Newsletters

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Last Few Wimbledon Tickets

Following last week’s draw, there are now 2 spare pairs of tickets: for Monday 28^th June, No 1 court (£104 for the pair) and Friday 2^nd July No 1 court (£62 for the pair).  If you would like to be entered into a mini draw for these tickets please let me know, by tomorrow, Tuesday (the 27^th)  evening, by sending me your name and British Tennis number. Terms and conditions are on the tennis website.

Fundraising

Thanks for all your donations of items for our ‘Ragbags’ weekend – I’ll let you know how much we have raised shortly.  We’re still collecting Tesco/Sainsbury’s vouchers too!

First Aiders

We are running a check on how many first aiders we have in the club – if you have a current certificate and would be happy to be one for us, please let me know.  Alternatively if you would like to be a First Aider and are prepared to attend a brief course, please get in touch with Max Hardy – max@nestontennis.co.uk – as she is hoping to organise one at the club if there are enough volunteers.

Fixtures

There are no fixture booklets for this season, but you should be able to find all the information you need on the website.  The court schedule - http://nestontennis.co.uk/courts.aspx has all the regular events and the ‘dates’ page has the additional events that are booked in.  With the courts getting busier every day, I will also try and send out a weekly fixture list to keep you informed, if you think this is helpful (do give me feedback please!)

Monday:        Coaching until 8pm, 2 courts

Tuesday:       Coaching until 6pm, 2 courts

                      Match night  6.15pm 8 courts

Wednesday : Coaching until 7.30pm, 2 courts

                      Junior Wirral League Matches 4.30pm until 8pm, none this week

Thursday:      Coaching until6.30pm, 2 courts

                        Junior Wirral League Matches 4.30pm until 6pm, none this week

                      Men’s Wirral League Matches: none this week

                      Mixed Friendly Match 6.15pm: 4 courts

Friday:           Junior Club Night until 7pm

                        Social Tennis 7pm onwards – turn up and play! Men’s Neston League final.

Saturday:      Coaching until 12.30pm 2 courts

                        Ladies’ Social Tennis 10am to 12pm 3 courts

                        Coaching 4.30pm to 6pm 2 courts

                        Men’s Neston Doubles League final 6pm

Sunday:         Coaching 9.45am to 11.20 am 3 to 4 courts

                        Junior Aegon match 12pm 4 courts

Coming Up

16^th May Pentathlon

29^th May Abba/80s Band Night

11^th June Grand Slam Disco

16^th June – provisional date for the Shrimp Cup

Enjoy your tennis!

Social Tennis!

To get the Friday night social tennis underway in style we will be running a mixed handicap event on 7^th May with bbq, weather permitting.  More details to follow shortly.  The Mixed Friendly Matches on Thursdays start on 29^th April and the Ladies’ Daytime Friendlies are already underway – see the website for full details if you would like to play (under the ‘Team Tennis’ tab).

Fundraising

This weekend is ‘Ragbags’ weekend! Please help us to raise £500 for new benches and an outside clock by having a ‘spring clean’ of your wardrobe.  If you have any unwanted clothes, pairs of shoes, hats, bags, belts, curtains, towels, or bed linen, please place them in a bag and drop off at the tennis pavilion from Saturday 24^th to Monday 27^th April. Maxine has been giving out bags, but any old bag will do!  Remember to keep those Tesco/Sainsbury’s vouchers coming in – just hand in at the bar or to a committee member, thanks.

New Coach

We would like to extend a warm welcome to a new member of the coaching team – Leigh Owen. Leigh is an experienced coach who will mainly be involved in our ever more popular mini tennis programme – for more details please see Dan’s newsletter below.

Other News

The 30^th April has been downscaled to men’s singles final only, with the doubles now to be played the next day. If the weather is right, Mel will fire up the old Barbie on the Friday.

On the 29^th May, there will be what promises to be a great night when an Abba/80s tribute band is playing in the Cranston.  Tickets are only £10 with hot nibbles to keep you dancing the night away – get in touch with me to book yours asap as they’ll be gone before you know it.

At 2pm on Sunday 16^th May the Hockey Section are organising a cross-section ‘pentathlon’ which promises to be great fun, more details on the hockey website http://www.nswhc.co.uk/id171.html including how to enter a team.

Want to freshen up your wardrobe? The online shop (access from the main club website www.nestoncricketclub.co.uk ) now has a larger range of sportswear suitable for tennis players with the NCC logo, or Tobe in Neston will apply the Shrimp to anything within reason!

Coming Up

16^th May Pentathlon

29^th May Abba/80s Band Night

11^th June Grand Slam Disco

16^th June – provisional date for the Shrimp Cup

Enjoy your tennis!

Tennis Function!

Some say there hasn’t been a proper tennis function within living memory, so with the fabulous Cranston Suite at our disposal and Dr Dave the DJ available, we’re holding a Grand Slam Event on Friday 11^th June at 7.30pm.  With tickets priced at a very reasonable £5 (including food, disco, quiz and prize draw!) we’re hoping it will be a sell out.  Tickets available through committee members and team captains.

Marquee Week

Of course, if you really want to go to town, there’s always the Summer Marquee Ball – details of this and other Marquee Week events attached.

Social Tennis

Both the ladies’ friendly matches on Wednesday afternoons and the mixed fixtures on Thursday evenings are starting shortly.  Details of how to join in are on the ‘Team Tennis’ tab of the website.

Other News

Our most recent winner of the 50:50 club was Ali Smith. If you too want a chance at winning the jackpot – just complete and return the attached standing order form, it’s only £2 a month and is one of the easiest ways we have of fundraising to improve our facilities.

We now have an improved presence on the LTA website – you can even leave a review of the club (something positive please!) here http://www.lta.org.uk/Places-To-Play/Details/Overview/?p2p=1-14H-1819

Steve Race has decided it is time to retire from the Tennis Section Committee. Thank you Steve for all your hard work for us.

Vouchers

Remember to keep collecting Tesco School and Club and Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers – hand in to the bar or give to a coach or committee member, thanks.

Coming Up

20^th April Wimbledon Draw

30^th April Men’s Club League Finals and Curry Night

11^th June Grand Slam Disco

16^th June – provisional date for the Shrimp Cup

Enjoy your tennis!

Tennis Season Starts!

Tuesday evening league matches start soon (first one 27^th April) so any members wishing to take part are invited down at 6.30pm to play. The draw is

up and can also be found on the website: http://nestontennis.co.uk/matches.aspx

Car Boot Sales

Our fundraising season is also about to start, with the first sale on Saturday 10^th April at 8am. The remaining sale dates are 8^th May, 5^th June, 10^th July, 14^th August, 4^th September and 9^th October.  We will have a small stall to sell any items you would like to donate – just bring them down to the club on Friday evening and leave in the pavilion, thanks. We are also collecting old clothes – bags for these are in the pavilion.

Wimbledon Draw

Sign up sheets for this are now in the clubhouse for the draw which takes place on Tuesday 20^th April at 8pm in the tearoom. To take part you must:

-        be a member of the club aged 9 or over and

-        be a member of British Tennis and

-        attend the draw in person, or send a proxy on your behalf. (Your proxy must also be a club member and can only represent one member in the ballot; if using a proxy, please provide their name in advance.)

Full details of available tickets, prices, terms and conditions can be found on www.nestontennis.co.uk/wimbledondraw.aspx. To sign up for the draw, either e-mail jo@nestontennis.co.uk or fill in your details on the sign up sheet.

Sport Relief Update

We had a great turn out for the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile with over 200 runners at the club.  A straw poll suggested average sponsorship was around £100 a runner which means a potential £20k was raised for a very good cause.  Well done all those of you who took part and a big thank you to all our volunteers especially Max Hardy who organised the event.

Vouchers

Remember to keep collecting Tesco School and Club and Sainsbury’s Active Kids vouchers – hand in to the bar or give to a coach or committee member, thanks.

Coming Up

Tennis Camp – 7^th to 9^th April until 3pm

30^th April Men’s Club League Finals and Curry Night

Enjoy your tennis!

Wimbledon Already?

Not quite! But the draw for tickets will take place on Tuesday 20^th April in the Tea Room.  Sign up sheets will go up at the beginning of April on the Tennis Noticeboard in the Clubhouse. You must comply with the terms and conditions, including membership of British Tennis, details of which can be found on the website here: http://nestontennis.co.uk/wimbledondraw.aspx

March 21^st  - Sport Relief and Tennis Open Day

All places in the run have been taken, but there is also a tennis only open day at 2pm, which means the car park will be very busy indeed, so if you are coming down please walk if possible. Listen to Radio Merseyside on Sunday for an interview about the event.

Tennis Committee News

Since Gerry’s resignation, I have stepped in as Chairman for now.  We are moving forward with plans for improving the court floodlights, but it is very likely that we will need to introduce a charge for lighting.  Your support will be critical to the project, so if you would like your views taken into account please get in touch.

Holiday Home

I have been given details of a holiday home in Beaumaris available to rent from one of our members; I haven’t had the opportunity to try it out unfortunately, but it looks lovely – details can be found here: http://nestontennis.co.uk/forsale.aspx

50:50 Draw

Last month’s winner was Patsy Baker.  You can see where most of the profit has gone on the lovely new nets to the top courts! Keep supporting us to make improvements and join in – form attached, it’s only £2 a month!

Enjoy your tennis!

Get Ready for Tennis!

At last Spring seems to be arriving, better late than never.  It’s been a while since the last update so here’s a brief summary of what’s going on at the moment:

March 21^st  - Sport Relief and Tennis Open Day

Run a mile (or more) for sport relief around the cricket pitches, you can enter here: http://www.sportrelief.com/the-mile/neston-cricket-tennis-club-mile The section are also hoping a tennis only open day at 2pm, so please invite that friend or neighbour down that you’ve been meaning to show around the club!

Supermarket Vouchers

We are registered to collect both Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s vouchers for clubs and schools – please drop them off behind the bar, they can really help us get equipment for the section, thank you.

Curry Night

April 30^th will be time to see some great tennis as the finals of the men’s doubles and singles leagues will take place; more details to follow.

Tennis Committee

Some changes to the committee have sadly occurred, as both Gerry Kirby our chairman and Sally Cole have resigned.  Gerry has written a letter to you all – scroll down to see it.  We would like to thank them both for all their hard work.  Our next meeting is on March 17^th so if there are any items you feel we should be tackling, or if you would like to get involved please get in touch.  Our current priorities remain planning for improvements to our floodlights and the area around the pavilion.  We were successful in getting a 5^th adult team into the Wirral League, so there should be plenty of opportunities for competitive tennis this year; again get in touch if you would like to take part.

Tennis Courts

Our head Groundsman Graham has asked me to let you know that, in order to even out wear and tear on the courts that there may be daytime closures of some courts, particularly the end ones. If this causes any problems, eg if there are not enough courts to go round, please let him know.

Cardio Tennis

Now takes place on both Sunday and Wednesday mornings at 10.30am. No need to book, just turn up and enjoy a great fun fitness session for just £5.

Enjoy your tennis!

Lights and Plenty of Action!

Great to see so many people still playing tennis despite the weather, especially under the floodlights in the evening. While we are developing plans to improve the lighting, it is still important to follow the rules when using the floodlights so that they see us through the Winter:

·        Only switch on for the length of time you plan to use the courts

·        If you accidentally select too long, please ask the bar staff to override when you have finished playing

·        Only use enough lights for the number of courts in use

·        Always check how many minutes are left on the timer before starting to play – as it is very important that you do NOT switch lights back on within 15 minutes of lights going out.  This shortens the life span of the unit.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Friday morning social tennis

Due to popular demand, there is now a turn up and play session on a Friday morning – all standards of player are welcome for a friendly game of tennis at 10.15am; no need to book, just turn up (please remember to bring some balls!) and play.

Halloween and Tennis

This fun event with mixed, handicapped, teams of adults and juniors was a great success, despite the rather windy conditions. Elliot and Luke beat AJ and Rachel 4 games to 3 in a really close final! A similar event is planned for Sunday 20^th December – so put ‘Turkey and Tennis’ in your diary now!

Committee Update

Head groundsman Graham has recommended that the courts be power brushed which he hopes will ease the poor drainage especially to court 4.

We have requested that the Wirral League allow a 5^th team to be entered into the mixed league due to the increased number of players at our club.  This will be decided at the League’s AGM shortly but there are more teams than places in the league, so we may be turned down.

Plans for improvements for the area around the pavilion have not been forgotten – we are waiting for work on drains to the main driveway to be completed.  A presentation will be made to Club Council in the New Year on plans for improvements to court lighting.

Enjoy your tennis!

Wimbledon Tickets!

It may not feel like time for strawberries and cream, but to maximise the number of Wimbledon tickets allocated to our club members next year, we need as many people as possible to join British Tennis, part of the LTA, by the end of November. If you already have, great, you don’t need to do anything, if not, please click on the link to sign up https://www2.lta.org.uk/Membership/Join/ it’s free, only takes a couple of minutes and benefits the club in various ways.

Defibrillator Training

Lawrence McNeight of the hockey section has been instrumental in organising the donation of a defibrillator to the club.  This amazing piece of equipment could save your life if you were unfortunate enough to have a heart attack. Your chances of survival decrease by 10% for each minute your heart is in ‘atrial fibrillation’ (the cause of 80% of heart attacks), but this machine can shock your heart back into the correct rhythm.

I went on the training last week and was surprised how easy it would be to use. While I do spend a significant amount of time at the club, as do the other volunteers who undertook the training, it would be great to have a few more of you trained to use the equipment, just in case. The session just takes an evening and more are planned, so if you are interested please get in touch.

Old Balls!

If you have any old balls that aren’t good enough for your tennis anymore, they may be useful for the coaches to use for some training.  Any donations appreciated - I will be putting out a bag on the pavilion veranda for them. Thank you.

Mini Tennis

There will be limited court availability on Sunday 15^th November from 3pm to 5.30pm while a Mini Orange Tournament takes place.

50:50 Draw

Our most recent winner was Diane Flett; if you would like the chance to win £50 each month, just complete and return the attached standing order for £2 a month.  

Enjoy your tennis!

Welcome to New Committee Members.

We duly held our Tennis AGM last week - thank you to those of you who came along and to Jenny Toomey for making a lovely chilli supper for everyone.  I am delighted that we have two new recruits for our committee, Carole Leary and Irene Davies-Foo, who will both help Maxine with the juniors. Jenny Toomey resigned due to holiday commitments! Thank you very much Jenny for all your hard work over the years.

Our committee is now:

Chair: Gerry Kirby, Secretary: Jo Race, Treasurer: Mel Brooks. Ground rep: Gerry Kirby, Junior Co-ordinator: Maxine Hardy, other committee members: Jenny Rowland, Ken Patrick, Steve Race, Carole Leary and Irene Davies Foo.

I have attached the Chairman’s report for your information. Our next committee meeting is on November 17^th if there are any issues you would like us to take forward.

Beginners’ Clinic – Friday Mornings

From November 6^th, each Friday from 9.15am to 10.15am, Dan will be running a Beginners’ Clinic which will concentrate on a different tennis stroke each week. The cost is £30 for the block of 6 sessions, please contact Dan to book your place (dan@nestontennis.co.uk or 07906 047350).

Fun Tournament

There will be a spooky themed adults and juniors fun tournament on Sunday 1^st November at 1pm – sign up sheet and more information on the notice board.

50:50 Draw

Our most recent winner was Steve Race.

Other Events

The President’s dinner is on Friday 20^th November – contact Andy Wallis heathbank.wallis@virgin.net for tickets for this annual black tie event.

The Wirral Christmas Bazaar, in aid of Clatterbridge Cancer Research takes place on the 2^nd and 3^rd of November. Full details in the flyer attached.

The Neston Tennis sweatshirts ordered during the 24 hour tennis-a-thon are now ready for collection by phoning Mel on 336 1515.

Thank you to the Clive Watkin Partnership, Estate Agents and Chartered Surveyors, who have once again kindly sponsored our website.

Enjoy your tennis!

Tennis AGM.

Yes, it’s that time of the year again.  The Tennis Section AGM is due to take place on Tuesday 13^th October at 8pm.  The agenda, and minutes of the last AGM are attached.  Jenny Toomey has kindly offered to provide a hot supper for a small charge, so please let me know if you are planning to attend, or offer your apologies!

If there are any additional items you would like on the agenda, please let me know before Tuesday 6^th October, thanks.

Tuesday Social Tennis

The start time for this session has been amended to 10am; it will finish at 11.30am.  This is an ideal group for improving your social tennis suitable for all standards of players.

New Tennis Group

Quite a few new members are fairly new to the game, so Maxine Hardy is starting a new group so that there are more opportunities to have a light-hearted game or two.  Possibilities are Mondays or Fridays; if you would like to get involved please e-mail Max on max@nestontennis.co.uk. 

New Coaching Session

Dan is thinking of introducing a 6 week course for adults covering a different tennis stroke each week.  We would like to know how much demand there would be and when would be the best time to run it.  Again if you could let Max know your thoughts.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

Last Friday’s event raised over £600 and was beautifully organised by Kate Thorn and Emma Birtles plus many able assistants – very well done to all!

Enjoy your tennis!

Well Done!

A very big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who took part in our 24 hour fundraising – from Club President, Andy Wallis, to our youngest mini tennis players. I hope you all enjoyed the experience. Special thanks go to those who played the ‘graveyard’ shift in the dead of night and also to the mainstays of the organising, Mel and Max.

How Much Did We Raise?

We don’t know the final figure as all the sponsorship money isn’t in yet.  Please could you e-mail Mel how much you think you will be collecting (melsophie1@hotmail.co.uk) to give her an idea, and then drop the funds and sponsorship form off to her when you next go to the club – her address is

I will say that the car boot sale was our busiest yet and we hope to be well into 4 figures.

The option to make an online donation is still available, just follow this link:

http://www.clubcharity.co.uk/donate/index.cfm?&Groupcode=1700NTC

Tuesday Tennis

Will be without a coach this week as Dan is working in local schools, but we shall play anyway.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

Be part of the world’s biggest coffee morning on Friday 25^th September.  Just drop in any time between 10am and noon to the tea room for coffee. There will also be a raffle, cake stall and hand-made jewellery and cards for sale.

Club AGM – 30^th September

Details can be found here: http://nestoncricketclub.co.uk/newsletters.aspx please keep Julie Schofield (julesar@sky.com) informed of any changes to e-mail addresses to ensure that you receive Club updates. The Tennis Section AGM is on 13^th October – details to follow shortly.

Enjoy your tennis!

Only 4 Days to Go!

Yes, at 6pm on Friday the first balls will be struck in our 24 hour tennis-a-thon; we just have a few spaces available on the Saturday if you would like to take part:

8am to 9am

9am to 10am

12pm to 1pm

2pm to 3pm

Mel is co-ordinating this, so please get in touch with her on 336 1515 or melsophie1@hotmail.co.uk   as soon as possible!

The Timetable is:

Friday 18^th

4pm to 6pm the younger juniors will be doing a sponsored Mini ‘Run and Fun’ with barbecue and tuck shop

6pm The opening ball will be struck and tennis will be played non-stop for 24 hours! The barbecue will stay lit until late in the night!

Saturday 19^th

8am to 11 am Car Boot Sale: the Barbecue re-opens and will stay open another 12 hours!

6pm Tired troops (and anyone else who wants to join us) gather for a celebration barbecue!

If you are taking part, remember to get some sponsors (form attached) or ask people to donate by going to www.nestontennis.co.uk and following the link!

We would also appreciate any suitable bric-a-brac for us to sell at the boot sale, just give me a bell on 336 2014 or drop me an e-mail. There are only a few pitches left if you want one for yourself, but do come down and see what it’s all about!

Cardio Tennis

Now the summer is ending, if you want to try the latest way to get fit, Cardio  Tennis is back on Wednesday mornings from 10am to 11am. It’s fast, fun and furious and only £5 a session. Pre-booking essential, so get in touch with me to join in.

Enjoy your tennis!

New Term!

Now that the kids are safely back at school, the Tuesday morning tennis session for adults returns from tomorrow. The session runs from 9.30am to 11am, and is suitable for anyone who wants to improve their social tennis!  It costs just £5, you don’t need to book and if you attend 7 sessions, the 8^th is free.

Dan is away on a course from Wednesday to Friday, so those of you champing at the bit to get back to cardio tennis will have to wait a bit longer.

50:50 Winner

Dr Dave was the lucky winner of the 50:50 club this month.  For a chance of winning, just complete and return the attached standing order form – just £2 a month helps support the section.

American Doubles Winners

Congratulations to Mel and Ryan for winning this fun event yesterday and also to runners up Fin and Jack. 

24 Hour Fundraising Madness

Places are filling up fast for the 24 hour fundraiser – thank you to all those who are working hard to get sponsorship. Don’t forget we are also running a boot sale too!

Tennis-a-thon

Start time -  6pm Friday 18^th September

Finish time - 6pm Saturday 19^th September

Car Boot Sale

Saturday 19^th September 8am to 11am.

All this hard works helps to keep our membership fees as low as possible and all funds raised will be spent on the tennis section – on the remaining work to the pavilion to provide a decked seating area and towards an upgrade of our floodlights.

Enjoy your tennis!

Tennis-a-thon!

Details of this mammoth event are:

Start time -  6pm Friday 18^th September

Finish time - 6pm Saturday 19^th September

Sign up sheets are now at the club – please put your name down to play for a one hour time slot then start collecting sponsorship (a sponsorship form is attached).  If you can’t play that day, you can still be involved by making a donation, either by sending a cheque directly to the section or online, by

following this link: http://www.clubcharity.co.uk/donate/index.cfm?&Groupcode=1700NTC

You can also help by donating items to sell at our car boot sales – just get in touch with me if you would like to do so.

All funds raised will be spent on the tennis section – on the remaining work to the pavilion to provide a decked seating area and towards an upgrade of our floodlights.

Shrimp Cup

Congratulations to the winners of the Shrimp Cup, Margaret and Jo, and runners up Fran and Mel.  The sun shone and a very pleasant morning was had by all.  Thank you to Delia Higginbottom for her invaluable help in running the event.