To view the details of our latest meeting, please click on the link below:
Minutes Committee 16th October 2024
2023 COURT CLEAN UP
We all agreed that the moss was thicker this year than at any other time. Nonetheless on Sunday 2nd April a group of 10 enthusiastic and determined members set out to rid the courts of this nuisance weed.
However, despite their best efforts it soon became very clear that sweeping was not going to win the day, and that the previously obtained moss killer would need to be applied and allowed to do its job. At this point a knight in shining armour, Steve Hopkins, came forward and offered to carry out the spraying. At this time discussions were being held with a local contractor, and they suggested the use of another moss killer, so supplies of this variant were also obtained, and once again Steve offered to carry out the spraying. All this was achieved during the middle of April. It was then decided that, after a suitable period to allow the killer to work, a (hopefully) final sweep up of the courts
This final sweep up occurred on Sunday 30th April, when a group of 5 gentlemen (and the female picture taker – Norma) descended on the courts to have another go at removing the, by now dead, moss.
Despite the efforts of all involved, it was recognised that 2023 had been the worst year for moss on the courts, and that further action was required to secure the long term condition of the courts. As a result it was agreed that quotes would be obtained for resurfacing or repainting of the courts in either in 2023, or very early 2024.
A big thank you to all those who took part in this back breaking and thoroughly hard and painful process. Your efforts were not in vain and we hope that you enjoy your tennis on our courts throughout 2023 and in the future.
FUN DOUBLES – SUNDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER 2024
You might think that a day when the weather forecast showed an 80 to 90% chance of rain would not be a day to play this annual event. However, much to our relief the weather forecasters had got it wrong (again!!) and we enjoyed several hours of fine windless weather, with even a little bit of blue sky and sunshine thrown into the mix.
Against this background, 16 club members set out on their quest to (primarily) have fun, but also to capture the winners and runner up trophies in this ever popular annual event..
As always, having seeded a number of players, pairs were drawn at random. Each pair then played 4 games against every other pair. This meant everyone played 7 sets of 4 games, so a good amount of tennis was played, with some tired legs (arms, etc) at the end. As stated previously, the weather remained fine, and even got nicely warm later in the afternoon as play progressed.
Throughout the afternoon some fine tennis was played, and a lot of grit and determination was on show. There were also lots of smiles, and this is really what this event is all about. After all the tennis had been played each player had amassed their own individual score in games won, and it was this score that would determine the winners.
For the Ladies we had 2 new names on the trophies. Congratulations go to our winner, Lesley Jones, with a score of 22 games, the highest score on the day, and to Sue Melville our runner up who scored a very creditable 15 games won.
No new names on the Men’s trophies, but congratulations nevertheless go to our winner Simon Kitching, with the second highest score on the day of 20 games, and the runner up, David Miller with another high score of 18 games.
Keeping score in an event like this is not an easy matter, so we are immensely thankful to the kind efforts of our President Nicky Hignett whose flawless performance easily matched the tennis played during the tournament.
Hope to see you all (and more) in 2025.
Latest newsletter:
- Internal Club Competitions – As you will be aware, we held both our Fun Doubles and Terry Marshall Singles competitions in September. Both events attracted good numbers, and full reports can be found on our website at.www.mashamshiretennisclub.
co.uk - Committee Meeting – Your committee held its latest meeting on Wednesday 16th October, at which many matters were discussed. A copy of the meeting minutes can be found and read on our website. The following, is a list of some of the items discussed:
- Social Club Sessions – You will be aware that the club hosts several sessions each week, at which all members are cordially invited to attend. The sessions have long been seen as an important part of the fabric of the club, and a way for members to get to know each other, as well as enjoying a friendly match against other members. In 2024 the numbers at these sessions were noticeably lower than in previous years. Several reasons were put forward for this, and of course it was noted that members should not feel compelled to attend these sessions, but rather we would hope that the opportunity to meet and play with other members would be encouragement itself.
- The sessions are held on Sunday mornings at 10 am, Wednesday evenings at 6 pm, and Thursday afternoons at 2 pm. Attendance at the Sunday and Wednesday sessions has traditionally been strong, and we believe that their timings are appropriate for those who would like to attend, but clearly we would like to see more members at these sessions.
- Thursdays have always been more difficult to maintain. It was therefore suggested that we seek the views of the membership to see if there might be a better time during weekdays to schedule this session.
- We would very much like to see more members at these sessions, and would really like to hear your views about them. Do you attend, if not would a different time mean that you would attend. As I stated previously, if, as a member of the club, these sessions are not important to you, that is not a problem. There are many reasons for joining a tennis club, and we hope that we cater for them all. Your thoughts would be very welcome.
- LTA Registration – You may be aware that we are an LTA Registered Venue. In order to achieve this registration the club has to demonstrate that is has in place the necessary management (committee) and policies to successfully and properly run the club. You can find details of your committee and copies of all our policies in the tennis hut, and on our website. This annual process has many benefits to the club and its members.
- Insurance cover for the club, its members and its club official (committee).
- Exposure, via the LTA website, to visitors and residents of the local area, who can find details of the club. This does generate an income to the club from casual visitors.
- Members who have LTA Advantage membership are eligible for LTA benefits and can also join the Wimbledon ballot for tickets to that event.
- Christmas Social Evening – My recent email on this subject reported that we have held our Christmas social evenings in the Black Sheep for the past 2 years, and have had really enjoyable evenings with good food, dancing and good company, on each occasion.. As a result we have opted for this once again in 2024. If you would like to come along the date is Saturday 7th December starting at 7 pm. To book your places please email Jo Cooke at jocooke235@gmail.com
- Maintenance Activities – Hopefully you will agree that the playing surface has improved hugely since we had work done on the courts in the Autumn of 2023. However, other aspects of the club’s facilities do need attention and we have a Maintenance Policy in place to cover these. What we are lacking is someone with a little knowledge on these matters, to keep ahead of things and alert us (the committee) to what needs to be done to ensure that our facilities remain fit for purpose and safe for the members and visitors to the club. Would anyone be willing to take on this role for the club. We are not asking for this individual to undertake the work by themselves, but for them to identify work that needs to be done and assist us with getting that done in the best way. If anyone is interested, could you please contact me by email.
- Tennis Hut Sticking Door – Having said that we don’t need an individual to carry out the work, actually at this moment we do need someone to have a look at the right hand tennis hut door, which is extremely difficult to open, and needs to be sorted. Could anyone undertake this task please?
- Replacement Tennis Hut – Whilst we are on the subject of the tennis hut, you will I think agree that the existing hut is (at least) a little bit past its best. The committee has discussed its replacement several times, and has determined what a replacement would look like and what facilities it should have. We have also had a couple of quotes, although these are likely to be out of date by now. The replacement process will require a planning application, a request for external funding, and further research into the identification of suitable companies who are able to provide these structures, and hoe best to proceed. Once again I have been asked to seek a willing volunteer (or a small group) who would be willing to see this project through to completion. Obviously at the end of the process we would end up with a newer, bigger and better hut, hopefully something we could more accurately describe as something more than a hut. Again, if you are willing to assist with this, then please contact me to discuss it further.
I hope this newsletter was of interest to you. Your views and comments on anything raised therein, or indeed any other matter regarding our club, would be more than welcome. As you can see, we have felt the need to seek additional support from members in a number of areas. I’m sure that you will agree that properly running any club is a significant commitment, and just occasionally, as we are all volunteers, we feel the need for this additional support and effort. Your help and assistance in any way, with any of the areas we have identified, would be most welcome.
