Brian Hardy – Chairman

For those not aware, the club now has an all-singing, all-dancing and very colourful website that can be found at www.rltsc.co.uk. You’ll find a wealth of information on it, including the latest tennis and squash leagues, club news, details of coaching and events, information for new and prospective members plus links to local events and tennis and squash equipment suppliers.

Tennis and Squash Leagues

The tennis leagues were re-vamped this summer, and are now being run by Spencer Dryer, who also runs the squash leagues. The leagues run on a monthly basis, and as well as the traditional methods of notice-board and telephone the technologically savvy amongst you can check the leagues and contact opponents via email and the club website. There are 5-6 players in each league, and generally one player is promoted and one relegated from each league every month, although there are exceptions and Spencer is happy to listen to any grievances or suggestions. Every month the three highest achievers will be named on the league email, and the person scoring the highest number of points as well as completing all their games is automatically promoted two leagues.

In September, the tennis league had 7 divisions and a total of 37 players, and the squash league had 65 players across 13 divisions. New players can join the leagues in any month and existing players are able to ‘sit out’ months should they need to.

Some tennis players’ comments on the new system have been:

“Great effort, the new concept is terrific and efficient via email. A breath of fresh air”

“I’d say the tennis leagues are being run extremely well – in fact couldn’t really be any better”.  “I think Spencer has made a great job of the leagues….Spencer’s work has raised the profile of the leagues enormously” – so a large vote of thanks is clearly due to Spencer for taking this on, despite not even being a tennis player himself.

 Radlett Vets Squash 2004/5

Okey Dokey golden oldies here we go again. Another Vets season hooves into sight, and I’m not talking pet insurance, body warmers for dyslexics or discount on viagra.

Last season, we got promoted from division 3B to division 3! Expectation knows no down cycle. The bar rises ever higher each year. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be hard, it’s going to demand physical, mental and emotional commitment beyond anything you’ve experienced before.

Can you produce nouveaux cuisine for 10 in the Radlett kitchen after being thrashed on court by someone who later tells you he only took up squash because he found darts too tiring? Can you navigate to Tring in the dark? And get home again? Can you climb to the top of the marking chair and count up to nine? Can you play squash? (Sorry. Forget that one – it doesn’t matter).

If the answer to any of these questions is Yes, or No, and you are over 45 (or 40 if you are prepared to shave your legs and wear a skirt), then Radlett Vets team needs you!

Season starts 5^th Oct. If interested, contact Steve Bettridge on 01727 831919.

Radlett’s New Glassback Squash Courts

Radlett has finally refurbished its old Bicester Squash Courts by removing the gallery and replacing the back stud partition walls with glassbacks, completing plans that were first drawn up in 1996! The courts opened for play on the weekend of 25^th/26^th September.

In 1996 Building Regulations approval was received, but the plan was not taken any further due to lack of funds.

Over the last two years a new plan was drawn up but was frustrated by structural difficulties involved with removing the gallery, meaning that we were unable to get a fixed price contract. Our budget meant we could not proceed without guarantees.

This all changed in April this year when a local specialist renovations contractor heard of our problems and from professional interest rather than profit motivation began talking to us about the possibilities from a positive rather than previously negative perspective. He was prepared to take a risk and give us a fixed price contract.

We had originally only thought we could at best be able to afford to remove the gallery and install glass backs; however the contractor persuaded us that this was the once in a life time chance to substantially improve the courts by installing a concrete block wall in front of the existing panel wall. To do this required investigating current foundation strengths, and on the go ahead of the structural engineer, taking up the floor and moving it back approximately 5inches. In removing the gallery we took out the lateral support for the side walls – in effect the outside walls of the two courts would have fallen if not replaced by the substantial steel beams currently in place.

The lights are now on push button 45-minute timers. The lights are now free with the price of playing a game of squash being met by a court booking stamp at £2.50 it is essential that members police the stamp booking system. No-one is entitled to play without first having stamped the court. If you see anyone playing who has not done so please raise the matter with them. They are cheating the club, and cheating you!

Heating – an emotive subject, particularly amongst the ‘older members’ - is now centrally controlled so no further fights should ensue! The heating is now thermostatically controlled on three time zones and in accordance with Squash England’s recommended temperature levels.

The vast majority of the work is now complete, but clearly there are some cosmetic works to be carried out. The steel columns will be plastered to ceiling height and then painted. After painting, the carpet tiles can be laid, and I am hopeful that this can be completed before the end of October. Outstanding works which will have to wait until the new membership year are the boxing in of the steel beams and a suspended ceiling cover.

The building works raised several challenges, not least the sourcing of specialist squash court materials. For those in any doubt I can confirm that retail price maintenance and cartels still openly exist in this country!

Radlett now have squash facilities that they can be rightfully proud of and amongst the best in the County. I would ask all members to respect and help maintain the quality of these courts by keeping the open area clean and to wear only non-marking (no black soled shoes) on court.

Finally, I would like to thank Chris Robinson for his help. Without his time, effort and dedication (he forsook raising a family to see this project completed!) I would not have had a holiday in August and these courts would still be a pipe dream. 

Andy Connell - Squash Chairman    10^th October 2004

The +100 Project

You will probably all have seen posters or flyers about the +100 project, which was launched this summer with the aim of attracting at least 100 new members to the club within 12 months. The membership of the club has dipped substantially in recent years, and as membership fees account for the vast majority of the club’s income, increasing our membership is vital if we are to be able to afford to keep Radlett’s facilities up to the best standards – for example, being able to re-surface some of the older artificial grass courts in the near future.

As part our efforts we are looking to make the club as welcoming as possible to new members and to make it as easy as possible for them to get involved in the club quickly once they have joined. On October 16th we held a new members afternoon, inviting everyone who has joined recently to come to the club for a drink, a bit of social tennis or squash, and a chance to chat to new and existing members and ask any questions about the club. We have also offered the many local employees of BT a discounted membership rate, advertising the club on their intranet. Further ways to make better information about the club available to new and prospective members are being developed and any ideas here are always welcome. Please do continue to encourage anyone you know who may be interested in playing tennis or squash in the area to come and find out about the club, and to come along to those social sessions at which non-members are welcome.

The +100 initiative team, and others, have also been working behind the scenes to help the club to run more effectively for its members. Since the start of this year, the office has been equipped with a new PC and printer and a broadband connection. The membership database has been updated and email lists created. More tennis and squash activities have been introduced. The club newsletter has resurfaced after a long period of absence. Many volunteers have worked to achieve the refurbishment of two of the squash courts. For the future, more ideas are being worked on including a court booking system, direct debit membership payment option, a corporate membership scheme and more active involvement of coaches in the club. We hope that tennis court refurbishment and more ideas will be on the list in the near future.

For more information on the activities of the +100 initiative please contact Derek Thorpe.

Junior Tennis News by Carol Connon

This year there has been the usual array of coaching and matches. Boys and Girls teams played in the Herts Summer League and National Junior Club League. Teams are also entered for the Herts Winter League.

Once again, we had a successful Club tournament and although the weather wasn’t as kind as usual on Finals Day, everyone had a great time and the barbeque was a roaring success.  Winners were: U10 Singles – Lewis Leader, U14 Girls Singles – Louise Jennings, U14 Boys Singles – Sam Miller, U18 Boys Singles – Ben Davis, U14 Girls Doubles – Katie Booth and Emma Slater, U15 Boys Doubles – Jonathan Simmons and James Tobias, U14 Mixed Doubles – Katie Booth and Sam Miller. Well done to everyone who played!

Special congratulations to Junior members, Ben Davis and Charlotte Connon on their successes this Season. Ben continues to be sponsored by the LTA National Futures Programme. He got to the Quarter Finals of the U13 event at the Solihull International Tournament this summer and came 4^th in the LTA National Junior Winter Indoor League. Charlotte won both the Singles and Doubles events at the Ellesse Chandos Grand Prix Tournament in August. Well Done!

The weekly coaching programme has now started for the autumn term. If you are not in a group, please speak to G who will slot you into the correct one. There will also be a course running every morning between 9.30am and 12.30pm during the half term holiday – forms are available through the coaches or on the junior board.

Friday social night has started again where supervised activities take place between 4.30 and 8 pm. Would parents please be aware that there will be no adults supervising the juniors after 8 pm during the winter months so could they please be collected promptly.  This is a social evening for members only, although visitors can attend for 3 sessions only at a cost of £2.50 per session.

As part of the Club’s Health and Safety policy, there must be a parent on duty during Friday evenings. This is for your child’s safety therefore all parents whose children attend the social evening will be required to do a duty session on a rota basis. Please ensure you check the noticeboard for your allocated session so that you are available.

The Tinsel Tennis Christmas Party will take place on Friday 10^th December. Put this date in your diary now and look out for further details on the noticeboard.

Team news round-up – Summer 2004

With 17 summer tennis teams hogging courts 1-3 for the majority of the summer, we thought you might like to know how they got on this season:

Hertfordshire League

The three Ladies teams enjoyed a very successful year in the Herts league. Ladies 1 were happy to finish third in the hard-fought Championship division with 4 wins from 6 matches. The Ladies 2 and Ladies 3 teams both won their divisions, having each won 5 of their 6 games, and will be promoted for next season.

The Mens 1 team won 4 out of 6 matches; it looks like the team have just missed out on promotion, but have had an enjoyable season nonetheless. Mens 2 and Mens 3 finished mid-table in their divisions, winning about half of their games. Mens 4, after some close matches, were unlucky to find themselves on the wrong side of a number of 5-4 results.

Watford and District League

Ladies A had a very successful season with a number of hard-fought wins against strong sides, and the team may yet achieve promotion back to the top division. Ladies B, playing in division 3 with a number of ‘A’ teams, did well to finish third in their division. Ladies C had an enjoyable season in division 6 with some good wins along the way.

The Mens A team won about half their games to finish mid-tble and hold their position in division 2. The Mens B and Mens C teams both finished 5^th in their divisions. Congratulations to the Men’s D team who were promoted up from their division after an excellent season.

The Mixed A team became famous for its aversion to washing up - which lead to the appearance of a box of 500 pieces of plastic cutlery in the club kitchen. They also finished 2^nd in division 2 and will be promoted back to the top league for next season. The Mixed B team were unlucky to slip a division (on game difference) after losing some players to the As, but had a thoroughly enjoyable season with 5 good wins and are proud to say they did not dodge the washing up.

National Club League

Radlett ladies entered a new team this season into this much-feared competition in which players are required to take to the court alone and play singles as well as their more habitual doubles. Not daunted, the ladies succeeded in not only finding all the obscure venues at which they were required to play (although it was a close-run thing on one occasion) but also in winning all their group matches, come rain or shine (normally rain). They’re not entirely sure what happens next, but seems like a good outcome nonetheless.

On behalf of everyone who has played for the teams this summer, a very large thank you goes out to all the noble souls who have captained a team (or in a few cases a number of teams) over the season: Sophie Keates, Eilis Kelleher, Jackie Underwood, Karen Curran, Jill Smith, Barbara Bart, Brian Klitzner, Brian Denton, Brian Chalfen, John Taylor, Bob Sneesby, Julian Robinson, Lee Dudak, Bill Holiday.

Team tennis continues over the winter with the veterans teams in action. Captains for the season are: Mens 45+ - Nigel Booth, Mens 55+ - Joe Arazi, Ladies 40A – Jenny Davis, Ladies 40B – Rena Delaney, Ladies 50A – Sandra Mackenzie, Ladies 60A – Margaret Trussell, Ladies 60B –Barbara Bart.

The squash teams are also in action. Captains are: 1^st team – Derek Thorpe/James Ockwell, 2^nd team – Daniel Wolfson, Veterans – Steve Betteridge (see the piece above for more on this team!)

Junior Squash News

The Junior squash club has just started its third season under the guidance of coach Julian Craxton, and has grown into one of the biggest junior clubs in the county. The club meets on Sunday afternoons, starting off with a beginners group at 1.45pm, followed by intermediates at 2.30pm and seniors from 3.30-5pm. The sessions cost £4, and juniors are involved in coaching, ladder games, graded tournaments and matches against other club. Radlett players have been successful within the county with the U13 team winning the county club trophy in 2002-3 and the U11s having been county champions for the last two seasons. At the end of last season, Luke Stewart and Jemma Ockwell were both ranked number 1 in the county in the U11 age group, and a further fourteen players were ranked in the top 10 in their age groups. Ten juniors represented Herts last season, and already this October seven played for Herts against Middlesex. At this season’s county championships, newcomer George Barbett was U11 champion and another ten players finished in the top six for their age groups.

For further details about the junior squash club contact Julian Craxton (07711 748557)

What’s On

Regular tennis and squash sessions for the winter are as follows. Keep an eye on the notice boards and the website for other events.

Finally…

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed articles or information to this edition of the club newsletter. We hope to make it a regular communication for the club. Any contributions or suggestions are most welcome, as are advertising enquiries. Please email ed@rltsc.co.uk