HLTC Newsletter March 2016 KEY DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Wine Tasting Evening Friday 4 March, from 7:15 pm - for further details see page 3. Betty Silvester Tournament Saturday 12 March, from 6:30 pm for full details see page 5. American Tournament Saturday 9 April, from 2:30 pm - more information on page 6. Congratulations to George and Hugh who competed in the LTA Everything Tennis event at the David Lloyd Centre in Knowsley. George was runner-up and Hugh was 3rd in the 10 years & under mixed singles. IN THIS EDITION... Club News 2 Committee changes, Have Your Say, Subscriptions, Wine Tasting Evening, Senior Tennis 5 Betty Silvester & American Tournaments, Interclub Floodlit Tournament, match practices, Senior League season Junior Tennis 7 Junior League matches, Easter Tennis Camp, American Tournament, In-school coaching Ladies Tennis Afternoon Saturday 16 April, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm Chairman s Evening Saturday 16 April, from 7:30 pm Club Finals Day Saturday 10 September - more information on page 3. A full calendar of Club events is displayed in the clubhouse. Please check regularly for amendments and additions. Key changes are notified by email. To contribute to future newsletters please email: bbartonsiddiqui@gmail.com www.hillsideltc.org.uk 1
CLUB NEWS Hillside LTC Committee Changes There were a number of changes to the Club s committee following the AGM in February. New committee members are: Cathy Kenny - Welfare Officer (previously a General Committee Member) James Hawkins - Tournament Referee Mike Syms - Captain Gary Williams - General Committee Member Mike Syms, Jane Drew, Christine Wilde and Mike Taylor will form the Temporary Selection Committee. This committee meets in March and April to arrange the match practices and select players for the senior league teams. There are three outstanding vacancies, for Lady Captain, Clubhouse Manager and General Committee Member. There is also a vacancy on the temporary selection committee. If anyone can help with one of these roles, please contact Rob Hemmings for more details. A list of the current committee members is being circulated with this newsletter. Subscriptions 2016 Subscriptions are due for renewal on 1 April 2016. Full subscription rates for 2016 are: Senior* 140 Over 60* 115 Country * 60 Student * 60 Junior* 49 (at secondary school on 1/1/16) Juvenile 25 (at primary school on 1/1/16) Non-player 15 (may play tennis with own children only) Table Tennis only* 35 If there are three or more tennis playing members in one family (all living at the same address), then ALL family members receive a 10% discount (including non-players). *These membership categories may vote in Club general meetings. They may also enter the Club Wimbledon ballot, as long as they were an opted-in British Tennis Member by 19 February 2016 (this does not apply to table tennis only members). www.hillsideltc.org.uk 2
CLUB NEWS Wine Tasting Evening Friday 4th March, 7:15pm for 7:30pm start This promises to be a really good event led by the entertaining and highly recommended wine connoisseur, Keith Conyers-Nolan. Guests will be given 8 tastings of fine wines (4 whites and 4 reds), together with nibbles created by Keith, to complement the wines. He will also run a quiz with a bottle of bubbly as a prize! The wine tasting runs from 7:30pm till 9:30pm. The evening will then continue with the opportunity to enjoy more of your favourite wines for a donation of only 2.50 per glass, along with further entertainment if requested! To end the evening, coffee/tea and cake will be on sale for 1.00. Tickets cost 10 for the wine tasting, purchased in advance please from Angela at: baronangela@hotmail.com or on 07971 955565. Please note: Only 10 of the 36 tickets are still available so book now. Tennis Suppers The last tennis supper of the winter was held on 26 February and, like it s predecessors, was enjoyed by everyone who attended. Thanks to all of you who contributed to the great selection of food on offer at each of these events. January s tennis supper quiz winners: Paul Bridge, Jane Hunt, Amanda Holl and Paul Holl. www.hillsideltc.org.uk 3
CLUB NEWS Finals Day 2016 This year Finals Day for the main club tournament will be on Saturday 10 September, with 11 September as the alternative date. Remember, you cannot enter the tournament unless you are available to play on these dates, so please put them in your diary now. Have Your Say The committee welcomes suggestions from club members, as this gives us a valuable prompt to review what we re doing. Since the last newsletter, five suggestions have been received and were discussed by the committee at their meetings in January and February. Suggestion 1: Please can the cycle rack be moved. It is not being used in its current location. Thank you for this suggestion. This has been done. Suggestion 2: Zip ties can be used to secure the court nets, which are in in danger of being ripped in the wind. Thank you for this suggestion. This has been done. Suggestion 3: Would it be possible to obtain a better box for the ball machine. The existing one is very hard to put away. Thank you for this suggestion. This is being actioned. Suggestions 4 & 5: Could Junior Tennis Camps be longer? Can there be additional coaching for children during the week? Thank you for these suggestions. We will investigate whether these are possible. Rob Hemmings If anyone has a suggestion for the committee, please place it in the box in the clubhouse. Suggestions will be considered at the next committee meeting and reported (anonymously) in the newsletter, unless the suggestion includes a request not to do so. www.hillsideltc.org.uk 4
SENIOR TENNIS Betty Silvester Tournament Saturday 12 March, from 6:30 pm This is a mixed doubles tournament played under floodlights with a completely random draw for partners. It is played on one evening as a series of round robins of small groups, followed by semi-finals and the final. There will be refreshments after the tennis. Entry charge 2.00 per player, plus 1.50 for food (to be paid on the evening). Please bring your own drinks. To enter, please sign the sheet in the clubhouse. Southport & District Tennis League This year s league season will begin in week commencing 25 April and end in week commencing 25 July. There are three teams joining the league in division 9: Rainford, Campion 3 and Mawdsley 6. One team had dropped out of division 8 at the end of last season (so only one team was relegated from that division) and there were already two team places in division 9. There are new Match and Tournament Secretaries this year. Katya Clifford from Sphynx is taking over from Hilary Bell, who has stepped down after 16 years service. Val Ormerod from Waterloo is the new Team Tournament Secretary and Spartan s Trophy Secretary. (All contact with Katya and Val should be via our Match Secretary, Joan Upton). Rob Hemmings and Joan Upton at the Wardle tournament in November 2015. Match Practices There will be match practices in April for those players who would like to be part of our League teams this season. More information to follow, once the Temporary Selection Committee has had an opportunity to agree the dates. www.hillsideltc.org.uk 5
SENIOR TENNIS American Tournament Saturday 9 April, from 2:30 pm Everyone is welcome to enter this fun tournament. However, numbers are limited to 24 players, 12 men and 12 ladies, so please sign the sheet in the clubhouse (from 6 March). About American Tournaments This is a mixed doubles tournament with a random draw for the initial pairings. Each round consists of five games, with a point awarded for each game won. At the end of the round, all pairs split up. The losing man and lady stay on the same court, but play against each other in the next round. The wining man and lady move on, in opposite directions to different courts, and then pair up with the relevant losing players. (With 24 entrants, winners will sit out for one round at rest tables and will automatically gain three points). Points from each round are recorded individually and the man and lady with the most points at the end of the tournament will be the winners. Interclub Floodlit Tournament 6 to 18 March As in previous years, local clubs have been invited to enter one pair of players in ladies, men s and mixed doubles competitions. The initial round consists of two groups of round robins, with the winners and runners-up from each group going through to the semi-finals. This year s schedule is: Monday 7th: Men s & Ladies Doubles Tuesday 8th: Mixed Doubles Friday 11th: Alternative night Monday 14th: Semi-finals Tuesday 15th: Alternative night Friday 18th: Finals Spectators are very welcome, as is anyone who can help with serving refreshments. Please contact Joan Upton for more information. Tel: 07508 434611 Dave Clark and Jane Hogan at the Wardle tournament in November 2015. Singles Mini-Leagues After a good start, the recent poor weather has meant very few matches have been played over the last couple of months. James is happy to run these again, starting straight after the League season finishes, when there is better weather. www.hillsideltc.org.uk 6
JUNIOR TENNIS Easter Tennis Camp There will be a three-day tennis camp in the Easter holidays. It will run on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Dates will be finalised shortly and full details will be available on the junior noticeboard. American Tournament Mike and Jane will be running this fun Tournament for junior players in the Easter holidays. Full details will be available shortly. (Not sure what an American Tournament is? See page 6 for more information.) Junior League Matches 2016 This season we will have five teams in the Southport & District Junior League: 3 teams of 10 years & under mini greens 1 team of 12 years & under boys 1 team of 18 years & under boys. Matches are played on Saturdays and start in mid/late April. HLTC In-School Coaching For six weeks in June/July Jane will be providing after school tennis coaching at three local primary schools: Kings Meadow, Our Lady of Lourdes and Ainsdale St John s. It is hoped this will help more children to enjoy the sport. Can you spare five hours? Jane would like to hear from anyone who could help at the Friday supervised tennis sessions from 4.30 to 5.30pm. These run from April to September and Jane s looking for people to commit to five sessions during that period. DBS checks will be arranged by the club. Please contact Jane for more information. For more information about Junior Tennis at Hillside LTC contact Jane Drew at jane.drew2@talktalk.net www.hillsideltc.org.uk 7