TennisBalls

TennisBalls: A New Year’s Wish

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 22:35:45 +0000

In this edition:
-A New Year's Wish
-Marlow Santa Fun Run Update
-50 for £500: Ladies lunch on Friday January 20th
-Floodlight tokens

Thanks for reading.

-A New Year's Wish

The tennis club committee wish all members a wonderful new year and hope that each and every one of you will take to the courts and play tennis many times throughout 2012. We'd also remind members that it's in all of our interest to support the sports club fund raising activities happening at the club as every £ donated goes a long way to raising the much needed funds to complete the exciting redevelopment of our club. Our new year's wish is that more and more members support the many activities that are taking place at the club starting with the few mentioned below. Happy new year!

-Marlow Santa Fun Run Update
The results are in! A big thank-you to everyone who sponsored the Marlow Tennis Club runners who put in a creditable performance: Guy Tomlinson (26:30mins - place 103), Mary Crawford (30:00mins - place 219) and Joss Finch and Nick Tomlinson (33mins -places 412 & 413). So far you’ve raised nearly £350. And this figure is still rising. The sponsorship page is open until March 3rd so if you have considered contributing a £ or two please do so now. It only takes a couple of minutes by following this link. You can also watch a video of the Santa Fun Run on BucksTV website featuring an interview with Sir Steven Redgrave (Sports Club patron, 49 mins, place 1159) who started the race and footage of our tennis runners warming up with the Green Goddess (!?).

-50 for £500: Ladies lunch on Friday January 20th
Rosalind is holding a fundraising lunch on Friday 20 January 2012 at 5 Highfield Park, Marlow from 12 midday to 3pm. The suggested donation is £10 per person and we're hoping for 50 attendees generating £500 towards the Sports Club fund.

Can you attend? It's only for a few hours and for a great cause. Bring a dish of food and a bottle for all to enjoy. Also bring a small raffle type prize or even an unwanted Christmas gift. Everyone will be given a ticket on arrival and will leave with a surprise of some sort. Lastly If you have an item or two of clothing that you would like to bring to see if anyone else would like to buy it please do. Usually it would be something that was on it's way to Oxfam. Please have an idea of how much you would be willing to let it go for.

That's it. Any other suggestions are welcome. Please let Rosalind know if you can come: 1628 472060/ 07989 862036

-Floodlight tokens
Reminder that the price for tokens has increased to £2 from January 1st to enable 50p to be donated to the Sports Club fund

Ideas like supporting the Santa Fun Run, hosting a ladies lunch, and adding a small but important donation to each floodlight token are all great ways the tennis club is contributing to the sports club fund. If you have any fund raising ideas or want to organise your own event let TennisBalls know and we'll help spread the word.

TennisBalls: The Sports Report

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:47:40 +0000

In this edition:

-The Sports Report: 2011 A Fantastic Year

Thanks for reading and happy new year to all!

SnowBalls: December Update

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 12:07:26 +0000

In this edition….
-December update from Mary
-Wonder why Jocelyn, Guy, Nicky & Mary were running around dressed as Santa?
-Highlights of the AGM
-Fund raising
-Indoor tennis

Thanks for reading.

-December update from Mary

Dear All
Can you believe the shortest day of the year is approaching fast? And christmas is two weeks today. Not long till the long nights are back with us. This wonderful, mild weather allows many of us to continue to play, be it for fun or in the winter matches (Well done Men's A team who won 8-0 yesterday making it 4 out of 4 wins this season). The good news is that the courts have been cleaned and hopefully are almost a slip free zone now. Remember if you need tokens for the lights they are available from Jane and Andrew Johnson and Libby and Colin Upcott. And if you have got Snow Balls remember the club sells tennis balls at competitive prices to all members.
For some of us last Sunday was a BIG DAY as we ran in the Santa Fun Run http://www.santasfunrun.org/ run by the Rotary Clubs of Marlow. 50% of takings go to the Rotary charities. This year, Rotary’s lead charity for Santa’s Fun Run is the Marlow Sports Club with a focus on greater youth participation in sport. So please support Jocelyn Finch, Guy & Nicky Tomlinson and me by donating via http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Marlow_Tennis_Club.
As you are aware the AGM was held a couple of weeks ago. Full minutes will be published in a future newsletter but meanwhile here are the headlines:
·         10% increase in subs for next year
·         Tokens to be raised by 50p to £2 each from January 1st 2012 with the increase being given directly to the Sports Club as part of our fund raising
·         The Treasurer to look at the options for gaining a higher interest on our savings
·         Given the need to move forward and achieve Clubmark status and persue a CASG application (and the lack of volunteers) we will pay someone to lead on the work
·         Match fees will cease from the start of the summer season 2012 and team captains will be responsible for purchasing match balls. The club will continue to pay the entry fee of all teams
·         We plan to have the courts replaced early next year
·         Committee roles
o   Chair - vacant
o   Membership Secretary – Andrew Johnson
o   Treasurer – Jonathan Slack
o   Secretary – Ann Dunn
o   Match /fixture secretary – Jocelyn Finch
o   Junior representative - Justin Cook
o   Men’s captain – Jonathan Welch
o   Ladies Captain – vacant
o   Off peak representative – Wendy Aitken
o   Social Secretaries - Jane Pyke & Sarah McDonald
o   Communications officer – Alan Hely
·         I have agreed to continue to lead on the interface with MSC for the coming year (maximum) but certainly until the Usage Agreement is signed and we have a Chair. All negotiations and decisions will be made with reference to the committee.
·         Jocelyn Finch was presented by the Chair with the John Field cup in recognition of all her work to support the club in the past year.
Fund Raising
All Sections are requested to increase their efforts to raise money – we still owe a shed load – yes, we have secured the land upon which we all play our sports but we do need to pay back the loans. If you have not completed a donor form yet – please think about it – on the day of the AGM less than 60 members of the various sections had done so. It is an easy and pain free way to donate and with gift aid you money is worth even more. Lost your form try http://www.marlowsportsclub.org.uk . Any ideas for fund raising please let one of the committee know. The MSC Trustees are currently trying to recruit someone to coordinate and support the sections and the whole Club with their fund raising. We all need to come up with ideas and support the fundraising of our Section and others.
Indoor Tennis

Cox Green Leisure Centre has opened additional facilities. Three floodlit tennis courts covered by a translucent dome to allow play whatever the weather. Courts are Available: Monday-Thursday 4.30pm-10pm; Friday 4.30pm-9pm; Weekends 9am-6pm; during school holidays from 9am. For more information and casual bookings please contact the Centre on 01628 796881. For Block Bookings contact Richard May on 01753 778557 or Richard.may@rbwm.gov.uk

That's all for now. Happy winter tennis and festive season.
Mary

TennisBalls: Win Your Christmas Dinner

Tue, 8 Nov 2011 10:19:31 +0000

-November update from Mary

Dear All

With the dark nights now upon us why not support your local club on Thursday November 17th by attending the AGM. It is being held in the Old Pavilion at the Sports Club and starts at 8.15pm. It is being preceded by an open session with several of the MSC Trustees starting at 7.30pm. Rules state that we need one tenth of our adult members to be quorate so please do your bit and come along. An agenda and copies of last year’s minutes are included below. We have most committee positions filled, assuming you agree to vote for the volunteers but we are still without a ladies captain and most importantly a Chair. This is a critical time for the club and we need one. This is no time to be without strong leadership.

Thanks to Jane and Sarah for organising the quiz night recently. It was a great success and well done to the winners, team Murray. As we continue to support the Marlow Sports Club development, all profits go to the Sports Club fund. The cricket section plans to run an upstairs/downstairs quiz again this year on Saturday November 12th Last year we had around 35 tennis members attend and this year we are looking for c30 from the tennis section. If you attended last year and would like to attend again please contact Stuart at wistalma@live.co.uk. The aim is for teams of 8 but this can be adjusted up and down if necessary. Food will be £12 a head to include Fish and Chips or Chicken or Vegetarian Spring Roll.

Tennis in the dark? Not a good idea. We are back to the time of year when the lights are needed to play into the evening. These are available from Colin and Libby Upcott 01628 484490 and Jane and Andrew Johnson 01628 484635. Colin and Libby also sell balls at a very competitive price.

Club House Improvements. Lee, who replaced the sink unit in the clubhouse as well as a few other odd jobs is coming back to do work on the outside of the building and extend our honours board. Hopefully this will be of no inconvenience to all.

Thanks for reading and hopefully see you at the AGM

Mary

-Win Your Christmas Dinner (or at least part of it!)
Win your Christmas dinner courtesy of Marlow Sports Club Commercial.

1st Prize: FREE RANGE BRONZE Turkey
From Cookham based farmers Copas (4-4.99kg weight). Bronze-feathered traditional turkeys, raised on a nutritious cereal-based 'rainforest friendly' diet, in cherry orchards & grassy meadows. Winner of 2 Gold Stars in the Great Taste Awards 2010 & Winner of a 'Christmas Q' at the Quality Food Awards 2010! Plus potatoes, vegetables and Christmas pudding.

2nd Prize: Boxing Day Joint of beef

Other Prizes:
Smoked salmon pack, Butcher made sausages, Christmas pudding, mince pies, bottle of wine, Christmas vegetables, fruit, crackers etc

How To Win:
On Saturday November 5th a board with 500 squares will go up behind the bar at the sports club. Buy a square from the barman for £1 each or 6 for £5 and write your name, section and phone number in your square/s. Next time you pop in, buy a few more :-). If you can’t get down to the club and want to participate please contact Stuart Peacock on wistalma@live.co.uk and he will help you participate.
Note: If all the squares sell out, the club reserves the right to add more squares. Draw to be held at the Club on Saturday December 3rd (Winners to be informed immediately but prizes allocated later in month). All proceeds to go to Marlow Sports Club Development Fund.

TennisBalls: Autumn Update

Sun, 9 Oct 2011 18:49:59 +0100

-Autumn update from Mary

Dear All
　
Despite the 30 degree day we started our winter team tennis season last Saturday with the 2 men’s teams playing each other at home. A battle won by the A team 6 – 2. And yesterday the men's A team won 7-1. Good start team! We now have 2 mixed teams, one in the Farnham Common league (only age requirement is to be over 16 so most of us will meet that criteria); the other is vets. If you are interested in playing please contact jonathan.welch@hotmail.co.uk. He also organises the men’s teams. Ladies wanting to play contact Tania Smith tania.smith1@ntlworld.com or Helen Roberts helenfrancesroberts@hotmail.com.　

Many of you have commented on the state of the courts and we are currently getting quotes for replacing Courts 1, 2 and 3. More information when available. Note Court 4 is in a better condition.
　
Sunday 25th saw court 4 full of juniors and a few parents playing mini tennis. Justin and his team did a fantastic job of organising and running our club contribution to the MSC open afternoon. Every section participated and there were about 250 children who came along to try all the sports we offer. It was a fantastic sight and a special thanks must go to Catriona Slack (wife of our treasurer Jonathan) for leading the organisation of the whole event. Thanks also to the cake bakers, all your contributions were much appreciated by young and old alike. For me this day was a real demonstration of what a great community resource the Sports Club is. The more we all work together and promote sport the stronger and more sustainable we will be. Did you know the Striders now have a cycling section? So as the old knees wear out it is a new sport to participate in.

The Sports Club bar is now open every evening Monday to Saturday and has had to reopen on one occasion for tennis members on a Monday night. A commitment has been made to keep the bar open til at least 9 30pm so we can all walk in the dark across the cricket pitch to have a drink. It is early days in working out what hours are best to open but due to club night on a Monday it will remain open for tennis players. So drink you must if you are a Monday nighter!

THE MSC AGM was held in mid September. A copy of the accounts is included below. In line with the constitution each Section (Member) has one vote but 2 members can attend the meeting. Jocelyn Finch was our 2nd representative. Brian Setchell has resigned as a Trustee. Brian was very involved in all the negotiations over the land price and purchase. Sally Woolven has been nominated as a Trustee. After the formal part of the meeting there was a wide ranging and frank discussion about the work still needed to achieve the aspirations of the Trustees and many of the members of the Sections. Fund raising remains an area we need to focus on and each Section has accepted a challenge of raising £10k in the coming year. We will need to discuss how we, as a Section will achieve these. All Sections were unanimous in their view that we need to have social and fund raising events that are Club wide and bring the Sections together. We all stressed the need for paid professional input into the organising of the fundraising. Operational details are still being addressed, these tend to impact on us less than some of the other Sections as we use the Pavilion less.

Our Usage Agreement is still the subject of negotiation with the Trustees and there has been no progress (not because we have reached an impasse but because we have not met) since the last edition of this newsletter. Each Section will have an agreement unique to them. It is our intention that MTC will retain responsibility for the courts, replacement and maintenance.

Remember Friday Oct 21st is a MTC organised quiz night in the bar at the Sports Club. See poster below. Tickets from Jane or Sarah. You do not need to be part of a team to enter and note,,,,,it is a quiz with a difference. All profits (small as they are) will go to MSC

November dates for your diary: Thursday 17th 8pm, our AGM. Please can the committee be made aware of any agenda items and/or proposals you have 3 weeks in advance of the AGM. As the post of Chair is about to be vacant this is YOUR opportunity to lead the tennis club. I'm happy to discuss the high and low moments with anyone.
　
And finally if you are a quiz addict or not able to make the Oct quiz, you can get a team for the event organised by cricket - we got our 30 tennis members (or guests) there last year so am sure we can do it again- Saturday November 12th. The cost is £12 a head to include Fish and Chips, or Chicken or Vegetarian Spring Roll. Idea is teams of 8.

Think that is it for now.

Mary

-The Winter Match Schedule:

TennisBalls:"I am Maria Sharapova"

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:46:55 +0100

-September update from Mary

Autumn is here and life at MSC is hotting up

-2011 Club Tennis Finals
After somewhat of a scramble and last minute activity all matches were played up to the semi final stage by 8.30pm on Friday evening with one final completed by then. We had about 15 minutes of rain on finals day despite the worrying weather forecast and lots of great tennis was played by all. As always thanks to all those who entered, to those who umpired especially those not paying in a final (Helen, Alan, Justin and Jonathan) and to those who won. Especially to Rob who won all the main Men’s events. Also well done to Margaret, a relatively new member, for entering and winning the ladies restricted final. She and Rob both have children who were very proud of them on Saturday.

Results

-The Winter Tennis Leagues Are About To Start
Marlow Tennis Club has 2 mixed, 2 Men’s and I ladies team in winter leagues. There is a lot of team tennis available catering for a wide range of skill/ability/talent. If you are interested in playing team tennis please let Tania Smith or Jonathan Welch know.

-AGM, 17 November
This will be held in the Sports Club downstairs on 17 November. An official note will be sent out in keeping with our Rules & Regulations but please save the date. I will not be standing as Chair again; I have been chair since 2007 and feel it is time that the honour be given to someone else. So time to start asking those you think will do a good job. I am happy to talk to anyone interested about what the role involves. We need strong leadership as a Section as we enter a new stage in the life of MSC so if you know of any possible candidates for the role or fancy the role yourself let me know.

-Light Tokens
Sadly it is that time of year when the lights are needed to play tennis into the evening. Tokens are available from Colin and Libby Upcott 01628 484490 and Jane and Andrew Johnson 01628 484635. Colin and Libby also sell tennis balls at extremely competitive prices.

-MSC Matters
We have had a draft of our useage agreement with MSC and got back to the Trustees with comments especially re access to the courts for non members (we WILL have control of this); insurance cover; VAT; sponsorship but clearly “non exclusive” access is a key area to resolve. Thanks to Mike Anderson and Nigel Seager who looked at the draft, as well as committee members. Lesley Hankin has produced a MSC newsletter that is attached below.

-The Social Side of Marlow Sports Club just gets Better and Better!
September 25 - Noon to 5pm: Open Day at Pound Lane.
Our six Sections, Tennis, Cricket, Striders, Hockey, Youth Football and Borlase School will be displaying their respective sports and inviting you to join in!  You will be welcome to view our facilities, both the traditional and also our brand-new All Weather Hockey Pitch. Refreshments will be available throughout the afternoon. Please note the courts will not be available to members that afternoon while the open day is taking place

September 25 - 7pm for 7.30pm:  Dinner for Mayor’s Appeal, The Compleat Angler
Marlow’s Mayor, Jocelyn Towns, is holding a Dinner as part of her Charity Appeal. MSC is her chosen Charity, for which we are very grateful.   David Hillier, a Borlase Upper Sixth Former and Communities Prefect will be explaining why sport and the community have been such important elements in his life and how he views the potential of the MSC facilities. Tickets, which might become scarce, are £30 each, excluding wine, but including a glass of wine from the Mayor herself and a considerable contribution to the Mayor’s Appeal.  Great value!  Cheques in favour of ‘Town Mayor’s Appeal’ to secure your evening, please.  (More details from jan@marlowtowncouncil.org.uk)  why not go – it saves cooking on a Sunday night?

September 30 - 4pm to 9pm: Official Opening of The Hockey Pitch.
The GB Hockey Men’s and Women’s Squads will be with us and will be playing matches against combined MSC and Borlase teams. What a great way to open our new facility officially and to thank England Hockey and the National Hockey Foundation for their generous Grants.    Refreshments will be available throughout the evening.
Marlow Half Marathon will be held on Sunday 6 November,

October 21 - A quiz with a difference. Jane and Sarah will furnish us with details shortly but save the date. The event will be held in the bar area of the MSC pavilion and all sections will be invited.

November 6 - The Marlow Half Marathon, starting and finishing from the playing fields at Sir William Borlaise Grammar School. This year, as last year, Marlow Sports Club are one of the beneficiaries from the proceeds of the event. Last year £7000 was handed over to the sports club and this year we hope to match that amount. As well as the considerable planning beforehand a substantial amount of support and help is required on the day itself. We must have some volunteers who can support on the day. Duties include:
-Helping prepare and/or serve in catering tent
-Marshalling at the water station on the finishing field
-Handing out T Shirts to competitors at finish line
-Removing chip tags from competitors shoes at finish line (it is said that many are too tired to bend down and do this after 13.1 miles in the Hambleden Valley)
-General marshalling out on the course, including encouraging and supporting the competitors on their way.

This year, for the first time, there is a Children's 1 mile fun run into the event so extra support is needed on the day in relation to this activity. If you have time to give up between 8.30/9am and midday to 1pm on Sunday 6 November please do get in touch with Dawn Segrue at Marlowstriders@googlemail.co.uk putting Dawn Segrue on the subject line.

Enjoy your tennis and start hunting for that thermal vest for those evening games.

Mary

-The Sports Report

-And Novak has other skills than tennis :-)

"I am Maria Sharapova" by Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic Impersonating Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal

TennisBalls: Hats Off!

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:37:21 +0100

In this edition read the monthly update from Mary. Enjoy!

-Update From Mary...

Summer holidays are now upon us and hopefully summer weather with follow shortly – a quick update and not too much nagging follows….

Summer tournament:
The tournament is now well under way but there are a few matches long overdue. Please please please, if you have entered the tournament check what matches you have and when they are to be played. I know it is holiday time and most of us go away but keeping to the schedule helps the whole event run smoothly. All players are responsible for getting the match arranged and played. Finals day is Saturday Sept 10th with Sunday Sept 11th a reserve date. Come and watch – you will see some very good tennis. The prize giving will be in the evening so if you make the final it is great if you are there to collect your winnings.

Social events:
Our Midsummer Tennis Social was a great success and Denise Head wins with her most stunningly wonderful hat and matching tennis bag. However Jane did look very good in her daughters hat! Once again Jane and Sarah and their many sandwich making, scone and cake baking friends did a great job. As always thanks to Jane Johnson and Libby Upcott for their support.

Next social event will be held in the Sports Club on Friday, October 21st and will be a Quiz/Games Evening with a difference. More details later but make a note of the date.

AGM:
I know it is some time away but please note that Thursday Nov 17th is when the AGM will be held at 8pm in the Old Pavilion. Note this is a week later than originally advertised.

Marlow Sports Club Update:
-The hockey astro pitch finished early and on September 30th there will be an opening match in the evening with several current England players making an appearance

-Seen the new car park? What an improvement. At the MSC Operations meeting this week we discussed the heavy traffic on Saturday mornings in particular, but also Sunday where the astro will be used all day from 9am(ish) and there is junior football. I have indicated that I think it will be our Saturday and Sunday morning team matches that will place more demand on the car park than coaching sessions as parents tend to drop their children off at the gate to the courts. We will need to keep an eye on this and I will keep you updated with plans re ensuring chaos and aggravation is kept to a minimum and that the safety of the children using the facilitates is paramount.

-Fund raising still disappointing. If you have ideas for helping to raise the funds needed to pay for the vast improvements to the club and would be happy to be part of an organising group please let me know. We are using the Marlow Carnival (Sept 17th) as the next local event to promote the whole Sports Club development and you will see me running the tug of war! Rob Daly is organising at least one team, so if you want a place he is the man to contact. Also if you fancy being a judge or helping from noon to the 5pm please let me know. No pulling required :-) Donation forms are in the club and on the website. One off or monthly donations (that can have added value by ticking the gift aid box) are an easy option. Even a fiver a month will help, especially important for cash flow

-Sports Club Open day, Sept 25th for ALL sections targeted at young people. 12noon to 5pm. Justin is organising our part in terms of sport. I am sure he will accept offers of help so please let him know if you are up for this. During the afternoon all sections will have taster sessions of their sport (with the exception of Striders). In addition to help feed hungry and budding athletes cake and biscuits bakers are required. We will put a notice up in the club house soon and if you are up for helping in a general sense on the day please let me or Catriona Slack on catriona157@orangehome.co.uk know. “Les Girls” are running the cakes stall so when you deliver your goodies please can you mark on them what they are and if they contain nuts or anything else that people may be allergic to.

-Work is on-going to recruit key positions to help take the whole club forward. A contract has been agreed with Adrian Saunders for maintenance of the grounds that will include the area around the tennis courts. Administrative support has been agreed to support the Trustees and the commercial company is being activated. If you have a (private) social event planned and are looking for a venue the club house can be booked. Rates for this are currently being finalised.

-Each Section of the sports club has met twice with the Trustees re the useage agreement and we are expecting the draft agreements shortly. These will define our contractual relationship as a Member (section) with the MSC. The committee will review this and if any tennis member wishes to see this and comment, let me know and I will get you a copy.

-From early September the MSC bar will be open every evening (not sure about Sunday – maybe not then). Let's support the club and drink there after tennis and remind the other sections that we exist, and are an active section of the Sports Club.

-Tokens: Sadly it feels like it is back to the time of year when these are needed to play into the evening. These are available from Colin and Libby Upcott 01628 484490 and Jane and Andrew Johnson 01628 484635. Please note that forcing a 5p,10p or even 20p coin in the token slot if you haven’t got any tokens doesn’t make the lights work. It just causes problems…..

That's all for now. See you on court.

Mary

TennisBalls: Play!

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 06:58:04 +0100

Three messages to relay in this edition:
-Update from Mary...
-JustinTime...
-Every penny counts....

Thanks for reading!

-Update From Mary...
June is here and those who got Wimbledon tickets in the public draw or the club draw (remember you have to be an individual member of British Tennis to be entered in this) will be gearing up for our day(s) in SW 19 and hoping for fine weather! Meanwhile to matters more local

Club tournament
The draw has now taken place and is on the noticeboard in the clubhouse for all to see. If you entered please check to see who you are to play and please play the match by the allotted time as it becomes a scheduling nightmare if people don’t play their matches in time. Take a note of finals day which is September 10th and will come around so quickly.

Social events
The next event is on JULY 13th (not June 22nd) so start gearing up for our Midsummer Tennis Garden Party. Sarah and Jane will be putting posters up shortly. All members and guests welcome.

Fundraising for MSC
We will be giving all profits from the social events to the Sports Club this year. Any ideas for ways in which we can fund raise welcome.

VISIT FAWLEY HILL MUSEUM AND RAILWAY THIS YEAR ON SUNDAY 24TH JULY 2011.
What are you doing July 24th? You might be able to support the Sports Club and have a great day out. Sir William and Lady McAlpine have given the Sports Club a number of tickets to visit Fawley Hill and each Section has four to offer to the highest bidder.

Offer of 4 tickets to the highest bidder
      Ride the steam train (the steepest standard gauge track in the country) through our animal sanctuary: book a footplate ride if you would like one. See how many different, some very exotic, animals you can spot, if they are not frightened by the train!

      Ride the Victorian gallopers, let the children play on the old swingboats, marvel at the enormous ‘o’gauge model train layouts and spend longer than you intended to in and around the museum.

      Picnic by Prince Charles’ and Princess Anne’s nursery coach and watch the birds and animals at the lake; and don’t forget to buy an ice cream for pudding but beware large black labradors who lie in wait for people who don’t hold their ice creams out of dog-reach.

Want to learn more – check out www.vintage.demon.co.uk/chilcomb.htm or http://railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/sect/00170000.pdf where you see the value of the tickets and the sort of bids other organisations are expecting.

Send your bid for 2 or for 4 tickets to mcrawford481@btinternet.com by July 8th  -  the highest bidder will be advised by the 11th of the outcome

Meeting with MSC Trustees
The committee has had its 2nd meeting with the Trustees about the future arrangements for the club. This has happened with every section. We have discussed the financial arrangements (i.e. what will replace the current levy system) and been asked to comment on several role/job descriptions. These are for posts/roles that it is considered are required to manage the club, to help with fund raising and importantly to help realise the vision for the club in the longer term. Some of these roles will be paid and others done on a voluntary basis. These are a grounds & house officer, a fundraising manager, a commercial manager, an administrative assistant, a property manager and a lead for marketing and public relations. Most roles are for a very limited numbers of hours.

The schedule of charges includes a charge for loan interest so the sooner our funds role in the less that will be. So have you sent in a donor form? The charge reflects what each Section does in terms of running and managing its own facilities and what it has provided by the Club.

Think that is it for now – enjoy your tennis
Mary

-JustinTime...
Open day went well with around 25 players attending. Both adults and juniors tried their skills on court with the coaching team of Libby Cook, Timmy Kirkland and Guy Wealthall giving up their time to promote the club. It was a fun day and new members have joined the tennis section as a result. We had a steady stream of players turning up and all were told about the events, teams, social events and coaching at the club. I was really pleased with the response after Libby and I between us delivered around 3000 leaflets around the area and we are still getting calls. The coaching programme is getting busy even after a lot of bank holidays. The juniors have started their summer matches and have made a good start, time will tell. Thanks for reading, Justin.

-Every penny counts....
A polite reminder that your sports club needs donations to go towards the wonderful developments taking place now and in the future. Here's the form:

TennisBalls: MayDay, MayDay

Fri, 13 May 2011 12:31:15 +0100

Two messages to relay in this edition:
-An update from Mary and
-The Latest News On The Marlow Sports Club from John Fordham

Thanks for reading!

-Update from Mary.....
Dear  All, Just a few areas to update you on as we are in May and the summer season is upon us.

Spring Tennis Social: Wine and Cheese May 18th
As highlighted in a previous edition of TennisBalls (3May) we are about to have our first tennis playing and social event of 2011 where as well as consume wine you can try your hand at "frying pan" tennis. Details are in the club house so put your name down, come along and have a laugh. Wimbledon tickets will be drawn on the night and if you are a British Tennis member at the time the allocation was agreed your name will automatically go in the draw to win one of 21 pairs of tickets. Two of the MSC Trustees are planning to join us over the evening so you will have the chance to meet them and find out the latest on MSC developments.

Club Championships 2011
This years club championship entry forms are in the club house and we encourage all members to participate whatever your standard. If you want to play in any of the doubles events put your name down and we will try and match you with the perfect partner! Entries close May 18th

Club Subscriptions Now Overdue
We still await payment by many active players. You know who you are and you know what to do :-) The chasing and nagging prior to the naming and shaming is about to commence.

Sports Club update
The last fundraising committee was held this week and efforts to raise the required funds continue. All ideas welcome no matter how big or small. And what would be really really really helpful would be an offer to coordinate this for tennis. Have YOU looked at the new website for the Sports Club that has a link to all of the Sections? www.marlowsportsclub.org.uk

Come and try a sport or 3. In September (probably weekend 17/18) there is gong to be a day for youngsters to come and try all the sports on offer at the Club. We need a parent of a junior or a willing member to be on the coordinating committee for this. This will be an event that shows we as a Club are trying to engage with the wider community and that the Sports Club is a great place for younger people in the community. If your child plays tennis and or other sports please think about offering your time to help support this day. It is being organised by Katrina Slack.

May 28th Mayre fayre
There will be a stand at this about the MSC development. While you nibble the produce you have bought at the French market or home baking stall go and have a look and complete your donor form as you talk to those on the stand.

Clubmark
If we want to secure LTA money we need to achieve Clubmark which was introduced in 2002 by Sport England and accreditation is awarded to clubs that comply with minimum operating standards in four areas:
• The playing programme
• Duty of care and safeguarding and protecting children and young people
• Knowing your club and its community
• Club management
Justin is leading work on the playing and tennis development programme but we need 3 small groups to collaborate on getting the other three. Bucks LTA offer support but we need to do the work. Again as already said, if you want to volunteer ……… My view is that this is so crucial that if we do not get a volunteer we may need to pay for this to be done (invest to save or get a loan or grant?). The hockey section have their equivalent and have been very successful in attracting money from hockey funding organisations.

Social Events
The June social event will be held Wednesday, June 22nd. "Midsummer Tennis Garden Party". Dress Code is Tennis whites and summer hat (prize for best hat!). Pimms, sandwiches, strawberries, scones and jam

Thinks that is it for now  --hope to see you on court and /or on the 18th
Mary

-Latest News On The Marlow Sports Club from John Fordham
Letter to all Section Members
13th May 2011

Dear Members & Friends,

We felt it an appropriate time to write to all members & friends and update you all on where we are with our project and our thoughts for the future.

We have now successfully completed the purchases of both the Whitbread Land (the front field) and the Whites Land (the back field). We have started the building of the All Weather Hockey Pitch which should be completed by the beginning of September. The club is now a registered charity and we have formalised our structure with each section, including Sir William Borlase’s School, making six sections in total.

In addition to the major land purchases and the development of the Hockey Pitch we have already started to improve the general facilities. We have renewed the floor covering in the old pavilion, the kitchen has been renovated, work on improving the ladies showers will begin shortly, new changing rooms are being installed to accommodate the extra room needed for the all weather pitch and we are improving the car parking and the external lighting.

Ownership of our ground is by far the biggest and most important step we have taken. It secures our future as a Sports Club for the benefit of The Club and Marlow for ever more. It means our sporting sections can plan for the long term future in terms of both ambitions for sporting excellence and developing a place where like minded people can enjoy sport in the true Corinthian manor. It means we can encourage the youth of our community to participate in sport and appreciate the pleasures and other benefits that this brings.

In order to achieve this position we have, as a club, entered into financial arrangements some of which will eventually have to be repaid. We do not wish to pass this cost onto members or put an unreasonable burden on our operating income requirements. We intend that these repayments will be raised through a designated program of fundraising. To do this we need help from all sections, all members and all friends.

Specifically we would like to suggest a few ideas:

·     We need the contact details of anyone you might know who is willing to help us financially. This may be an individual, a company or an organisation with an interest in promoting sport.
·     We need ideas and people who are willing to be involved in fund raising events.
·     We are improving the club facilities and from September we want to let the club for parties and meetings. Lets to members and friends will be encouraged. We will be charging but rates will be competitive and the location and environment of the club could be one of our greatest assets.
·     We intend to produce a quarterly news letter which will keep all members up to date with progress and news and will also promote the club to the local community.
·     We want to hear of any ideas you might have that will help us with fundraising and promoting the club in general.
·     We need help and particularly new ideas.
·     We have already launched a regulation donation scheme asking members and friends to give a fixed amount each month by standing order over the next 5 years. This can be as big or as small as you wish; every little helps and is very much appreciated.

We are sure all members and friends will see that Marlow Sports Club has created a fantastic opportunity for itself to be of real benefit to the whole community and develop excellent sporting facilities. Marlow Sports Club would have been lost to the town if we had not secured its future the way we have. Almost certainly it would have been developed and lost forever.

We need to now use this opportunity to move the Club forward and we need everyone’s help to do this.

Please help in every way you can.

Yours sincerely,
John Fordham
On behalf of Marlow Sports Club Trustees

TennisBalls: Spring Tennis Social

Tue, 3 May 2011 23:29:45 +0100

Two messages to relay in this edition:
-Spring Tennis Social
-Remember: Sell your unwanted Tennis gear online

Thanks for reading!

-Spring Tennis Social: 18th May

-Sell your unwanted Tennis gear online
Did you know that our web site is the best place to sell all your unwanted tennis gear. Just email me all the details of what it is you want to sell and I'll post it online here. Here's the latest ad to be posted:

FOR SALE:
Pair of "Head Extreme Mid Plus" Racquets....
Headsize: 100 sq inch
Gripsize: L4
Really good condition
Will supply with new overgrips
£40 each. £75 for the pair.
If interested please contact Andy on 07515 937700 or email andy.ackrell@gmail.com