The Club held its Annual General Meeting on 3rd November.  It was held at the Maharajah restaurant so that we could relax and enjoy a curry supper after the necessary business was over.  It proved a very convivial and enjoyable evening. We were delighted that our President, Bert Hicks, could join us for the evening and he was warmly encouraged to join us regularly for the Friday evening sessions at the Delta tennis centre which are proving to be well attended and are excellent practice for match play without the stress and strain of the real thing!

Before the meal the committee heard a joint statement from the two Chairmen, Shane Horsell and Bob Pimble, outlining the highs and lows (not so many of them!) of the past year and looking ahead to next year when we hope to have floodlighting finally installed on the two courts adjacent to the Clubhouse.  Our application for planning permission is with Wiltshire Council and we hope to have positive results back before too long.

The present committee was re-elected en bloc with Steph Brown replacing Angela Key as Membership Secretary.  Angela was thanked for the time and effort she has given to the club and we know that Steph will bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the committee.  The running of this year’s Club tournament was raised as it did turn out to be rather unsatisfactory for various reasons and ideas and improvements were suggested to ensure that next year’s version is better all round.  Also because nowadays there are so many demands on everyone’s time it is proving difficult to get the proper level of commitment from some players in the Winter League and this is making the task for captains to get teams together for each match more time-consuming – not to say frustrating – than it should be.  

Ilona Stubley, who is joining us as a part-time coach, was also present at the meeting and was able to introduce herself to members.  She will be a real asset to the club and we hope that next year more can be done to encourage junior players to learn to play the game, improve their skills and continue on to become senior members of the club.

Finally the Club is grateful for the support we have had from the Trustees of the War Memorial and Village Centre Charity and the Parish Councillors throughout the year.  We and they try to work together to give the village a good recreational facility available to all 365 days of the year.  Like the Windmill Theatre we never close!

Caroline McLean

The leaves are fast coming down off the trees and there’s a chill in the air but tennis is still on target.  The Winter league is under way and for some of you may not know there is a significant difference between the summer and winter games which changes the dynamic of the competition.  In the summer league each pair plays both its equal and the other i.e. the first couple plays second couple and then plays the first couple and vice versa.  And there is some strategy as to who plays first and second pair which can focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing team.  In Winter league tennis the teams are mixed but the first pair play the opposing first pair (and second the seconds) and then the men play the men while the ladies the ladies.  This means that you get to play a mixed game and then either a men’s or a ladies’ game.  Confused?  I hope not.  You could always stroll up to the tennis courts on a Sunday morning when most of the games are played and see how it works in practice!

With the league games using our courts fairly regularly on Sunday mornings we are having a trial run of moving social tennis to Sunday afternoons to see if we can build up regular playing at that time while the Friday evening sessions move indoors.

Our Annual General Meeting takes place on Wednesday 3rd November.  This year we are staying in Purton and will be enjoying a Curry Supper at the Maharajah which should liven us all up after what we expect to be a straightforward meeting.  The Committee have no proposals to place in front of the membership and at the time of writing no matter has been raised by the membership.  Fingers crossed!

Caroline McLean 

The nights are drawing in and we shall sadly have to abandon our evening games on our courts to move indoors anyway for the time being.  The Tuesday ladies’ evenings and the mixed Friday nights have been generally well attended and are keeping us all up to the mark as well as proving highly enjoyable.   Sadly the results of the Club tournaments will be too late for this month but are busily being played.  There is much competitive spirit and considerable fun to be had playing against fellow members and the vagaries of the handicap matches throw up some interesting results.  More next month..  We still feel handicapped by the lack of a coach.  We thought we had secured the services of a newly qualified and enthusiastic coach but it was not to be and the hunt is on for a replacement. .All clubs benefit from the advice and practice that a coach can bring to a club and we very much hope that we shall not have to wait too long before we have someone in place.  Apart from anything else we are anxious to engage with the local schools to persuade them that tennis is a good game for life and to give them practical experience to back this up.  In the meanwhile Nicola Gardner has, as ever, been encouraging youngsters and the following is her latest report:- 

‘The U18 boys team of Chris Etheridge, Ethan Gunton, Jordon Richards and Nathan Giles lost their play-off final to a very strong Pewsey team by 5 matches to 1.  The only victory for the Purton side came from Chris and Ethan in the doubles, testament to the fact that they are regularly playing in the men’s teams in the Swindon and District League.

The last Saturday morning session attracted a good turnout and the 10 o’clock group enjoyed some competitive fun and games ending with the traditional chocolate and sweets for all those who took part!  All those who have attended on a Saturday appear to have enjoyed the experience – there is still room for more so if you fancy giving tennis a try please come along next April and give it a go.’