Grafton Tennis and Squash Club
70A Thornton Road • London • SW12 0LF
Tel: 020 8673 2891
Greetings Graftonites,
Have you downloaded the NHS COVID-19 app? If so, please remember to check-in when you're at the club. Besides that reminder, plenty of items in this week's bulletin impacting squash members, tennis members, and even non-members, so do read on:
- SQUASH WHILE LONDON IS ON A HIGHER ALERT
- GRAFTON WINTER MIXED
- TENNIS OFF PEAK GUESTS
- BOOKING AND CANCELLING TENNIS COURTS
- DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
***If you want to put an announcement in next Monday’s broadcast, the only way to do so is by sending your broadcast to graftoncomms@gmail.com by Friday 6pm.***
ACCESS TO SQUASH COURTS, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Following the change in local covid alertness level in London on Saturday 17th October and clarification from Squash England about the impact of this on Squash Clubs (https://www.englandsquash.com/news/england-squash-coronavirus-statement) there are now only THREE scenarios whereby an adult squash player (over 19 years) can be on a squash court.
These are listed below:
Individual practice
With a member of the same household
In a 1:1 coaching session with a qualified Squash England coach
Unfortunately, this means that the following activities are no longer allowed:
Squash bubble matches
Two players playing “sides” or doing socially distanced drills
We realise that this is very frustrating, but we MUST abide by the regulations. The club faces a fine of up to £10k and further implications for non-compliance.
Breaches of these regulations will not be tolerated.
We hope that this situation will only last for a few weeks and we can resume business as “normal” i.e. allowing bubble matches and routines practice.
We have FOUR Squash England qualified coaches; Graeme Hogarth, Marco Spinola, Harry Parkes and Amit Goel. Marco especially has a lot of day time and Saturday availability. Please contact us if you are interested in taking lessons, or if you have any questions at all. Thanks for your cooperation.
GRAFTON WINTER MIXED
In need of a winter vaccine? Fear not the Grafton Winter mixed is back!
New members: this is a bonkers, nonsense, mixed doubles tournament played from end of October to March.
In need of some fun over the dark months? Sign up now. Competitve spirits feel free to abstain and try your luck in the summer champs.
This year we've come up with a new format which will be explained in due course. What hasn't changed: lots of fun tennis, some nonsense bonus points on offer and some weird emails.
Half the spots are already filled so don't delay signing up!
To sign up please:
1. Sort your partner (if don’t have one don’t worry we can help, just get in touch on the email below. We have a better success rate than Tinder)
2. Enter via the following email address
graftonmixed@gmail.com
3. Pay £10 per pair (will give you payment instructions when you sign up)
NB. Entry deadline 25 October
. Tournament starts as soon as possible after that.
The winter mixed organisation will be inspired from the last 7 months and make up the rules as we go along. Please understand that we might have to cancel/suspend as per changes in health guidelines. But as long as we are allowed to play tennis, we guarantee a lot of opportunities to play.... and most importantly a lot of fun!
TENNIS OFF-PEAK GUESTS / NON-MEMBERS
As of today, we are pleased to confirm that members are now allowed to invite guests to play during non-peak hours only: 8pm-4pm Weekdays / 4pm-10pm Weekends
Important Points to Note:
- All guests should download and use the
NHS Track and Trace app
for use when entering the club
- Non-Members must be selected as an opponent(s) on the Mycourts booking system
- All guests must familiarise themselves with the LTA guidelines on 'COVID-19 safe play' available here:
https://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/news/2020/lta-guidance-for-tennis-players---covid-19.pdf
There is a £5 fee per guest payable on booking by bank transfer, the club’s details are below:
Grafton Tennis Club Ltd Bank:
Sort code: 20-21-78
Account number: 70408271
BOOKING AND CANCELLING TENNIS COURTS
No shows and late cancellations continue to be an issue. People not putting their opponent's name or names on the booking sheets also continues to be an issue. This is frustrating given that for health and safety reasons we need to know who's on site. It also goes against the ethos of the Club. We should look out for each other and give everyone a chance to play. Several complaints have been made about people simply not showing up or cancelling at the 11th hour and we've heard your grumbles.
We therefore request that
all courts are cancelled 3 days in advance if no opponent has been fixed.
Where possible do try and
limit your peak time booking slots
.
Peak hours are:
6-10pm weekdays / 10am-2pm weekends
If in the next week or so we don't see an improvement, more radical action will likely be taken. Thanks.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Sun 25 Oct - Winter Mixed Entry Deadline
Sat 5 Dec - Christmas Party (touch wood)
19/10/2020
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