Welcome to our April newsletter!

Clocks have changed, Easter has been, Spring is here and Summer is on its way. The club is at its best with the sun shining.

We’re all getting used to the new car parking system at Canal Fields. Glass half full, hopefully it will lead to the 4-hour rule being respected and free-up some parking spaces.

The gate to our walkway entrance by that car park has always been problematical and has finally gone beyond repair. Once we sort out the fencing that connects to it from court 12, we’ll install something better that can withstand constant use.

Tennis

Draws for this year’s Club Tournament will be published on Monday, culminating in Finals Week in June: semi-finals evenings on Wednesday 18th (singles) and Thursday 19th (doubles); finals day on Saturday 21st. Good luck everyone!

Our National League team has 2 remaining home fixtures in the group stage of the competition, and they’re against tennis royalty. On Sunday 18th May we play Roehampton and on Sunday 8th June we host Queens Club. Matches start from 12 midday. Come on down and see if Berkhamsted can giant-kill the Man Cities of the tennis world.

Squash and Racketball

As our tennis club tournament commences, our squash and racketball tournaments conclude.

On Thursday this week our semi-final evening commences at 7pm and on Saturday our finals day starts at 2pm (for the adult finals).

Please come down and support. The standard will be excellent, with 3 England Masters internationals likely to be featuring strongly. The bar will be open and, on Saturday, the kitchen will be open from 5pm.

Coming up next month we have a couple of great events.

On the weekend of 17th/18th May we are hosting the Racketball Masters InterCounties, including 8 of our members playing for the Herts O40s, O50s and O60s teams. Also, we are likely to be having an Adam Fuller and Mike Harris (UK number 1) racketball coaching masterclass and exhibition on the Friday evening - details coming soon.

Then from Thursday 29th May to Sunday 1st June we have our annual Berkhamsted Linksap PSA Open, now in its 5th year, bringing you pro squash to our club. And we’ve given Adam one of the wildcard entries to the men’s! Has he still got it? Did he ever have it? Come and find out! Tickets going on sale soon.

Social and Clubhouse News

With the evenings being lighter and warmer (sometimes), the Friday Kitchen is returning this week. Every Friday from 6pm to 8pm, with a new Summer menu. The kitchen will also be open for all NCL Sundays and the upcoming squash and racketball events.

Around and about the club, we have undertaken annual court maintenance to squash courts 1 and 2, which are now looking as good as new, and we have laid new sensors into the tarmac for the car park barrier, hopefully resolving its temperamental nature.

Just one more thing / the Columbo section

Dogs are very welcome at the club, but please clear up after them. There is a poo-bin next to the pathway entrance at the Canal Fields car park. Please do not leave poo bags (or worse) on our lawn area.

Until next month, that’s all for now!

Club Council

(John Shaw, Phil Trimmer, Adam Suggett, Pete Walker, Matt Markwort, Tracey Mackey, Mark Shattock)