Game Set & Match - May / June 2017
Posted by on 17 May 2017
Committee Matters
It is with much regret that Steve Ryan has resigned from the club committee. Steve has overseen the development of our facilities for over a decade and most recently, project managed the construction of court 3. He has been responsible for ensuring our facilities are maintained and improved and overseen all the working parties at the club. We all owe him a very big thank you for the many hours he has put into the club over the years.
Membership Secretary – Sabina Bird has taken over as Membership Secretary.
Club Captain – a meeting is being arranged with all the team managers to discuss this role. We will keep you posted regarding developments.
Facilities – Graham Sargood and Josh McDowall will share responsibility for all matters regarding the club facilities.
If anyone is keen to get involved and join the committee, please contact any of the committee members.
Family BBQ & Tennis - Sunday 21st May
The response to this new initiative has been fantastic and we have 45 members already signed up. It will be a very informal, fun and relaxed couple of hours of tennis with BBQ this coming Sunday 21st May from 5pm. To book your place, please contact Nicola Douglas know by Friday 19th May. There will be a cost of £5 per person for the BBQ, under 10’s are free.
Gnome Tournament - Sunday 11th June
We are delighted to say that we now have a full house of 40 players for this event. Non-playing members are welcome to come along and watch or join us for refreshments afterwards. All funds raised from the day will go to Parkinsons Research in memory of Tracy Warren’s mother who passed away five years ago.
Play will start at 11.30am with the final being played around 5 / 6pm. Entry fee for tennis and buffet is £10 per person, all of which goes to charity. The cost for the buffet for non-players is £5 per person with children under 10 free.
For any queries, please contact Liz Davies (07788 452878), Jim Walthew (07717 828991) or Josh McDowall (07895 483019).
Court bookings
Over the coming 3 months, there will be increased pressure on court availability. We now have 9 teams playing in the local leagues and entry to our annual Club Championships is higher than ever (over 170 individual matches will need to be scheduled between now and September). On top of that, there are several Hospital Cup matches to be played. As a result, the committee has devised a priority booking system to help manage this over the summer months:
Priority 1
Club Sessions (incl Thursday evening, Sunday morning, Ladies evenings, Sunday Family BBQs) – all courts required
Club Competitions (Gnome Tournament, Davies Cup, Turkey Trot, Championship Finals, Junior Tournament) – all courts required
League Matches – 2 courts required
Junior group coaching sessions – 2 courts required, 3rd court may be used for coaching if it is not being used for other matches
Adult group coaching sessions – 2 courts required, 3rd court may be used for coaching if it is not being used for other matches, courts 2 and 3 can be used if court 1 floodlights are required)
Priority 2
Club Championship Matches – 1 court required
Hospital Cup Matches – 1 court required
Private Coaching Sessions – 1 court required and these can take place on another court away from club if courts are required
Priority 3 – bookable max 1 week in advance
Private bookings for social tennis
Squad training sessions
Junior club night
All bookings can be viewed here: https://stebbingtennisclub.clubbuzz.co.uk/members/calendar/2017/5
Courts may be booked using the online form: http://www.stebbingtennisclub.co.uk/facilities
For any queries about court bookings, please contact Nicola Douglas who oversees the website and online court bookings.
Coaching
Morning and evening sessions have really picked up with the warmer weather. We have plenty of new players who are keen to learn this wonderful sport, which is great! Sessions run as follows:
Monday morning: 9:15am - 10:45am (ladies and men welcome)
Monday evening adult - (intermediate-advanced): 8pm-9pm
Tuesday evening adults - (beginners - intermediate) 7pm - 8pm
Thursday ladies morning - 9:15am - 10:45am
Please contact Jude if you'd like to come along.
Ladies Night
A ladies only “Prosecco & Tennis” evening will run on Wednesday June 7th from 7pm. This will be some gentle doubles play coupled with Prosecco, what more could you ask for?
Juniors
Matches
We have 3 teams in the Halstead and District League this year. Graham Sargood and Natalie Bott have done a fantastic job managing the boys and girls teams. Additional training sessions have been scheduled for the boys by Graham, which are clearly paying off. Over the last few weeks the teams have had some great results (see website) against some very experienced teams.
Junior Tournament
This will take place on the 17th June, entries to be sent to Jude ASAP.
Junior Club Night
The first Junior club night kicked off in great style last Friday. The sun was shining and all 3 courts were in action for the duration of the session. Thanks to our junior captain for organising the evening. If you'd like to be included in the WhatsApp junior group please contact Piers Douglas on 07516 671305.
Junior club kit
A new tennis kit is now available for the juniors. This includes dry fit t-shirts, hoodies and polo shirts. For more information please contact Jude.
Facilities
Spending priorities were discussed at the last committee meeting and the following projects were deemed to be top priority:
1 – repair sub structure to clubhouse and replace vinyl floor – this will be scheduled for August
2 – top dress the car park before next winter
Turning the mound next to the 3rd court into a proper seating area and other clubhouse improvements will be addressed when additional funds are available. In the meantime, a bench has been placed by the 3rd court to provide a viewing area.
After last month's working party, the club is looking very neat and tidy in advance of the summer playing season. Many thanks to Josh McDowall for his home made planters and hanging baskets which make a great addition to our clubhouse:
Floodlight tokens
Tokens are kept at the clubhouse and can be bought at any time when Jude Walthew is onsite coaching (07825 169249) or during Thursday club night from any committee member. Please note that the floodlights may be used Monday to Friday until 10pm but not at weekends.
Car park gate
On a couple of occasions recently, the padlock on the gate has been found closed but with the correct code on display. When locking the padlocks, please ensure you twiddle the numbers once it’s locked!
Team Managers' round-up of Essex Small Clubs League news
We are still waiting for the final results of the Winter League to be published and will update you on all final positions in the divisions in the next newsletter.
The Summer League matches have begun even if the weather is not very summery yet!
The Mixed 2 and Mens 2 teams have both got off to a good start by winning their first matches. The Ladies 1 team scored a draw in their first match. Hopefully, this performance will continue for the rest of the season. Tracy
The Ladies 2 Team - The Ladies 2 team has played 2 matches so far. We drew at home and lost away. Shady
The Mixed 1 & Mens 1 Teams have yet to play any of their summer league matches.
The U18 Girls Team had a great 12-4 victory over Marconi on a gloriously warm afternoon. Special commendations go to Leticia Douglas and Paige Bott for being undefeated in every doubles match they have ever played together. Keep up the good work! Natalie
The U14 Boys Team played their second league match against Marconi. An excellent match-up overall, the boys were all of a similar age and size, and all games were close and played in good spirit. Stebbing won 12-8. Graham
Dates for your diary:
Sunday 21st May – Family Tennis & BBQ from 5pm (see above)
Sunday 11th June – Gnome Tournament 11.30am (see above)
Saturday 17th June – Junior Tournament
Friday 30th June – Junior Prize Giving and End of Season BBQ 6pm
All diary dates can be found either here or on our online Court Diary.
