Bexleyheath Vets 3 lost against Herne Bay LTC Men's Vets 2 Score 2-2 (on count back games)

The Vets 3 took the long road down to Herne bay this afternoon, the weather was grey and overcast, a typical Dickenson setting across the north Kent marshes.

Subterfuge was afoot as the Herne Bay Club’s postcode led us into the town centre, that den of iniquity.

My car which contained “John the slice master Poole” and “Colin the ace Stevenson” soon worked it out. Unfortunately, it caught out “fuzz the backhand day” who only arrived 3 minutes before the match started!

This allowed their 1st pair to beat Warwick and I convincingly. However, Colin and John did the same to their 2nd pair. One rubber each!

Warwick and I then made amends and destroyed their 2nd pair which meant that the match would be drawn in terms of rubbers, assuming their 1st team beat Colin and John, which was expected.

It all came down to games.
In the last set, our heroes needed to win 3 games to get a draw for the match.
Sadly, we came up short by 2 games.

A great effort by the team, who I believe would have won had the match taken place at our fortress Bexleyheath!

Hi everyone,

As we reach the end of the year I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on yet another great year for the club both on and off court.

On court success

We fielded a mixed doubles team for the first time in many a long year as well as a vets 3 team. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we field a women’s team. We will also be entering a third men’s team in the North Kent league this summer, which should provide us with the opportunity to blood more of our burgeoning junior talent. This is a clear sign of the way the club has grown in the past couple of years. My continued thanks to our Fixtures Officer Dami for his smooth and efficient arrangement of all club fixtures this year.

Three promotions were achieved and duly celebrated last month at the North Kent Awards evening at the Danson Boathouse. I am hopeful that our Men’s One will add to that total this winter. Social play has blossomed this year, with record numbers attending our Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday socials. My thanks to Colin Stevenson for overseeing the new Sunday social.
Finally, in addition to our box leagues, thanks must go to Ollie for the D’Mello competition and the highly successful club tournament, which culminated in over 50 of us attending the finals weekend in September to watch the eight (yes eight!) finals.

Off court success

The year saw us recruit 44 new members to add to the 27 who joined us in 2020. We now have 104 members, compared to 34 in March 2020. Membership growth has provided us with the necessary funds to proceed with our plans to install floodlights on D’Mello and court two in September/October 2022. Planning permission has been sought from Bexley Council and I will let everyone know as soon as they have made their decision. Assuming the planning application is successful, I believe the provision of floodlights will propel the club forward and I am hopeful we shall have 150 members this time next year.

Due to decades of neglect our courts are in urgent need of repair. An application has been submitted to the LTA for a 10 year interest free loan, which will enable us to resurface all four courts. Finance is extremely tight and there may only be enough money to resurface two courts. Again I will keep you informed of progress on the loan application as soon as a decision has been made.

The club owes a massive debt of gratitude to Dave Kane, my right hand man, who in addition to his communication and recruitment role has expertly project managed the floodlighting and resurfacing project. This has required many hours of his time and the part Dave has played in the growth of the club in the last couple of years cannot be understated. Thank you Dave.
Thanks also go to our popular Treasurer Alfio, a true club legend and Neil our Social/Fundraising Officer.

Electronic Gate

Clearly we need to generate as much income as possible. To this end, many of you will have seen the recently installed £8k electronic gate (paid for by the LTA at no cost to the club) which provides entrance onto D’Mello court. The gate will become operational in mid January and enable us to open the two courts to non members at a cost of £10 per hour.

In addition to the revenue this initiative will bring in to the club, we will be looking to convert some of those attending to become club members. I believe income will be highest once floodlights are installed. The club will be promoting this facility around the local area, but please spread the word to friends and family if you are able to do so. My thanks to Raman, our outstanding IT Officer who has kindly undertaken the additional role of Pay and Play Officer. Raman will be in touch with everyone in the new year, detailing how the gate will operate.

Tennis Committee

Your Committee is working really hard to improve the offer available to members. My thanks to them for all their hard work, especially those I have not specifically mentioned in this missive. Everyone on the Committee has a respective role and these roles as well as the composition of the Committee can be viewed by accessing the link below:-

https://bexleyheathtennisclub.co.uk/page-17/

Should you have any questions for the committee then please have a chat whenever you next see us or drop us a line at:- membersenquiries@bexleyheathtennisclub.co.uk

Finally, I extend to members my very best wishes for the festive season and hope that you all have a healthy, safe and happy 2022.

Dave Williams
Chair

Bexleyheath Vets 3 win against Oakwood Men's Vets 3 - Score 4 - 0

This morning was the inaugural match for men’s vet 3, the sun was bright and the wind was blowing as the team of Andy fish, Paul Morris, Colin Stevenson and myself took the field.
Tension was high but our nerves were settled by both teams winning their first set 6-0! we went on to win the match 4-0😄.

All that was needed now, to cap off a fine performance, was for Paul’s “tea” to be a success.

I am pleased to say he aced it. A sublime mix of flavours, there were gamy meats, pungent cheeses, delectable breads, juicy tomatoes and mouthwatering sweets.
Described by their captain as ambrosia (food of the gods). all of this was paired with a fine choice of ales and lager.

A tough act to follow.

As part of LTA’s Open Court programme, Bexley Mencap undertook 3 special Serving challenges at Bexleyheath tennis club where we've been playing every Monday for the last 4 months.

It was great to be involved with RMS, LTA and Special Olympics GB in the Tennis Challenge.

We all had fun trying out the exercises and here’s a video of Matt in action with the challenges.


Nick Marsden

SUCCESS ON THE COURT- REVIEW OF SUMMER 2021 SEASON

After the disappointment of the cancellation due to Covid 19 of both the Summer 2020 and Winter 2021 seasons, the Club made up for lost time with some excellent results and performances in both the Kent and North Kent Leagues.

We fielded seven teams, including a mixed doubles team for the first time in many a long year. Three teams won their leagues, whilst two finished runners up. With the membership nearly treble the size it was when we last competed 18 months ago, many new members debuted and I hope all new club players enjoyed the experience as they shared in our successes.

Kent League

In Division 5A our Men’s one incredibly won the league by the end of May, winning all four of their matches. This provided them with an opportunity for silverware by playing Division 5B winners Blackheath. Some of you will have heard that it was mission accomplished yesterday, so many congratulations to Dami and his team.

It was a case of so near and yet so far for the Men’s two, who had to settle for second place to Chilham in Division 6B. The title was quite literally lost on a single net cord – I know as the net cord (at set point to us), went against Steve Glenny and myself!

Last but not least our Mixed Doubles Team finished a creditable fourth in Division 6A, by winning two and drawing one of their six matches. A very promising first season – more please!

North Kent League

Having achieved promotion in 2019, our Men’s One performed credibly to finish third in Division B. A great year of consolidation then and some excellent team performances, most notably a three all draw at home to eventual Champions Bromley LTC.
After a slow start Men’s Two improved to finish fourth in Division G, however they were only a point away from second place.

It was heartbreak for the Vets Ones who finished second behind a very strong Park Langley in Division E. The loss of two key players for the final two matches versus Park Langley was undoubtedly the deciding factor here.

Hearty congratulations to our Vets Two team who saw off a late charge from David Lloyd Dartford to win Division G. Well done to Warrick and his team and I see no reason why they cannot gain successive promotions next Summer.

Finally my Over 60’s Men’s Team performed outstandingly well in their first season to win all 10 of their matches to comprehensively win Division C.

As some may often hear me say (and for those unfortunate ones who have heard me sing the full version as well), I make no apologies in shouting from the rooftops again that “WE’RE BEXLEYHEATH TENNIS CLUB, WE’RE ON OUR WAY BACK!”

Dave Williams
Chairman

12 September 2021

Over 60s Men’s Singles Final

David Williams bt Paul Morris 6-3 6-0

Over 60s Men’s Doubles Final

David Williams & Paul Morris bt Brian Brass & Tim Dalton 6-3 6-2

Mixed Doubles Final

Dami Yussuf & Sharon Rodrigues bt Anna Qahtane & Gabriel Rodriguez 6-2 4-6 1-0

Ladies Doubles Final

Sharon Rodrigues & Maggie Morris bt Claire O’Brien & Chris Court 7-6 7-6

Over 45s Men’s Singles Final

Richard Fearn bt David Williams 6-0 6-3

Men’s Consolation Final

George Mentessi bt Frank Tennant 6-2 6-3

Men’s Doubles Final

Ollie Mentessi & Richard Fearn bt Dan Rodrigues & Tom Branch 7-5 2-0 Rt.

Men’s Singles Final

Dave McGonigle bt Dami Yussuf 6-1 6-3

What drama at the club this afternoon? BHTC men’s 2s were looking to avenge the drubbing we received from Chislehurst early in the season, so we put out our best team. George and Gabriel as 1s, a delightful combination of good looks, youth and two forearms that would make Popeye jealous.

Colin and Frank as our twos, looking to fuse Colin’s guile with Frank’s youth, it was like pairing a fine burgundy wine with a fruity Riesling. last but not least was Warwick and myself, two wily old experienced warriors.

All of the first three matches went to a championship tie break! and unfortunately BHTC was victorious in only one of them.

We now needed to hold our nerve, dig deep into our reserves, remember all those that went before us.

I am pleased to say we did just that and won all three of the remaining matches to win the competition 4-2.

A big thanks to Colin and Frank who played their first matches for the club and were both outstanding!

The inaugural Men's Over 60s team brought the first piece of silverware to the club this season by winning the North Kent league Division C today.

The team made it 8 wins out of 8 with a hard fought 3-1 win away to Old Wilsonians.
With two matches still to play, the team will be looking to make it a perfect 10 out of 10 victories.

It will be a lot tougher next Summer in Division B!

Pictured from left to right, Dave Williams, Tim Dalton, Paul Morris and Steve Frogley.
A massive shout out to Andy Kalinka, who played in the first five matches of the campaign.

1) REOPENING OF COURTS

As per the last newsletter, our courts will reopen for business on Monday 29th March. Please continue to book courts using the Club Spark booking process detailed on our website. The courts were power cleaned recently and all four of the existing benches repaired and painted “Wimbledon” green. Please be careful the first couple of times you play, especially if you have not been able to exercise much this last lockdown.

Please continue to observe social distancing rules, leave the court 10 minutes before your allotted time expires and take all your property with you when leaving. Please continue to use hand sanitiser before and after play. The tennis nets are set at the correct height so please do not adjust.

With Club summer league matches commencing on 17 April, I would urge those playing in our 5 box leagues to try to complete any outstanding matches before the end of April, where possible. In the unlikely event you have forgotten which league you are in please contact Ollie, our Tournament Organiser.

2) SOCIAL PLAY (THURSDAY AND SUNDAY MORNINGS)

To get you all back in the swing of things, our popular Thursday and Sunday morning 10-12 noon sessions will recommence from 1 April. Covid -19 restrictions still apply, so you must book your place through the relevant WhatsApp group and sign the covid book on the day. Throughout April, three courts will be available on a Sunday for social play. The covid-19 rule of 12 applies, so once our numbers reach 12 then further attendance will not be permissible. If you are not currently on one of these WhatsApp groups, and want to attend these sessions, then please let me know and I will add you.

Whilst Thursday social play is all year round, the Sunday social will last initially until the end of May. Our popular Wednesday evening social play will restart on 26th May. If there is sufficient interest from members, then we will look to continue social play on Sunday mornings beyond May.

Whilst operational arrangements are already in situ on Thursdays, we need a volunteer steward(s) to assist with arrangements on Sunday mornings. Duties include ensuring members sign the covid book, social distancing protocols are observed and matching, so far as possible, the playing abilities of members on the three courts. Should you feel able to be a volunteer steward then please let me know (details below).

3) MEMBERSHIP FEES

For ease of reference the fees, effective from 1 May can be viewed here or in the Membership section on this website.

4) SPORTS CLUB

Under the Government “roadmap”, the bar will reopen on 12th April. Hoorah, hic. You may not be aware that a portion of your membership fee goes towards the running of the Sports Club. Accordingly, I am pleased to advise that in addition to normal bar facilities, wef 19th April the Club will now be selling food at weekends. Saturday food will be available during the afternoon through to evening and on Sundays will be available in the morning through to the afternoon. The later will fit in nicely with the Sunday social!

Once fully up and running sausage rolls/steak bakes etc will be available throughout the weekend for people to purchase. The kitchen will also be open to purchase food on a Saturday evening/Sunday daytime. Items served will include pizza, chips, hot dogs, toasties, tea and coffee etc.

5) OLD TENNIS BALLS

Alfio and I recently returned 250 old balls to a ball recycling company and received back a cheque for £50 to further booster the Club’s coffers. Rather than throw your old tennis balls away, please bring any old unmarked ones back to the club to enable us to generate more money for the Club. Please leave in a plastic bag by the bench inside Court one.

See you on court.


Dave Williams
Chair
23rd March 2021