Club
Information 
Newsletter Nov 2009
My Fellow members
Welcome to the third Newsletter of this year. To date, this year
could be described as a mixture of trials and tribulations in that problems
have arisen post redevelopment and there has been a pot pourri of teething
issues. But, to be positive these are but challenges and thus opportunities
to further enhance the Club House and grounds. Indeed, through the
remarkable commitment of your convenors with remits for House and Grounds
by and large such issues have now been resolved. We have also embarked
on resolving a drainage problem in the men's changing rooms and taken
this as an opportunity to improve the shower area.
This will
involve some disruption to the availability of the men's changing rooms
and also the women's changing rooms, which unfortunately cannot be helped
if we are to provide a changing facility for men whilst repairs are being
undertaken. However, the team leading this initiative have assured
the Committee that such disruption will be limited and not interfere with
either the men's or ladies squash team's changing requirements.
As you are aware, the Committee agreed that having a Club Administrator
on site during the early weekday evenings would be a positive step forward
in the management of the Club. Further, that such a role required
an office/administrative location and hence we established the administrative
office in the foyer. However, this office also needed to be secure.
Unfortunately this has taken some time to arrange but expect this to be
in place by the weekend. The administration office therefore should
be established and ready for use and the Club Administrator in situ very
soon.
This is therefore a timely opportunity welcome, on behalf
of one and all , Mrs Christine Edwards in her role as Club Administrator. Christine
will be taking over the role undertaken and managed so well by Mrs Maureen
Walker. It goes without saying, that the Club owes a debt of gratitude
to Maureen for the way she has handled the role of Subscriptions Secretary
for so long. We should also add our thanks to the steady hand and
support of Tommy Walker throughout this period.
I am sure you will have noticed that the leaks within the Club have
now been resolved along with the completion of the roof repairs. Our
attention has now turned to the vexed question of the car park.
First,
and in liaison with the Bowling Club, we have undertaken to establish the
purpose of the manholes around the parking area.
Second, we have
committed to the undertaking of a detailed survey into the surface of the
car park. In combination these two activities have been agreed in
order to establish what we can do to improve the car park.
This is
a joint effort with the Bowling Club and I hope that we can propose a suitable
redevelopment for the surface, which in the longer term will resolve not
only the annual recurrence of potholes but increase the parking beyond
the currently under-utilised capacity. In the meantime, arrangements have
been made for filling the pot holes. I hasten to add this would have
been done by now but the weather has been against completion i.e. rain
washing out concrete infill etc.
Billy Stevely, as your Squash Convenor, has been the leading light in arranging their annual celebration - not to mention his incredible commitment to promoting and managing the squash section within the Club.
The Hockey Section has for a number of years organised an end of season event to present accolades for performances and performers. However, if I follow the same line, tennis would gain no mention. Yet the majority of members of the Club are registered as Tennis players. There are more tennis teams than squash or hockey teams [or even their combined total] yet there is no tennis convenor. Why is this? It appears that many members want to play tennis and a substantial number want to play team tennis yet not one of these numbers is prepared to make a commitment to taking on the role of Tennis Convenor. In the absence of such, it is perhaps understandable why there is no end of season celebration of Giffnock Tennis.
All the more credit is due therefore to our Head Coach, Nick Firth, who managed the Club's Tennis Championships and in the process arranged for Mrs Murray [Yes, the mother of one Andrew Murray!] to be present not only for, but also participate in, the presentation of the Finalists Awards. His management of the Championships -without recourse for assistance - and in the absence of the Tennis Convenor - undoubtedly merits our accolades and due thanks.
Indeed, as Nick pointed out to me, he felt there was a substantive
missing element on Finals Day - none of the finalists received
an award they could take home. Now, we are not on a par with Wimbledon
where they arrange to engrave the name of that day's winner on The
Trophy but we can still organise something suitable. Also, because
of past precedent, the winners do not have the opportunity to take
their trophies home to be displayed with pride. We decided to address
this failing, which lead to the tennis event and proposed champions award
ceremony on "Walpurgis nite". A stupid mistake on
my part in retrospect because of the clash with Halloween events.
However,
notwithstanding such a lack of interest due to Halloween, the Club is staging
a Champions Award Ceremony' on the 29 November in the early evening i.e.
around 5pm. Every finalist and award winner has been personally invited
to join in this celebration of our Tennis Champions. You are all most
welcome to join in. Who are these champions? Read on…. But
first, let me propose that next year the Finals Day concludes with an
Awards event in the evening , ideally with a buffet, which brings everyone
together by way of celebrating not only the winners but all who take part
and play tennis.
Tennis Championships
This year was challenging for the Club Championships given the prevailing weather
conditions but at least the best weather was saved for Finals Day. This was
notably marked by our Club Coach arranging for Judy Murray to present
the prizes, which made it a particularly special day for those juniors receiving
awards. However, the success of the Championships is very much
a function of the competition and thus the biggest thank you goes to ALL the
players who entered this year thus making the Club Championships highly
successful.
Senior
Following the most competitive Men's singles final for a few years, the new champion
Ryan Maxfield repeated the success he had in 2003 with winning his now 4th Giffnock
Gents Club Championships singles title. Well done also to last years winner Owen
Hadden who made the final a great spectacle. It was a sisters affair in the ladies
final, Gillian Armstrong beating Claire Armstrong in a good quality competitive
ladies singles final. The men's doubles title was won by Owen Hadden and Phil
Reid and the ladies by Heather Lang and Iona Campbell.
Junior
Many of the junior draws were up on entries compared to last year. The boy's 15 & Under
singles had the biggest draw with a remarkable entry of 37 players. The boys
`15 & Under' and `18 & Under' were both won by Matthew Stout. Matthew
has had a successful summer where he also won both his age group events at the
Interclub tournament. Iona Campbell had similar success in the Girls 15 & Under
and Girls 18 & Under.
The Girls 12 & Under was won by Harriet Beattie who edged out Lucy Wallerstein
in the final whilst the boys, as anticipated, was a close affair between Scott
Campbell and Connor Bilsland with Scott just coming out on top.
The 10 & Under Girls was won by Helen Neary and Boys 10 & Under was won
by Michael Semple in another well supported draw; Michael saved his best form
for the final and in a competitive match beat Jonathan Brady.
Well done to mini orange and mini red winners David Tarvit and Liam Coyle who
put on a great show in their respective tournaments.
Congratulations also to junior member Harriet Beattie (12) who becomes Giffnock’s
latest player to be chosen to represent West of Scotland. She joins Iona
Campbell, Charlotte Mason and Matthew Stout in the West County training squads.
ANNUAL TENNIS REPORT By Nick
Firth, Head Coach
Tennis Match Teams
Mens Teams
The 2009 season marked another very successful season for the men's 1st
team. They retained the West premier league title and successfully defended the
prestigious Scottish Cup. Our thanks to the support from club members who made
their way to Edinburgh to support the Team in the Scottish Cup final.
The 2nd team finished a close second in their league Division 1A; ably managed
and supported by the new captain, Paul Gallagher. The 3rd team had a tough
year in terms of availability of players with some untimely weddings(!) and injuries
yet still managed a respectable mid-table finish in Division 1B; in the
process involving some of our most promising youngsters. A superb year for the
4th team culminated in them topping Division 3A. Next season promises to
be more challenging for the team and their Captain, Chris Rose. The 5th team
finished an excellent 3rd in Division 5b, lead by their captain Duncan Campbell.
Ladies Teams
The 1st team, most ably captained by Gillian Armstrong, just missed out
on promotion; finishing 2nd in Division 1B in the process losing just one
match, which was against the league winners. The 2nd team finished 4th
in Division 2A -
a tightly contested league - well managed by their new captain Liz Hanlon. The
3rd team finished 3rd in Division 3B, marking substantial progress on the previous
year whilst the 4th team finished 4th in Division 4B, in the process actually
losing one less match than two of the three teams above them but were unlucky
when it came to picking up high match wins. The 5th team despite their commitment
and efforts on the Court were relegated from Division 5A; even so a number of
juniors gained valuable experience, bodes well for the team bouncing back next
year.
As with all our sports, the Club is indebted to the players and indeed to the
Captains for their commitment.
Juniors
The strength and depth across our junior members
is ever improving due to our successful coaching programme and the endeavour
of the juniors to practice. Due to this strength, two extra junior
teams entered the leagues
this year. The boys U18s finished fourth in their group, whilst the U16
boys 1st team won Division 2A and the 2nd team won Division 3A.
The boys U14 came 2nd in Division 1 in a closely contested league, and the
U14 boys 2nd team came 2nd in Division 2B. The U12 1st team came joint top
of Division 1 and the 2nd team easily won their
Division; in the process they did not concede any points what so
ever. The `10 and Under' team came 3rd in the ‘Nadal’ group
whilst the '9 and Under' mini orange players finished mid-table. It was
a successful year for the girls with the Under 16 and U12s teams
winning their respective leagues. The U14s finished mid-table and the`10
and Under' finished 3rd.
Our success in Junior Tennis is not solely down to the players but also
the commitment of those involved in supporting, `Captaining' teams and
indeed the parents, without whose commitment we could not field the teams.
Social Tennis
The social tennis sessions on a Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are just
as the name suggests. Doubles and mixed doubles matches are organized among
the members themselves with the emphasis on enjoyment. So regardless of
your standard ….. get down and get playing and socializing. Keep
your eyes peeled on the website and notice board for various upcoming events
and tournaments.
Cardio Tennis
Why not join in Club's Cardio Tennis sessions. Cardio Tennis is a new,
fun group activity featuring drills to give players of all abilities an
ultimate, high energy workout. Taught by one of the club coaches, Cardio
tennis includes a warm-up, cardio workout and cool-down phase. If you are
looking for a great new fun way to get in shape and to burn calories, you
must try Cardio Tennis. Speak to Nick or Chris for more information on
Cardio Tennis; currently on Tuesday evenings @ 7-8 pm
Giffnock Tennis Club offers FREE coaching to all our junior members. There is a variety of coaching on throughout the week to suit all ages and abilities. Mondays is the busy junior club day from the NEW time of 4.00 pm – 5.30 pm which is a FREE session where Juniors can enjoy playing organized matches. It is a very social and relaxed matchplay session and everyone is very welcome. For current and aspiring team players the ever popular boys and girls team training sessions happen every Thursday evening.
Sunday is main coaching day for juniors. This runs all year round (apart from during school holidays). These are FREE sessions and are a must for those junior members who want to improve their tennis. Players will develop their technical and tactical skills in a fun structured environment. Three sessions run from 4-7 pm with 4-5 pm – Beginners, 5-6 pm – Improvers and 6-7 pm - Intermediate.
Junior members should contact the coaches if unsure which group to join.
Mini-Tennis (5-8 yrs)
Giffnock is one of few clubs to offer specialist mini tennis courts. The smaller court size and net height contribute to a positive learning experience for the young player. On Wednesdays, Giffnock provides coaching to members and non-members. There are two mini-red classes 4-5pm for 5-6 years and 5-6 pm for 7-8 years. These are currently happening at the nearby indoor venue of St Ninians High School. Another block will run from January 2010 until Easter, when the sessions will move back to the club. For more information or to get your child involved please contact Nick or Chris. Saturdays are for members only @ 2-3 pm for 5-6 yrs and 3-4 pm for 7-8 yrs. These classes will be starting up again on 8th February 2009.
CLUBMARK
Giffnock is one of only a few clubs in Scotland to have been accredited with tennis Clubmark: a national kite mark developed and promoted by the LTA.
"Tennis Clubmark" is a club’s opportunity to be recognised for achieving excellent standards.. Achieving this status means the LTA endorses and supports our tennis programme, policies and procedures, action and development planning, and club management.
The benefits of achieving Tennis Clubmark:
- Recognition for the tennis programmes your club is delivering, and endorsement from the LTA
- Recognition by Sport England, through a well known national scheme that spans across a number of sports
- Eligibility to receive LTA funding (includes facility grants and loans and programme funding through HPCs and Satellite clubs)
- Be advertised on the national Clubmark website and the LTA website
- Ability to develop partnerships at a local level - many schools and school sport partnerships are requiring that the clubs they work with must have Tennis Clubmark
- Tennis Clubmark plaque that can be displayed at your club
- Be able to use the Tennis Clubmark logo on your clubs literature
BRITISH TENNIS MEMBERSHIP
In closing could I draw to the attention of all members the
value to the Club of registering with the British Tennis Association.
Wimbledon ticket ballot
The LTA has announced that club ballots must be restricted to members who have
joined British Tennis.
We are asked to encourage all our players to join. Doing
so brings many benefits – see http://www.britishtennis.com/
Thus for all members that have not already done so, do please sign up to British
Tennis Membership.
Our allocation of tickets for Wimbledon depends on the number of
club members who have signed up for BTM. It is Free!
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It has been suggested that we hold a dance in December, the most suitable
date for which would be the 12th. It would be really helpful if we could gain
an idea of the potential demand for such an event, so do please get in touch.
Any
other suggestions and indeed general communications would also be most welcome.
In the meantime carry on enjoying your sport
David Leslie
Club President
November, 2009
