sadly consumption is frightening now and we are trying to be prudent with it as occasionally after the juniors sessions there is no water left for the adults and they get grumpy!.