Category: Club Sessions

Would you like to try out some new or different tennis racquets while also getting tips on how to improve your Doubles Play? If so, join us on Sunday 3rd July at 1:30pm for a free 90 minute Dunlop Racquets and Doubles Clinic with Marc Codling and our very own head coach, José. There will be the usual social tennis sets after the session to allow you to practice what you have learned.

Places are limited so sign-up is essential. (Please use the same ClubSpark login as your membership.) Please note that this replaces the July coach-led social session which would have normally taken place the previous day. Coach-led social takes a break for the summer holidays and will return in the Autumn.

Coach-led Social returns on Saturday 4th December at 1pm. There will be fun skill games to improve your doubles play, and then José will ensure you are paired off with players of similar ability to have an enjoyable and fun game of doubles. Coach-led social is open to all members of club social standard and on these Saturdays replaces the Advanced Player Club Sessions which normally run 1-2pm on weekends.

Then join us on Sunday 2nd January for a fun festive-themed American Tournament from 1-4pm. Members should look out for an email containing the online sign up link nearer the time.

Club social sessions will continue to run as normal throughout the festive period (weather and numbers permitting), except on Christmas Day (no session) and Sunday 2nd January (American Tournament).

A quick reminder that there will be no Senior Club Sessions on Saturday 12th June due to the Junior Championships. All five courts have been booked for Social on Sunday 13th June in anticipation of greater than usual attendance.

Please note that due to the ongoing pandemic and prohibition on gatherings of more than 30 people, we ask that spectators for the Junior Championships be limited to family members of participants only.

Now that we are in Step 3 Restrictions we feel that it is now safe to hold larger outdoor group activities such as American tournaments. The first one will be the upcoming Bank Holiday Monday, 31st May, from 2pm, finishing by 5pm. Due to the ongoing pandemic, advanced registration is required–sorry we cannot accommodate anyone who turns up on the day.

An American tournament is a fun way to play doubles with a variety of different partners and opponents over the course of an afternoon. Each player keeps their track of the number of individual games he or she has won in each set and the winner is the person who has won the most games at the end of the day. It is a great introduction to social tennis for newcomers to the club, or those improvers who want to try out their new skills at a club session. For regular club social players it is a fun alternative to the usual tennis format.

For details of how to enter, please see the Club's most recent email newsletter (20th May).

Our first three Pop-up Café events proved to be hugely popular.  Donations and proceeds from the sale of refreshments, homemade cakes, candles, jams and other donated items exceeded £390 for Macmillan Cancer Support!  Many thanks to everyone who has donated or attended, with particular gratitude to the bakers who supplied amazing home-baked goodies.

Unfortunately due to London moving into High Risk COVID-19 restrictions from Saturday morning, the remaining Pop-up Charity Café dates will have to be cancelled. Tennis activities such as club and coaching sessions will continue as planned. Members can read the latest LTA advice at https://lta.org.uk/coronavirus.

To raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, we will be hosting a Pop-up Charity Café and Homemade Goodies Shop at a number of Club Social sessions throughout October (full list of dates below). There will be tea, cafetière coffee and sweet treats available, as well as home-made items to buy (including candles, jam and face masks) with all the proceeds going to Macmillan. Donations can be made via cash or directly to Macmillan on your smartphone.

• Saturday 10^th – there will also be coach-led social!
• Tuesday 13^th
• Thursday 15th
• Sunday 18^th
• Tuesday 20^th
• Saturday 24^th
• Thursday 29^th

Please note that the pop-up café will be qualify as a hospitality venue for the purposes of COVID regulations. Please bring a mask, and signing in, via NHS App or paper guest book, will be mandatory.

Due to the very wet weather forecast for Saturday we have decided to postpone coach-led social until the following week (10th October). We hope you will be able to join Head Coach, José, at 1:30pm for an hour of fun games and drills, followed by some convivial sets of social doubles. This regular (pre-covid) feature of the club calendar is very popular with players of all experience levels, from club social regulars to "rusty racquets".

Don't worry if you can't make it this month, it will be back on Saturdays 7th November and 5th December.

The LTA, in consultation with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, have confirmed that turn up and play sessions (often known as club or social sessions) may resume provided that clubs are following the appropriate protocol. We are therefore very pleased to be able to let you know that our "Social Tennis" sessions will resume from this Sunday 19th July (not Saturday, due to existing court bookings taking priority).

COVID-19 Protocol

1. Please ensure you are familiar with and follow the LTA Guidance for Players at all times.
2. Before leaving home to play tennis, all participants should undergo a self-assessment symptom check for any COVID-19 symptoms using the information on the NHS website.
3. The peg board that is normally used to arrange sets in an equitable manner cannot be used—games will be arranged verbally instead. Please try to ensure everyone has a fair chance to play.
4. If you play with someone new, or that you don't know, make sure you exchange names, in case this is needed for NHS Test and Trace. The club will provide contact details to NHS Test and Trace for anyone who might have come into contact with an infection at a social session.
5. Remember to remain two metres apart from other players whilst organising sets and waiting to play.
6. The club has installed hand sanitiser dispensers at the entrance to the courts. Please use this before entering and after leaving the courts. Even better, bring your own sanitiser and use it between sets.
7. As per our normal practice, most of the time there will be new balls supplied by the club. Where balls are not completely used following a Saturday session, they will be put aside and not used until at least Wednesday.

I have never been to Social Tennis. Can I come along?

Absolutely! Social tennis is open to all Senior and Student Members, plus Junior members who have been invited to participate by the Committee. It's great fun, we provide all the balls (plus floodlights when required) and you get to meet new people while playing some relaxed and convivial sets of tennis.

When is Social Tennis?

• Saturday and Sunday from about 1:30pm until everyone has had enough fun.
• Wednesday evenings from 7pm (free floodlighting provided).
• Tuesday and Thursday mornings from about 10am until 12noon (2pm next week, 21st and 23rd July due to Junior Summer Camps).

Although many pubs and restaurants have re-opened, the government guidelines still advise against gatherings of more than 6 people from different households. We have therefore decided to cancel weekend and Wednesday evening social sessions until at least 15th 18th July.

Tuesday & Thursdays – The "mid-week section"

A number of Tuesday & Thursday morning regulars have been arranging 4s at 10am on Tuesdays and Thursdays to avoid missing their regular tennis-based exercise. To facilitate our mid-week regulars being able to stay fit and healthy, we have decided to trial reinstating the Tuesday and Thursday morning sessions with the proviso that attendees must follow the government guidelines and not mix with more than 5 other people per-session. For 8 players this means dividing into 2 fours at the beginning and not mixing, for 10 players you will need to split into two groups of 5 with no crossover, and so on. Please enjoy these sessions safely and responsibly!