Welcome to the special edition of the
May/June Newsletter
Including updates on the clubhouse and
car park improvement developments.
Club survey
A big thank you to all who completed the recent club survey; there was
a very good response and initial impressions are that we are getting
most things right at the Club.
There were some constructive suggestions which were much
appreciated and we are in the process of looking closely at the results,
which will inform future planning.
Many thanks go to Julia Speak for co-ordinating the
survey.
TENNIS MATTERS
Wimbledon Ballot :
Congratulations to all lucky members who obtained
tickets for Wimbledon in the ballot. May the sun shine
during Wimbledon so everyone enjoys the tennis.
Juniors and Achievers
Our junior teams were successful in the Avon Junior
Winter league as follows:
12u girls1 & 12u girls2 were winners and runners up.
Our 14u girls also won their league.
Floodlight trial:
From 1st May, a trial will be taking place– As court 4 is
used less and to even up court wear, players on this
court from May 1st will get 5 minutes extra floodlighting
per £1
Court sweepers:
Please remember to brush the courts whenever there is
debris lying on them, ( leaves/twigs etc). It is best to
sweep before playing, thus preventing debris being
trodden into courts shortening their lifespan.
Working parties;
Achievements by our players over recent months:
Two pre-season working parties took place before the
summer season and grateful thanks go to all who took
part.
Orange 1* Fraser Matthews and Joshua Turnbull
Green1* Jack York, Fenn Daunton and Matthew Robbins
6.2 rating Archie Williams
8.2 rating Abi Matthews, Brooke Daunton
9.2 rating Arno Turner
10.1 rating Oliver Wilson & Paul Hutchinson
American Tournament;
An enjoyable American tournament was held on 24th
April ; winners were Julia Speak and Martin Nelson.
There will be more American tournaments held during
the year so watch the noticeboard for details . Many
thanks to Kathy and John for organising these.
Restringing your racquets:
A quick reminder to have your racquet re-strung for
the new season!
Jodie: (Club Coach)
Jodie is sadly leaving our club to pursue her career . We
should like to thank her for all her hard work with the
juniors and we wish her well for the future.
WELL DONE to you all.
Club house improvements
The Club Committee has been considering the next area for facilities improvement.
In the last 2 or 3 years we have seen floodlights added to court 4, the renewal of the artificial surface to courts 1-4 and
complete refurbishment of the mini tennis court. Therefore we consider the next areas for improvement should be the
parking and the Club house.
The car parking improvements are already underway and are being done by our landlords, the Chipping Sodbury Town
Trust. Extending the area by the Tennis Club and Cricket Club will provide more parking. This area will be left as a stone
finish initially but the plan is ultimately to tarmac surface all areas.
Various options to improve the Club house have been considered by the Committee, including one to extend into the
roof space. This was eliminated due to cost estimates being in excess of £150,000. 4 further options have been put forward to club members to gain initial views and the Club survey has also been used to interrogate people’s views and
usage of the different areas of the Club house. This has helped in proving that the showers and changing rooms are
under utilised spaces and that more lounge space , seats and viewing areas would be welcomed. We also plan to
radically improve disabled access and make the Club house as energy efficient as possible.
The options currently displayed in the Club house are:
Option A1 :
Reduces changing room space and keeps one shower for
communal use. The kitchen extends into the bar area which
is relocated at the other end of the lounge. A coffee bar is
created and windows replaced to improve viewing. Cost
estimated at around £20,000
Option B1 :
Completely remodel the internal space reducing changing
room sizes ,having combined showers and toilets as “wet
rooms”. The kitchen is again extended to create a coffee
bar and the main bar relocated further into the lounge.
External windows are replaced and moved out to create more internal lounge space . New doors out to external patio
area . Cost estimate is £42,000
Option B2:
Remodels space internally much as Option B1 but also extends the Club house out into the area where the timber shed
currently sits . This extension accommodates a new bar , corridor and Club/ Committee Room. Cost estimate is £70,000
Option B2 ( variant):
Is much the same as Option B2 but makes much better use of the new internal space since the corridor is removed and,
together with the Club Room space, these areas are incorporated into the main lounge area with an internal bifold
door to close it off on odd occasions for committee meetings. It also uses the flat roof of the extension to create an
external roof terrace for seating and viewing of the tennis activities accessed via an external stair. Cost estimated at
£85,000
The committee is anticipating that £20,000 of club funds can be made available for this project. The additional funds
would be hoped to be gained from external funding sources such as Sport England Lottery Fund, South Glos. Council etc
as recently ,Thornbury TC has completed a similar project costing £70,000 with funding assistance of £50,000
We ask that you examine the options on display and have your say!
Please sign your name against your preferred refurbishment option.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or offers of professional help with this project, then please
email Gordon : gordonruncie@yahoo.co.uk who is leading this exciting venture.
Written evidence of members preferences will support any grant application that we might make, so signing up with
your preferred option is very important.
Many thanks to Gordon for all his hard work so far.
Social events
Hockey/tennis day:
On 22nd May there will be a joint event for men and women in conjunction with Yate Hockey Club which was very
successful last year. Please sign up on the notice in the clubhouse - further details will follow.
Bike Ride:
On 11th June there will be a cycle ride for members and will include lunch at a pub on route. Look for the list and sign up
details in the Clubhouse later this month.
Aegon Classic;
18th June in Birmingham :If you would like to attend this prestigious tournament please contact Pete Hayden. (details
below)
Summer BBQ:
On 9th July there will be a summer family BBQ at the Club—further details to follow
American Tournament:
On 27th May at 6.30 p.m. there will be an American Tournament . Watch out for a notice in Clubhouse.
Golf: A date for your diary!
On 5th August STC will be entering a team in the Sodbury Golf Club Ridings Challenge, where we play against other
sports teams which use the Ridings. It is a very enjoyable free round of golf and if you are interested in playing please
speak to Pete Hayden or e-mail him on: peter.hayden@btinternet.com
Junior success!
Abi and Jessie competed in the U12 girls’ doubles in the Cheltenham Open at the East
Glos Club .
There was a small entry but they still had to
play the best of 3 sets. They played really well
winning the semi-final 6-3,6-2.
During the final they were up against girls with
ratings of 7.1 & 7.2 and although they fought
hard they were unlucky to lose.
Congratulations to both girls of this
achievement.
Seniors over 50
Sodbury Men’s Seniors team won their first round match in the
Seniors Over 50 Championship.
The team of Dale Curtis, Martin Coulthard , Mark Belcher and
Gordon Runcie played Cardiff LTC at Sodbury on 6th April and
won a tight match; 3 rubbers to 1 with all three of the winning
rubbers going to a match tie break.
Massive congratulation to them.
They are now in the last 16
and await their next opponents
Manor House weekend
Fun, fun, fun was the order of the weekend and many
different sports and activities were enjoyed; golf, table tennis,
badminton, tennis, ten pin bowls, painting and glazing, wood
design and walking on
the moors.
Relaxing and enjoying the
luxury of the spa eased the
aches and pains before we
settled by the bar in the
evenings!
Also congratulations to Josh Sillick who
recently took part in a Grade 4 (county level)
tournament.
From a draw of 16 Green Ball players he
battled his way through to the final and
despite playing well he
ended as runner–up.
Don’t forget league matches start on Fridays from
6th May -come along and watch !