26.11.11 - By Graham Morgan - pics Anne Bartlett
During the evening of 26th November 33 members attended the annual Chairman’s Supper. In this the 45th year of the club (founded in 1966) it was the third year running that Jenny & Graham had prepared a sit-down meal, with the help of Anne, Mary and the Smithams. The tables were set to a purple and white theme and on the menu was Pork Cassoulet, Chicken & Corn Casserole and Sweet Potato & Celeriac Baked. This was served with Anya Potatoes, Salad and French Bread, followed by a selection of desserts and all for £7 a head!
Jonathan Gosbell and Cath Turner were present to receive their trophies for the Mens Singles, Vet’s Mens Singles; Ladies Doubles & Vet’s Ladies doubles (both partnered by Jacqui Crossley). Those winners who were unable to make the evening will receive their trophies on another occasion. The achievement of Jacqui Crossley was noted as she was winner in five competitions this year.
Loads more pics in the gallery!
The annual Club Senior Junior tournament took place on Sat the 15th of October for the Taylor Shield which is currently celebrating its 24th year.
After four rounds consisting of a 15 point tie-break with a Senior partnering a Junior, four pairs emerged to play in the semi-finals:
Jack MacDiarmid, Lauren Moss, Daniel Fitt, Joe Smitham, Kirsten Dickins, Alison Lowe, Matthew Fitt and Laura Johnson from the Juniors. The other Seniors were Ryan Sobanja, Macauley Smitham, Alex Knight, Graham & Jenny Morgan, Anne Bartlett, Jane Turley and Laura Netherton.
Club Finals
For the Juniors trophies will be presented at their Christmas Party on Saturday December 17th which this year will be held at the clubhouse and will include Laser Quest, see details on the notice board.
Junior Senior Tournament
Extraordinary General Meeting
Junior Membership
Security cameras
Manor House Trip
Graham
Our internal winter league starts again on Sunday October 2nd and, thanks to the large influx of new members and intermediate members, it looks as though we will be fielding 18 divisions for the first time since we became a six-court club. This is also despite the fact that, at the time of writing, at least six 'regulars' are not available for the first session which, in turn, has also enabled us to feed back in many of those who missed the final session last March.
Everybody playing is more or less around the position they last played in although some tweaking here and there has been required. In prioritising the order in which people have been brought back in, I have taken into account how many times they actually appeared last year along with other considerations.
At the moment it looks as though we will have more players available than there are spaces for so there can be no guarantee that anybody dropping out can
We will not be holding a 2 o'clock session as it will finish up with just one division playing on its own and feeling left out (and I do not want to stay at the Club until it is nearly dark!).
For the benefit of newcomers the winter league 'space' on the noticeboard is next to the entrance to the ladies' changing room. Here information regarding dates, organisers, results and current tables for the Nancy Tibbett Cup and The Ladies' Trophy can be found.
Please make a note of the organisers and their dates and telephone numbers as these should be the ones to contact if any problems arise for their particular week.
Any queries please contact David Bradshaw on 667374 – not the number as shown in some copies of the membership list.
Because of all the hassle experienced in the past with people suddenly unavailable for their 'night' after the draws were made etc I have dithered about whether it was worth running the competitions this year. Although it is now too late for the doubles competition a notice will be going up for the men's and ladies' singles tournaments. Apart from probably having the 'finals night' on Friday December 2nd, other dates will have to be finalised later when we see how many entries there are.
In the meantime if any entrants know what Fridays they are not available for between October 7th and November 25th then please make a note of it on the entry form.
Any queries please contact David Bradshaw on 667374.
On the evening of 4th August, 14 eager travellers met in the departure lounge of Luton Airport for a long weekend in Porz.
A few hours and several beverages later we arrived safely at our destination where, to coin a phrase, ‘the beer was cold and the welcome warm’.
Friday dawned bright and sunny and, after breakfast with our hosts, the more adventurous of us hopped on bicycles for a leisurely ride along the banks of the River Rhine. Those who preferred four-wheeled transport as opposed to two, met up with us on a houseboat restaurant for lunch.
Several alcoholic beverages later, we mounted our trusty steeds again and after a wobbly start from one particular member, off we rode again. 30km plus later, feeling very sore, we retired to our hosts' houses to prepare for the evening party.
A good night followed with Frank cooking traditional schnitzel for us all and the aches and pains of the day somehow eased as the evening wore on!
The traditional tournament went ahead on Saturday even though the weather was 'unsettled' and, in spite of a storm which could easily rival our own winter league, DTC managed to hold their own and bring back the trophy.
The weather didn’t improve for the evening summer party, but again we drank and danced into the small hours.
Sunday morning was spent with the hosts, some went sightseeing in Cologne whilst others chose to get in a last game of tennis. All too soon it was time to leave and with the usual hugs, kisses and tears we took our leave.
Thank you to all our friends at Rot-Weiss Tennis Club, we had a wonderful time and look forward to you visiting us next year.
On a windy and ultimately damp Sunday afternoon in June, eight players were eventually cajoled into playing our nemesis from last year, Leighton Buzzard, in the first round of the south Beds Knock-out Cup.
One team member even came back all the way from Devon to play, now there's commitment. (Well done Annie Thorne).
Chris Connolly got us of to a good start in the men's singles with a 6-2 7-6 win with an 'never in doubt' 7-5 nail biter in the tie break!
Following on was a ladies doubles 6-4 6-4 win for Jacqui Crossley and Katy Ward. Three hard-fought sets saw Nick Boys and Paul Magee eventually go down 6-4 4-6 4-6 in the men's doubles.
After travelling all that way, sadly Annie Thorne lost in two tie break sets, which meant it was all square and down to the mixed doubles pair of Jane Sutton and Jonathan Gosbell to save the day.
The first set went our way 6-2 and then from 4-4 in the second to clinch a last gasp victory for Dunstable 6-4. Phew!
Next round will be against Flitwick and Ampthill at Dunstable on Sunday 10th July. So if you are not selected please come down to support.
If behave, we might even let you have tea and cake!
Whipsnade Golf club was the subject of a 9.30am invasion of dubious tennis players and their mates, 32 in total, all trying to prove that they really are better at tennis than they are at golf. The usual bacon butties and coffee were served to the assembled hoard - minus a couple of last-minute absentees. The day itself was warm and bright with gentle gales blowing across, around and up and down the course. The wind never seemed to be in the same place for more than a few seconds. The course itself was in quite magnificent condition and proved to be a tough challenge for all but a few golfers.
The format was a stableford competition which meant the players received points against the course in conjunction with their handicaps. 36 points scored meant the player had the course to par once his handicap had been taken into consideration. A team competition also ran alongside the main battle. Amongst the crowd there were several new faces to the annual golfing experience, Liam Barton, Tony Ambrose, Jordan Cornwall and new DTC member Trevor Stiff. Trevor used to play at Whipsnade when it was first set up (35 years ago) and, after completing the course, he said that he did not recognise it in any way from the early days.
After the completion of the round the players tucked into a hearty meal of Lasagne, salad and garlic bread. I jest in that it took about a minute to consume all the food provided, this was in fact the only downer on the day as the food was a little bit sparse.
Onto the competition. Most players struggled to score more than 30 points, however last year's champion Ian Wildman defended his title with aplomb and finished a gallant second with 34 points to Tony Ambrose who scored a magnificent 38 points.
Longest drive was won by Counsellor Vinny Fildes and nearest the pin by Nick Boys. Team winners were Tony Ambrose, Nigel Magee and Jeremy Tatham. Runners up were John Stevens, Liam Barton, Russell Hillman and his dad Peter.
Best guest was Steve Hipwell and worst guest was Don Parrott. The player who had the longest walk was Stewart Meagher.
I would like to thank Whipsnade Golf Club for allowing us to desecrate their course, to Glen Wigley for getting the ball rolling and Nigel Magee for doing the counting up and checking the cards at the end of the day.
Most importantly, thanks to all of you who turned up and made it a day to remember. There are too many to name but you all know who you are, and I hope that you enjoyed the day and are looking forward to the next golfing event in 2012.
Yours truly
The Fat Golf Controller
Club captain Martin Peck would like to invite you to take part in our
The draw for this year's allocation for Wimbledon tickets will take place in the clubhouse on the evening of April 29th. We have 22 pairs of tickets to be distributed to fully paid-up members or those who have completed and signed a direct debit mandate for monthly payments.
A sign-up sheet should be up on the noticeboard by the time you read this.
We plan, starting at the beginning of April, to re-launch the later Monday night session (from 7-9pm). This will be a practice and social session giving all of our older Junior players the chance to practice some of the shots and techniques that you have been learning in the coaching sessions. The idea will be to run informal doubles short sets/tie breaks and rotate the players around to try to maximise the time on court. The sessions should be fun and informal and similar to our adult social nights
In order to be able to run these sessions, and make them free of charge, we would like to ask for some help. We already have some parents who give up their Monday evenings to be at the club and supervise what is happening to make sure all is running smoothly. We plan to draw up a rota that will mean that we can work around outside commitments and keep the sessions ticking along. If we could find some new volunteers then the frequency which all of the helpers need to be in attendance will decrease.
If you would be prepared to give up a couple of hours on the occasional Monday please let Nick Boys or Phillip Moss know
By the way, there is also the opportunity on most Saturdays from 12-1pm, providing that there are not matches on all courts, to stay behind after the session and have a hit with a friend. Please take advantage of this as it will help you improve!
After a fierce hour, the semi finals were ready to be played by three Dunstable players and one, Markus, from Newport Pagnall.
Markus played our own Connor Taylor and, despite Connor playing some great defensive tennis, Markus came through in straight tie breaks 7-2 7-1.
Next up was an all-Dunstable affair between the experienced Aaron Sobanja and first-time orange tournament entrant Daniel Crosby. A match that lasted over 20 minutes and went one way and then the other eventually saw Daniel win in three tie breaks 7-3 2-7 7-3.
All the parents and competitors were eager to see the final and they were not disappointed. A tremendous battle, which may have been one match to many for Daniel, saw Markus claim the title 7-0 7-3. Well done Markus.
Every player went home with a bag of sweets for their efforts, Markus getting two... and first pick!
Thanks go to Ryan Sobanja and Ben Turley for umpiring the matches (they received sweets to) and the parents, who not only spent their money over the bar, but cheered everyone that afternoon.
Richard Parker's curry night sounded great and made all salivate.
Chairman's Supper 2011
After the meal and a few words from our Chairman trophy presentations were made by Club Captain, Martin Peck, to the winners of the DTC summer closed tournament.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to a great evening. NO snow for the walk home this year!!
Sunshine ensures 2011 Junior Senior Tournament is best ever
15.10.11 - By John Taylor
Nick Boys & Stephen Cotterill beat Mike Bartlett & Jacob Turley
Martin Peck & Ben Turley beat Alicia Franklin & Luke Shadbolt
The final resulted in Martin & Stephen just beating Nick & Ben.
Others taking part were:
A superb afternoon in glorious sunshine with a big thanks to Phil Moss for assembling the teams. Well done to all the participants. Pics have been posted to the gallery.
From the Chair
01.10.2011- By Graham Morgan
I hope you all enjoyed the summer and are looking forward to playing tennis throughout the autumn and winter months. Congratulations to all those who made it through to the club finals and treated us to a great day of tennis. Trophy presentations for the seniors will take place at my Chairman’s Supper on the evening of Saturday November 26th.
Next up is our traditional Senior / Junior tournament, to be held on Saturday October 15th. If interested please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the clubhouse.
Thank you to all who attended the recent EGM. DTC is now fully compliant with the LTA’s requirements with regard to incorporation and their rules and disciplinary codes.
The committee continues to meet on a regular basis and the committee members are doing a great job fulfilling their roles and responsibilities on your (the members) behalf. I recently attended a juniors committee meeting (an adult committee looking after the needs of the juniors at the club) and was impressed with their enthusiasm and commitment. One disappointing item that drew my attention was the number of juniors who, nearly six months into our membership year, are still not members. Parents are reminded that, unless a paid-up member, juniors will not be allowed to partake in activities or use the club's facilities.
In July I sent out an email with regard to security at the club. Members should be aware that a number of motion-detecting cameras have been installed as a measure to increase security.
Next February's annual trip to Manor House Hotel is being planned to take place from Friday 10th to Monday 13th. If interested please let Mike Bartlett know as soon as possible so that we can maximise early booking and group discounts.
Winter League is coming - a full house?
27.09.2011- By David Bradshaw
However we will of course do our best to accommodate any returnees.
Darts knockout competitions... any interest?
Visit to Porz leaves DTC contingent sore but happy
10.08.2011- By Social Sec Jenny Morgan
DTC squeaks through to second round of Knock-out Cup
05.06.2011- By Club Captain Martin Peck
DTC Golf Day - Whipsnade Golf Club
24.05.2011
Easter Fun Tournament takes place April 25th
16.04.2011
Easter Fun Tournament which will take place on Easter Monday, April 25th.
Starting at 11am, it will be a doubles mix-up similar to the Christmas
Pudding Tournament (but hopefully with a little less snow) and there will
be prizes for the eventual winners.
Your £5 entry will include a BBQ lunch and yummy cakes.
Intermediate and adult members can sign up using the form in the clubhouse.
Wimbledon Draw set for April 29th
04.04.2011
Later Monday night junior sessions relaunched
04.04.2011
By Phil Moss
Please help Dunstable Tennis Club to raise money whenever you shop online.
04.04.2011
By Graham Morgan
It's very simple - just visit Easy Fundraising to register and shop with over 2,000 well-known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, eBay and many more. Whenever you buy something, the retailer makes a donation to Dunstable Tennis Club. They've helped other causes raise over £2,000,000 so it really does work.
It won't cost you a penny extra to shop through easyfundraising and you can even save money with special offers and voucher codes.
Plus, if you sign up before 30th April, they will enter you into their FREE PRIZE DRAW to win a 40 inch 3D TV from Viking Direct.
So please make a difference to Dunstable Tennis Club and take a look at Easy Fundraising today.
DTC Mini Orange Open tournament report
18.03.11
By Nick Boys
Seven lucky competitors entered the arena and on a beautiful March afternoon and treated the watching parents and members to a display of determination and talent. The players were divided into two groups and all played a minimum of three matches. Some were close... some not so, but the overriding memory for me will be the smiles on the faces as they played, whatever the result.
Semi Finals
The final
