NEWSLETTER - GRAFTON SPIRIT IN ACTION (Week of 21 Feb 2022)

Greetings Graftonites,

As ever we'd like to urge caution, whether this is with regards to extreme weather or Covid-19 compliance.

Please see the below hygiene guidelines we ask everyone to respect in order to help keep Grafton a safe place for all:

Please wash your hands before and after your games, or at the very least sanitise your hands. There's always plenty available at the bar and in the clubhouse. If you're headed inside the clubhouse you may wish to consider wearing a mask and sitting in a socially-distanced manner. We kindly ask that you don't come to the club if you're unwell or if you, or someone you live with, is waiting for the results of a covid test.

In other news:

- GRAFTON SPIRIT IN ACTION
- SQUASH UPDATES (please also refer to the attached additional squash notes)
- COURT BOOKING RULES
- 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.***

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GRAFTON SPIRIT IN ACTION

Unfortunately it looks like court 8 will be out of action until at least the end of next week due to damage to the rear wall caused by the extreme weather. If you have a booking you may see cancellation notifications. We’ll do all we can get it back in action ASAP. We hope this serves as a timely reminder to heed government weather warnings, and not treat them as a fun challenge.

Mostly, though, thanks to all those who helped clear bricks and hedges at a moment's notice. This was a wonderful demonstration of the true Grafton community spirit!

The Duke of Edinburgh volunteers and their plus ones / guardians / crew really deserve a special mention. They really went above and beyond the call of duty not only on Saturday, but back again on Sunday at an hour when most of us were still snuggled up in our duvets. You guys are incredible and true examples for us all! Thanks!!!

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SQUASH UPDATES

The last 12 months have been a very exciting time for Grafton Squash. We have seen a massive rise in squash membership, from around 100 in March 2020 (and a base of ca. 120 over the past decade) to the current number of 236. We have also recruited our first (in living memory) professional squash coach, Marco Spinola, who has established an excellent coaching program offering slots on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings and all-day Saturday. Coupled with this, our teams have grown (now four - Men's 1-3 and Vintage – over 55). They have performed at a high level with for 2nd-3rd team gaining promotion(s) and first team establishing themselves in Division 4 (highest level in 25+ years). The new Wednesday social continues to attract 20+ players per week and the Sunday social continues.

Such success inevitably leads to court pressures and following the Grafton Committee Meeting on Wednesday 16th February some changes have been agreed. These are laid out below.

(i) Membership cap - at around 240-250 to ensure that there are no further court pressures. Thus, we will soon be operating a waiting list with a one-in one-out policy. This also means that you will need to respond in a timely manner to membership renewal request(s). Please ensure that your contact details are up to date.

(ii) Off peak membership – courts are not used much between 9-5pm weekdays. We plan to thus offer off-peak membership at ca. £130 per year (to be decided) for access only at these times. Off-peak members would not be able to play in internal leagues but if there is sufficient interest, we can set up an off-peak league.

(iii) Junior membership – the club wants to build up its junior squash base so we will continue to offer junior memberships and they will not have to join the waiting list.

(iv) Social membership – this will be discontinued from April 2022. We have already not renewed so only full members can represent the club in an official capacity.

(v) Single-person bookings – we will now delete peak time single person bookings 72 h in advance. Ideally, the person making the booking would delete to save us having to.

(vi) Late cancellations – there are always some good reasons for late cancellations but likewise the numbers are rising. At the moment we plan to simply log those who cancel less than 24h in advance and do not plan to bring back fines, for now. The latter was considered but is difficult to police and causes friction. We rely on the good will of members to police themselves and good practice is to advertise the late cancellation through the WhatsApp group.

(vii) Social Squash access – from April 2022, only full members will be able to join the Wednesday session. We will allow non-member access to the Sunday session at a cost of ca. £7 (to be decided). We want to give access to potential new members but really these sessions are for current members to meet and play in a social setting

(viii) Social Squash booking essential – from March 2022 booking will be essential for social squash sessions. This is simply to regulate numbers to ensure that everyone signing up gets good court time and the system can be managed. Marco and others cannot be expected to police and collect money on the day. The club is effectively cashless. So please sign up before arrival. We will likely cap number at ca. 16-24 (to be decided).

(ix) WhatsApp group – we use the Comms and WhatsApp group to squash members. If you are not a member of these groups, then you cannot expect to be updated with current information. For data protection reasons we are not allowed to circulate email lists.

(x) Squash representatives – We currently have 3 squash members on the main committee; Graeme Hogarth (teams and overall), Peter Gray (facilities), Marco Spinola (coaching) and also a WhatsApp group for management which includes Harry Parkes (leagues, tokens), Andrew Hoad (new members and enquiries), Alex Collings (socials). We are keen to recruit others who can contribute directly to running squash and plan some more formal meetings in the future. Any suggestions happily received.

(xi) Squash contributions to club – much of the day-to-day running of the club is done by the tennis section. We would welcome new blood from the squash section to support both squash and the general running off the club. We are a members club, run entirely by the membership. Things can only happen/change if you make them. Thus, we are always looking for people to volunteer time for; (i) bar support, (ii) clubhouse support, (iii) IT support, (iv) squash membership, (v) new ventures etc.

(xii) Squash building refurbishment - finally – if you got that far – there are free drinks at the bar all day today – (only joking!). Much of the committee meeting was spent discussing possible renovations to the squash building, including replacing the asbestos roof. This is going to be expensive and will lead to some significant disruption in court access. In the near future we will send out more information but are planning a squash membership meeting (provisionally scheduled for Weds 16th March) to discuss options around planning, timing, fund raising etc. so that we can move forward confident that we are taking the path most favoured by members and offering the best possible facilities for the club. It will likely be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to refurbish courts that were build in the 1930s and have broadly remained the same since.

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COURT BOOKING RULES - TENNIS AND SQUASH

In the spirit of Grafton, we ask everyone to be mindful of our booking rules which are designed to help everyone have a fair chance of playing, and to be able to play safely.

If you have to cancel a court, please try to do so as early as possible. If it has to be a last-minute cancellation, then please put a message on The Grafton Chronicle or Squash WhatsApp chat, so someone else can make the most of that court. All bookings, including last minute bookings, need to comply with the below rules:

Please state your opponent on your bookings.
If practising on your own please select “Serving Practice" or “Solo Practice as your "opponent". Note these bookings are only permitted during off-peak hours.

Bookings with no opponents selected within 72 Hrs (tennis) or 48 Hrs (squash) in advance of play will be cancelled.

Please bear in mind the below hours:

WEEKDAYS:

08:00-16:00 Off Peak Tennis
16:00-22:00 Peak Tennis
08:00-17:15 Off Peak Squash
17:15 -21:00 Peak Squash

WEEKENDS:

08:00-16:00 Peak Tennis
16:00-22:00 Off Peak Tennis
All-day off peak squash

PEAK AND OFF- PEAK TENNIS ACTIVITIES

The below is particularly pertinent to off-peak tennis members, so please note:

SOCIAL TENNIS
Wednesday : Only Peak Tennis members may attend
Sunday: Peak and Off Peak Tennis members may attend

TENNIS TEAM PRACTICES
Monday / Tuesday / Friday / Weekends : Only Peak Tennis members may attend
Leagues and Tournaments: Only Peak Tennis members may participate

If you believe your tennis booking warrants an exception, then please contact graftoncomms@gmail.com in plenty of time to further discuss. Questions? Please email graftoncomms@gmail.com well in advance of your court booking to avoid disappointment.

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  • Sat 26 Feb @2pm - 6 Nations Super Social / Eng Vs Wales Live
  • Sat 26 Feb - Ladies' Squash Closed
  • Sun 13 Mar @630pm - Raj's Royal Rumble Film Night
  • Sat 19 Mar @2pm- 6 Nations Super Social / All Final Round Matches Live
  • Weds 23 Mar @845pm - Quiz Night /The Winter Mixed Bonus Bonanza
  • Sat 26 Mar - Winter Mixed Finals Day
  • Sat 9 April @2pm - American Doubles
  • Sat 16 July - Tennis Finals Day
  • Sat 10 Sept - The Fox Trophy

21/02/2022

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