Newsletter March 2018
March 15, 2018
Brackley Tennis Club Newsletter
Finally it looks like Spring might be around the corner, so it is time to get back to Tennis – here is an update on what has been happening and plans for the new season….
Firstly our AGM, which was held in February was well attended, the members voted on a number of key points regarding fees, the constitution of the club, and giving more flexibility to the committee in the future. The draft minutes of the full meeting will be circulated soon, but the key points to note are :
- There will be NO INCREASE in fees for club membership for 2018/19
- The fee for visitors playing as a guest of a member will increase to £6 per visit, and will continue to be limited to 6 visits per guest per membership year. Under 18’s will pay £3
- From 1st April 2018 Members will no longer pay the £1 floodlight fee on club nights
- The President (Carolyn Markham) and Chairman (Andrew Bullock) were voted to remain in post, and the entire committee were also selected to stand for the club once again.
On the subject of fees, the Pay & Play day (the day when you can visit the club to pay your annual fees for 2018/19 and play a club tennis session) has been set for Sunday 8th April starting at 2pm. This is traditionally a busy day, so to prevent people hanging around why not either come and play a set or two, or come later in the day – we envisage taking fees until around 4.30pm. Remember to bring along your yellow shoe tags – as these will be exchanged for a new colour for our new membership year !
During this registration process, we will also be asking you to complete a data protection consent form. This allows us to comply with the new General Data Protection Regulations, which controls the way any personal data the club holds about you is used.
The club Ballot for Wimbledon tickets will also take place during the pay and play session, with the draw taking place around 2.30pm. Members not physically in attendance will still be eligible for their tickets should their name be drawn from the ballot.
As always the club is looking for new members, young or old, experts or novices, so why not encourage some of your family and friends to come along and have a go ?
The club has entered a number of leagues again this year, so any member who is interested in playing matches for the club is asked to register their interest with our Club Captain Richard Carey on richard.carey@hotmail.co.uk
The committee has also been busy on a number of maintenance issues over the last few weeks, having had three floodlight bulbs and other lighting works completed (at a cost of over £1000 !), drainage channels cut for the corner of court three, mens’ urinal repairs completed, and other minor works around the clubhouse. Bob continues to do an excellent job maintaining the club and courts for which we thank him as always.
We have also notified Anglian Water on the state of the continually running drain at the bottom of the car park, and notified the local authorities regarding the deteriorating access road to the club – watch out for those very large pot holes ! We are trying to push for the road to be fixed, but ownership of the land and responsibility for it is not clear, so it is taking time to resolve – sorry !
Whilst talking about maintenance, members are reminded to please lower the nets after play as the inclement weather/snow we have had recently has caused the wire significant strain and these can snap if left tensioned. It is a good habit to get into, as hot weather can also strain the wires, and in a few weeks we might be having some proper sunshine.
And now to social matters ! Following the success of the “pie and pud” night at the Crewe Arms in November, the club are planning a number of other events we hope you can enjoy :
- Fun Quiz Night – this will be held in the Clubhouse on Friday April 20th
- Horse Racing Night – At the Crewe arms in Saturday, 2nd June
- Club BBQ – Saturday June 30th – to be held in conjunction with the Adrian Thornton memorial tournament
Finally a reminder to all members that free group Coaching takes place every 2nd Sunday of the month with Aaron Cowley – why not take the opportunity to improve your game ? These take place in conjunction with the normal club tennis sessions from 2.30pm. For this month only the session is this Sunday, the 18th.
We hope to see you at the courts, but if you have any queries – just get in touch with Mary or Andrew or any committee member.
andrew1bullock@yahoo.com