Welcome to our September newsletter!  A particular welcome to the 39 new members who joined on or around our recent Open Day.

Entrance Lobby & Players’ Bar

We should be able to re-open the area any day and return to normal club access.

Plastering and painting is nearly finished.  Radiators, electrical points and door fittings will be done this week. Leaving just the breakfast bar and counter tops to be fitted (different contractor/carpenter) and a new entrance mat (on order).

We believe it is a much smarter, brighter, more modern and welcoming entrance into the club, befitting the rest of our lovely facilities.  The previous exposed brickwork had served us well, but it was looking dated and uninviting.

Tennis

Congratulations to our men’s National League team who finished joint third in the country in the National Finals in Bournemouth, narrowly losing in the semi-finals to Roehampton, who were crowned champions once more.  Roehampton also won the men’s and women’s European Squash Championship that weekend - the Man City of tennis and squash clubs.

Our teams in the Herts League, Aylesbury League and Hot Rackets are coming to the end of the Summer season, with some teams currently sitting in promotion places - well done!  More information will follow once all matches have been played.

Unfortunately, Summer now seems to be at an end.  Rain is falling in abundance.

Fortunately, though, our tennis courts all drain pretty well and are playable very quickly even after torrential downpours.  Very rarely do we have to take any courts out of action, unlike some clubs.  

Courts 7-9 drain pretty much instantly, helped by their elevated position with a steep drop down into the Broadwater access road.  

Courts 10-12 are now much better than they were, following the recent groundwork improvements and new playing surface.  12 gets the run-off from courts 1-3, which can be like a river down the concrete slope from court 3, but the new retaining wall along the entrance footpath has helped and has stopped the landslide of earth we used to get.  It has moved the pooling of water to the rear corner of court 12, but even that dissipates reasonably quickly.

Courts 1-3 are not so good, because rainwater seems to sit on the ‘clay’ surface more so than the astroturf surface.

Our annual Handicap Tournament is underway - enjoy!  In fact, we’ve even released the date for our 2025 Club Tennis Finals:  21st June 2025.  Many of you like to know well in advance so you can earmark it in your diaries.

Squash & Racketball

The new season is underway!

Winter box leagues have resumed, Herts and Bucks club team matches are starting to get underway, and on Friday we have something to really whet your appetite.  In association with Dunlop Squash, 3 times world champion Nick Matthew is at the club for a coaching masterclass (juniors at 5pm, adults at 6pm) followed by an exhibition match.  Dunlop will have rackets and kit for sale, with all rackets available to try.

Sign up with Adam if you haven’t done so already.

Social

Upcoming events:

Wednesday 9th October - Rock ’n Roll Bingo in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Details to follow.....

Friday 6th December - Elvis Christmas Party.  Elvis is back!

Wednesday 11th or Friday 13th December (tbc) - Christmas Quiz Night.  Quiz Night is back!

Coming soon:  an upgrade to our Sky TV system, with SkyQ and a second box for the Players’ Bar, so we can have different channels on each TV.

Spotlight on…

…changes made 12 months on from our Members’ Opinion Survey.  You said/We did.

Among your top common areas of concern were:

• high cost of tennis coaching;
• poor condition of tennis courts 10-12;
• clubhouse is tired, dated, and lacks atmosphere; and
• poor toilet facilities.

In response to your feedback we have:

• tweaked our tennis coaching model, bringing it in-house (albeit that the coaches are self-employed) and enabling us to reduce the cost of 121 coaching;
• extensively refurbished courts 10-12;
• decorated the entrance lobby and players’ bar, the first impression/interaction area for anyone attending the club; and
• instructed maintenance work to the women’s toilets and will begin a project to refurbish them in 2025 (subject to 2025 financial planning and competing bids for investment).

It’s been a busy past 12 months at our club, and the next 12 months will be no different as we continue to deliver various improvements for you; some small, some more notable.

We aim to run a Members’ Opinion Survey every other year, so there will be another opportunity for everyone to have their say next Summer.  Not that you need to wait until then; feedback is always welcome.

That’s it for now, until next time.

Club Council

(John Shaw, Phil Trimmer, Michael Beavis, Matt Markwort, Tracey Mackey, Mark Shattock)