New Chairman

At our recent AGM Mel Brooks took over as Chairman of the Section.  If you would like a copy of the minutes, just let me know.

One area for concern is the state of the upper courts following heavy rain. The groundstaff are very aware of the situation and working hard to keep courts playable, but it is inevitable that sometimes courts may not have been cleared, eg at weekends. While we look at longer term solutions for this perennial problem, please remember that it is your responsibility to always ensure that the courts are safe enough for you to play on.

Club Events

Plenty going on at the club in December, from the Charity Band Night for Help for Heroes on 17^th December  to the Family Fun with Father Christmas on 18^th December, as well as the usual Sportsman’s Lunch on 16^th, and New Year’s Eve Party. Scroll down for more info.

Remember this?

More information here.

MacMillan Coffee Morning

Good to see so many of you turn out to support this worthy cause – over £400 was raised and many yummy cakes eaten. Well done to Jo, Kate, Carole and team.

Sport Relief 2012

25^th March is the date to get fit for as once again the Neston Cricket Club Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile (other distances available) takes place once again. Entry is currently half price (£3 an adult and £1.50 a child) so with places going fast, visit here to book yours.

Upcoming events:

16^th December: Sportsman's Lunch in the Cranston with all proceeds going to the Club Development Fund

17^th December: Charity Band Night, Help for Heroes

18th December - Family Father Christmas afternoon

New Year's Eve - Welcome in the New Year in the Cranston. All proceeds going to the Club Development Fund

25^th March 2012: Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile

Enjoy your tennis!

• 26th October 2011

AGM

Agenda for next week’s Tennis Section AGM attached along with revised constitution for approval following the recent incorporation of the LTA. The meeting will take place in either the tea room if there is a good turnout, or the meeting room if numbers are lower! It would be great to see as many of you as possible.

School Inset Day 31^st October

Club facilities will be in use as follows on the afternoon of 31^st: astro pitch, up to 4 tennis courts and possibly a squash court. Activities will finish by 3.30pm at the latest,

Upcoming events:

3^rd  November: 8pm Tennis Section AGM

11^th November: 2pm MacMillan Coffee Morning

                          7.30pm President’s Dinner

25^th March 2012: Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile

Enjoy your tennis!

• 19th October 2011

Rag Bag Reminder

Drop off any old clothes etc you have outside the pavilion in bags before Friday please.

World’s Biggest Coffee Morning…

Will take place the afternoon of Friday 11^th November from 2pm.

Thursday Morning Tennis

Annie is always happy for players to turn up and play with her very friendly group on a Thursday morning – they start at 9.30am and stay for a coffee. If you want to contact Annie first, her number is 336 2882.

Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile 2012

We will be organising (I am careful not to say ‘running’ myself!) this again on 25th March. More information and entry details  here.

Upcoming events:

21^st October, date Ragbag collection

24^th to 28^th October: Tennis tournaments and Tennis Camp

11^th November: 2pm MacMillan Coffee Morning

                          7.30pm President’s Dinner

25^th March 2012: Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile

Enjoy your tennis!

• 11th October 2011

Tennis Section AGM

This is due to take place on Thursday 3^rd November at 8pm in the tea room. Please let me have any items for the agenda at least 1 week beforehand. If you haven’t been to our AGM before, it’s quite an informal affair, a chance to meet your committee and have a chat about club matters. At the moment the following are committee members:

          Jo Race, Chairman and Secretary

          Mel Brookes, Treasurer

          Carole Leary, Juniors

          Ken Patrick

          Pete Hardy

There is always room for more!   

Race Night for the Prince’s Trust

Sophie’s event raised  about £2500, a fantastic result and everyone had a good time as well!  

50:50 Draw

Latest winner Jenny Toomey. Form attached if you would like to join in – just £2 a month gives you 12 chances of winning £50 as well as putting funds into the tennis section so we can continue to provide tennis nets, pavilion, Wimbledon tickets and much, much more.  The pavilion needs some internal re-decoration – please let Carole Leary know if you can lend a hand. (353 8510 or Carole.Leary@dsl.pipex.com  )

Tactical Genius Tennis

Is the new session running Friday mornings from 9.30am to 11am – just £5 seems very reasonable for becoming a tennis genius to me!  No need to book.

President’s Dinner

Takes place Friday 11^th November – see www.nestoncricketclub.co.uk for more information.

Upcoming events:

15^th October: 8am  Car Boot Sale

                      3pm Mini Tennis event

                      7pm Junior Presentation Evening

21^st October, date Ragbag collection

26^th to 28^th October: Tennis Camp

Enjoy your tennis!

• 12th September 2011

Bits and Pieces

Thank you to Bunta Evans and her family who have made a very generous contribution to the new clock now providing an accurate view of the time over the grass courts. The clock is in memory of Bunta’s mother, who was a mainstay of the club for many years – you will see her name, Mrs P S Williams, on the old championship boards in the pavilion, and she was Cheshire Champion many times -  although she no longer played tennis, she continued her membership of the club, playing bridge into her nineties.

Riff Raff Summer

This must be the most sociable group in the whole club – they’ve organised walks, bike rides, barbecues and croquet despite the lack of summer weather -  you will find photos of what they’ve been up to on the website.

Committee Meeting

Our next meeting takes place on Tuesday 20^th September, if there are any items you would like to add to the agenda, please let me know. We shall be setting the date for our own AGM shortly, but you should have received details of the main Club’s via e-mail – let Julie Schofield (julesar@sky.com ) know if you have yet to receive yours. 28^th September is the date for that.

Race Night for the Prince’s Trust

Sophie Byrnes is organising this event and as she is covering the expenses every penny spent will go to charity. Tickets are just £10 and include dinner and entertainment, more info in the attached poster.  

Team Tennis

A very respectable summer with promotion for our 3^rd and 4^th teams, with the 2^nd team just missing out, while the 1^st team so nearly retained the league title.

Men’s Doubles League

Is now underway for the Winter, good luck to all players. Follow their progress here.

Upcoming events:

17^th September: Car Boot Sale

18^th September: 12pm U12 Boys’ singles

25^th September: 12pm Mini Red Tennis Tournament

15^th October: Car Boot Sale

October, date tba, Ragbag collection

26^th to 28^th October: Tennis Camp

Enjoy your tennis!

• 18th July 2011

We need your old clothes!

Our ‘Ragbag’ collection takes place on Wednesday 20^th July, so remember to drop any old clothes/fabrics in the tennis pavilion (or in the storage box outside if it’s closed) before then – old school clothes, anything worn out or that you just don’t want, we want it all!

6 Peaks Challenge

I hope to hear news soon of the safe return of Ian Rimmington who set off on the 6 peaks challenge last week - that’s the six highest mountains in the British Isles in 72 hours  - you can sponsor him as well http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ultimate6peaks

Team Tennis

We’re down to the last couple of weeks now, with several teams chasing promotion it could be one of our most successful seasons ever. Commiserations to our Ladies’ team in the Cheshire Shield who just missed out in the final to Bramhall Lane.

Neston News

Have you signed up to receive local news from Carrie Spacey who produces our ‘aboutmyarea’ website? See this week’s newsletter here – it’s always full of useful info about what’s on locally.

Upcoming events:

20^th August Car Boot Sale

Tennis camp dates – some courts will be available for casual play:

·        27^th to 29^th July

·        10^th to 12^th August

·        34^th to 26^th August

Enjoy your tennis!

• 7th July 2011

Sad News

Long time club member Rosemary Braithwaite has passed away. Rosemary was a regular fixture of ladies’ social tennis as well as bridge, a popular partner usually with a smile on her face and a wry sense of humour. I personally enjoyed many games with Rosemary and know she will be missed by many of you.

The funeral will take place at 10.30am on Friday morning at St Winifride’s church, followed by Neston  Cricket Club. Instead of flowers, her family have asked that donations be made to a charity she and her husband John have supported over the years, ACTS which helps educate children in Africa. More information can be found here.   

Cheshire Shield

The finals of this prestigious tournament take place at the club on Sunday at 2pm. Our ladies’ team have made it through but our men just missed out in the semi-final. The ladies’ will play Bramhall Lane, while the men’s final will be Bramhall Lane v Congleton. Prizes will be presented by Cheshire LTA president Liz Sweeting.

Fundraising

Our next ‘rag bag’ collection will take place in a couple of weeks, so please drop off any old items of clothing etc in the pavilion.

We can accept the following items:

• All men’s, ladies’ and children’s clothing

• Paired shoes (tied together)

• Handbags, bags, ties & belts

• Soft Toys

• Blankets

• Underwear to include socks, tights, pants and bras etc...

• Household textiles to include towels, bed linen, curtains etc...

We cannot accept the following items:

• Duvets both synthetic and feathered

• Carpets

• Rugs

• Soiled or wet clothing

Repairs to the Tennis Pavilion roof have been completed at a cost of £2222.00. The club made a contribution of £500 leaving a balance of £1722.00 to be raised by the tennis section.

This year we have replaced the nets on the bottom courts and repaired the Pavilion roof, paid the  retainer for our resident coach together with mini tennis equipment essential for running a successful coaching programme.

A few members work tirelessly to raise funds needed to run a successful section but you too could become involved in helping the section raise funds the easy way.

We run a 50/50 (100) Club which is one of the easiest ways of helping for just £2 per month you could be in with a chance of winning £50+ and also help the section.
Standing Order form is attached, please complete and returned to Mel, address is on the form.

Alternatively, you could pay an annual subscription of £24 directly to the following bank details, which will entitle you to 12 monthly entries.

NCC - Tennis Section (Bank Details)

Sort Code: 40-34-06
Account No.: 11137557

This months winner "Sarah Smith"

If you would like to make a one off donation to help with the repairs cost please use the bank details as above.

Thank you to everyone who donated Tesco and Sainsbury’s vouchers; we collected over 2000 for each of them. Most have been banked, but we have ordered a storage box to use for the mini tennis nets to extend their life, keep them out of the way, but still accessible for younger players to use.

Reminder

Please remember to carry your membership card at all times when at the club – it makes it easier to ensure that only those who have paid for our fantastic facilities get to benefit from them.

Dates for your diaries

16^th July Car Boot Sale

7th and 8^th July, High School using courts 9am to 3pm

10^th July 2pm Cheshire Shield Finals

11^th July Tennis Committee Meeting – any agenda items as soon as possible please

Enjoy your tennis.

• 14th June 2011

Nice to see you!

Another great evening on Friday saw dancing til midnight and a fabulous spread provided by Carole and Irene. Great to see faces new – and not so new -  and the ‘pas de deux’ between Pete and Lawrence had to be seen to be believed – I’m hoping for some incriminating footage in the near future!

A very big thank you to Carole and Irene, Dr Dave for his Disco and Mel for all her hard work organising tickets etc.

Cheshire Shield

In the latest round of the men’s, Neston just took victory by 5 sets to 4 in a tight 2 rubber draw against  Brabyns the no 2 seeds, playing on our beautifully prepared grass courts.

The finals will take place on 10^th July at 2pm, we’re hoping for at least one Neston team to make it through, so put the date in your diary to come down and watch some great matches.

Pamper Lunch

Details of a fundraising lunch for the Hospice of the Good Shepherd on Monday 4^th July attached.

Riff Raff

Not content with their tennis, our largest group of men’s social players branched out into bowls recently – see here for pictures.

Shrimp Cup

Our annual event for ladies’ social tennis players didn’t take place last year through lack of support; please could you give an indication as to whether you would like to participate this year and also if you can help with organising on the day. We usually run a very enjoyable American style competition (where you regularly swap partners to keep it very sociable)  followed by a lunch.  The date and format are flexible depending on what YOU want, so let me know!

All Play

Those of you signed up to British Tennis will already have had an e-mail about this – it’s the LTA’s latest idea to promote tennis. Amongst other features it can help you find tennis partners, which could be useful if enough of you sign up. See here for more information and like British Tennis it is totally free.

Dates for your diaries

18^th June Car Boot Sale

7tth and 8^th July, High School using courts 9am to 3pm

10^th July 2pm Cheshire Shield Finals

11^th July Tennis Committee Meeting – any agenda items the week before please

Enjoy your tennis.

• 6th June 2011

• 29th May 2011

Party Time

THE social event of the year takes place on Friday 10^th June in the Cranston Suite: the one and only Tennis Section Social. Featuring Dr Dave’s Disco and Cordon Bleu Carole once more, tickets for this awesome evening are just £5 each – that’s right five pounds, not fifty and that includes your meal!  

You can buy your tickets from any of the Wirral League captains, (Vicky Basnett, John Patrick, Paul Anderson, Dave Price or Ken Patrick) as well as committee members or online here (50p extra to cover the costs of processing). Absolutely everyone is welcome whether they play regularly or not - it’s just a great evening out and I hope to see you there.

Fundraising

Any last Sainsbury’s/Tesco vouchers need to be handed in as soon as poss – envelope in the bar, or pass on to your coach, thanks.

Team Tennis

Teams 1 to 4 are storming the leagues, team 5 have now started to win and it’s not too late for a respectable finish. More information can be found here – tabs on the left for each team.

Cricket Balls

There have been some enthusiastically hit cricket balls landing on the lower courts recently; for this reason some coaching/matches for junior players may be relocated to the top courts from time to time to help ensure the safety of our younger players; we hope this will not be too inconvenient for adult players.

Social Tennis

We are considering the introduction of ‘turn up and play’ social tennis on Wednesday evenings as a number of you have indicated you would like more casual social play. To get it well underway it would be great if a couple of volunteers could offer to get involved just to ensure there are some players down initially. Looking for this to start after half term – let me know what you think/would like to get involved.

Thursday  evening mixed social matches are now commenced –  to take part, please contact Frankie Street on 336 2550, mobile 07768 326645 or e-mail her

Bar etiquette

Please note the following message from Club Manager, Andy Woolley:

“When the Sports Bar was refurbished it was done so to attract all players into the bar for a drink. The Council agreed that sports gear could be worn by those not wishing to shower after playing, and that food can be eaten in there on certain occasions. The only condition that was put in place was that sports equipment must be left in the changing rooms, downstairs or in cars. Cricket, hockey and squash all adhere to this but certain players continue to ignore this request. Quite simply if everybody fancied bringing their kit into the room we would not be able to move, and more importantly get to the bar!”

Please also remember to carry your membership card with you whenever at the Club.

 Dates for Your Diaries

10^th June Tennis Section Social 7.30pm Cranston

10^th June – collect your Wimbledon tickets 6pm sports bar

18^th June next car boot sale

Enjoy your tennis!

• 28th April 2011

Wimbledon Draw

Final reminder  that this will take place on Thursday 5^th May in the tea room at 7.30pm. Sign-up sheets will be taken down on Tuesday 3^rd May; you can e-mail me to take part until the end of Wednesday 4^th May.

Fundraising

50:50 winner for April: congratulations go to Jenny Toomey.  If you would like to take part, just complete and return the attached standing order form – just £2 a month gives you a chance to win at least £50 and helps pay for items like new tennis nets.

Vouchers - Keep those Sainsbury’s/Tesco vouchers coming – envelope in the bar, or pass on to your coach, thanks.

Team Tennis

The first matches took place this week – well done to  teams 1 to 4 who all won, the 5th will have to do better next week!

Upcoming events:

5^th May Wimbledon draw

21^st May next car boot sale

10^th June Tennis Section Social

Enjoy your tennis!

• 5th April 2011

Wimbledon Draw

This will take place on Thursday 5^th May in the tea room at 7.30pm. It is essential to sign up beforehand either via the draw sheet on the main tennis noticeboard in the clubhouse or via e-mail to me.

There are a number of terms and conditions – please see the website for full details (http://nestontennis.co.uk/wimbledondraw.aspx ) this also has details of our ticket allocation.

You are eligible to take part if at the time of the draw/visit to Wimbledon:

- you are a current member of the club aged 9 or over and

- you are a current member of British Tennis and

- you can attend the draw in person, or send a proxy on your behalf.

It’s now easier than ever before to join British Tennis, just read the letter attached to this e-mail and then reply ‘yes’!

Fundraising

Vouchers - Keep those Sainsbury’s/Tesco vouchers coming – envelope in the bar, or pass on to your coach, thanks.

Men’s Doubles winners

Congratulations to father and son team Steve and Elliott Sutton for winning our home grown doubles’ league for the second year in succession.

Schools’ Tournament

Tomorrow afternoon the top courts will be in use for a mini tennis tournament, but the lower courts will still be free.

Very Important Date for your diary

Friday 10^th June, 7.30pm, will be the Tennis Section social event of the year. Following on last year’s fantastic evening, we have re-booked (no expense spared!) Dave’s Disco, and catering will once more be in the capable hands of Cordon Bleu Carole. Tickets will be available from committee members/team captains, at the very reasonable price of £5 or may be booked online here: http://nestontennis.co.uk/dates.aspx

Your Section Needs You!

Committee members are a little thin on the ground at present and we’d love to see a few new faces. Even if you can’t commit to regular meetings (once a month) there are plenty of areas you can help with on an occasional basis. Hope to hear from you!

Enjoy your tennis!

• 16th March 2011

Team Tennis

Match practice will commence on Tuesday 5^th April, 6.30pm onwards.

New players are very welcome , but anyone who would like to play in a team this year should attend practice – they will be given priority when it comes to team selection.

Match fixtures are on the website, just follow this link then click on the tab for your team, with first matches Tuesday 26^th April.

Fundraising

50:50 Club Winner for March: Max Hardy

Vouchers - Keep those Sainsbury’s/Tesco vouchers coming – envelope in the bar, or pass on to the your coach, thanks.

Car Boot – 2^nd April 8am

Pavilion

Repairs have been agreed, final arrangements should be in hand shortly, please stay out of the building until these have been carried out as it is not safe.

Family Quiz Night

The Cricket Section are having a fun season opener as follows:

·        Friday 25 March 2011 in the Cranston

·        Teams of between 3 and 6 – you don’t need to arrange in advance

·        Entry £15 per team

·        Just  turn up on the night

Enjoy your tennis!

• 18th February 2011

Voucher Time!

Sainsbury’s have already started issuing their Active Kids vouchers and Tesco will commence later this month. If you would like to donate your vouchers to the Section, there is a collection envelope in the bar. Last year we banked most of our vouchers, but still ‘bought’ some rounders equipment for a fun alternative to tennis (the tennis stuff was all quite expensive, but with your help we’ll get there!).

50:50 Club Winners

January: Paul Anderson

February: Jenny Rowland

Remember the minimum monthly prize is £50, it only costs £2 a month to enter – standing order form attached – and is a great way to help fund improvements to our facilities, such as the new nets we want to buy for the lower courts.

Pavilion

Sadly this suffered substantial damage to the roof in the recent high winds and is now out of bounds until we can hopefully make arrangements for repairs - before more money is spent we are checking that it is still structurally safe for us to continue to use – and the club will help us with this.

Courts

Court 4 will shortly be cleaned of silt and maintenance of the courts should be improved as the club is investing in a new piece of machinery that will do a better job of cleaning the astro. Thanks go to Jim Marshall, the Ground Chairman, for all his work making these arrangements.

Car Boots

Our first sale of the year will take place on Saturday 2^nd April – more information and the rest of the dates can be found here: www.nestontennis.co.uk/carboots.aspx

Enjoy your tennis!