CASTLE HEDINGHAMCASTLE HEDINGHAM TENNIS CLUBTENNIS CLUB

St. James Street, Castle Hedingham, Essex

Newsletter Spring 2013Newsletter Spring 2013

elcome to the start of the 2013 tennis season. Here’s a quick summary of what’s happening at the Club and who you need to contact for information.

Your Your committeecommittee Thanks to everyone for their hard work in 2012 – we look forward to another productive year. Peter Drury, Chair - 01787 460683 James Hatfield, Treasurer - 01787 460254 Rachel Drury, Secretary - 01787 460683 Sam Stent, Membership Secretary - 01787 463657 Marc Squire, Club Coach – 07900 933834 Dids Gransden, Social Secretary - 01787 460936 Steed Doe, Maintenance – 07931 526366 Andy Westrop, Webmaster Dave Toocaram, Wendy Taylor, Andrew Temperton, William Parker Club tennis – Dates for your diary We are kicking off the season with an open mixed doubles tournament at 2pm on 21st April 2013. All members are welcome to take part and there will be fun prizes for the winners on the day. More details to follow. The 2013 annual club tournaments will be played on:

16th June – Ladies’ Doubles Day 23rd June – Men’s Doubles Day 30th June – Mixed Doubles Day The top 4 in each category will battle it out on Finals Day, to be held this year on Sunday 15th September. The ever popular club tennis sessions resume on Friday 5th April from 6pm and Sunday 7th April from 10am. All welcome!

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Quiz Night Our new social secretary is already going great guns and has arranged a quiz night to be held in the Ashurst Room at Hedingham Castle on 14th June – numbers for this event will be limited and it is likely to sell out fast so let Dids know ASAP if you would like a table (01787 460936)! Logo Competition The junior winner of our logo competition was Oliver Cornford with this fabulous design:

Over the summer, we will be offering a range of personalised ‘Hedingham Hotshot’ polo shirts and hoodies for sale to all junior members, with a free hoodie going to Oliver! Bring a friend! Castle Hedingham Tennis Club only grows by referral so if you like our club, get your friends, family and colleagues to dust off their rackets! Guests are welcome to try out the courts for 2 hours at a cost of £2.50 per guest when accompanied by a member (payable at The Bell). Guests can play up to 3 times per year.

Pre-season work party

If you have a couple of hours to spare on Sunday 7th April 10-12am, come along and help us clean, fix, sweep, paint, trim, prune and generally tidy the club and courts ready for the forthcoming season. Everyone who comes to help will be rewarded with a free drink in the pub afterwards! Child Protection Policy The club is putting into place a comprehensive Child Protection Policy. Our nominated Child Protection Officer is Mrs Catherine (Dids) Gransden, a governor at De Vere School who is specially trained in this area. Please speak to Dids if you would like more details. Fixtures The summer season fixtures have now been announced and will be posted in the clubhouse and on the website for your information.

League Teams If you would like to be considered for team selection, please register your interest with the club captain Marc Squire who can direct you to the appropriate team captain. MEN’S A Marc Squire 07900 933834 MEN’S B Liam Lovelock 07535 649432 MEN’S C Steed Doe 07931 526366 MIXED A Sophy Aitken 07801 860049 MIXED B Sue Nunn 07914 289614 LADIES Jill Toocaram 01787 460333 Fundraising So far Castle Hedingham Tennis Club has raised over £260 through easyfundraising.org.uk and this year we would like even more members to sign up so we can raise even more in 2013. Easyfundraising works with thousands of well known retailer including Amazon, Boden, M&S, Argos, Pets at Home, play.com, Vodafone and many more - the retailers donate a percentage of your spend to your cause when you shop with them through the easyfundraising site.

For example, spend £50 with Boden and you'll raise £1.25. Insure your car with the RAC and they'll donate up to £30 to your cause. Take out a new mobile contract with Vodafone and raise up to £45.00...!!! Simply click on the retailer you want, then shop as you would normally - you pay exactly the same price as if you visited the retailer directly and it’s really easy to use. CoachingCoaching Marc Squire remains our popular Club Coach so if you need help to improve, give him a call. Try Rusty Rackets for beginners from 7:15 – 8:15 pm on Tuesday evening (starting on 23rd April – first 6 weeks free for members). Court bookingsCourt bookings As a member you are entitled to use the courts free of charge but please make sure the court is not booked by a non-member first by checking at The Bell Inn on 01787 460350. You are of course welcome to use the courts any time they are vacant but if someone has booked them, they take priority. Shoe tagsShoe tags Please make sure you wear your shoe tags on court – they signify you are a member.

WebsiteWebsite We are continuing to upgrade our website for members – please bear with us. Don’t forget you can also find us on Facebook! JuniorsJuniors As always junior members are offered 10 weeks free coaching. This year the junior coaching season starts on Saturday 20th April. Junior finals day will be held on Saturday 14th September. Marc will be assisted this year by Matt and Will and lots of fun is guaranteed! Marc will also be continuing his junior squad sessions on a Wednesday after school from 24th April – let him know if you’d like to join. In 2012, the junior members were given the opportunity to represent the club in a league devised by several of the local coaches. Many junior members were given an opportunity to play and all of them enjoyed the experience. The league will continue in 2013 – do let Marc know if you would like to be considered. Last year’s summer school was once again a great success and will run again this year for 2 weeks August 5th – 16th. Note to parents: In the event of bad weather it is Marc’s decision whether a coaching session should proceed. The safety of our juniors is paramount and

it will be on this basis that Marc will make his decision. For juniors participating in junior league matches, please note that it is the parents’ responsibility to arrange transportation to and from the matches and to supervise their children for the duration of the match; unfortunately club officials cannot always attend. Finally, 2013 coaching groups will be organised as follows: Tots Tennis 9.00 to 9:50am: Mini An introduction to tennis for our youngest members aged 3-5 yrs. Red Group 10:00 to 10:50am: Mini ½ court tennis for children aged approximately 6-8 yrs. This group serves as a gentle introduction to the game for young children. Amber Group 11:00 to 12:00pm: 3/4 court tennis for children aged approximately 8-10 years. This group is for children who have already attended the Red group and are ready to move on a stage. It equally serves 7-9 year old beginners. Intermediates 12:00 to 1:00pm: Full court tennis - the next group up for juniors (aged 10-12 approximately) who are ready to enjoy a faster pace and further technical instruction. Advanced 1:00 to 2:00pm: Challenging and competitive. A very significant step up from the intermediate group (for 12-16 year olds approximately).