AGM reports and minutes 2018 - 2019
Posted 11th December 2019
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT FOR 2018-19 (minutes of the AGM are at the bottom of the page)
Well! Another summer season has ended and we are already working through the winter league matches and planning for 2020. As always there is a lot to report, and many people to thank. It has been a busy year with some things going really well and others not working out entirely as planned. But that’s life - we’ve had a fairly normal year!
Looking back there are several things worthy of being highlighted:
- Our finances remain very solid;
- Membership is strong;
- Our facilities are in excellent shape – and thanks to Chris Gurr for the many hours he spends looking after numerous jobs around the courts and pavilion that probably go unnoticed by the bulk of our members;
- We are now seeking planning consent to allow floodlights to be added to the MUGA – proper lights on all sides. Andrew French is leading on that and we will continue to progress this project…..
- ….and work to upgrade and refurbish the little hut is under way. Slowly!
- As promised we did install timers on the lights in the pavilion toilets. They seem to be working well and the new coin-operated light controls are also a great success;
- Following last year’s AGM we were approached by members who wanted to join the Committee – and that new blood is already helping to add fresh ideas and impetus to the existing committee;
- Alongside them we have a core of experienced committee members who remain willing and very able;
- Tim Skillicorn has rapidly embraced the role of Junior & Colts Rep and has done a terrific job of organising the teams and matches with new captains from amongst the parents – it is a lovely thing that you’re doing, Tim. Thank you.
- Martin Partridge took over running the 100 Club and has done an excellent job in recruiting new entrants;
- We provide a safe and friendly environment for players of all ages – under the watchful eye of our Welfare Officer Judy Evans. Thank you.
- Our coaching programme under Jake’s RAW Tennis banner continues as strongly as ever and …..
- ….Oli Weller– a home grown young coach – continues to help develop what we can offer. Thank you both!
- Jake again ran Grade 5 & 6 junior tournaments but these were only partially successful this year. These events require LTA approval and it is a sign of our new status as a large club that we were successful in getting that agreement;
- The club and RAW Tennis jointly ran subsidised sessions for seniors – sorry but that means anyone over 35 in reality – they were successful and confirmed there is a demand we can tap into;
- Sunday coaching has increased – something we know has been needed for some time
- We managed to re-start a ladies league team and I am particularly grateful for everyone who supported that. We can build on that over the coming months and years.
- Our other league teams held their places and we should all appreciate the efforts of the team captains – who struggle at times with player availability and commitment to matches.
- We had glorious weather for the finals day of the club’s annual tournament. And it pleased me especially to see a new generation of winners emerging. And thanks to Jim Hallums and Chris Gurr for running that event so efficiently;
- Our club’s social side remains strong with terrific social events – some involving tennis, others not. Considerable sums are raised towards the club’s costs through these and most social events are well attended. The August BBQ was a highlight for many people and thanks to Andrew & Moira and their band of helpers for handling that big event. However not all of the tennis events garnered support so we will cut some things out when finalizing our 2020 calendar;
As I say every year, none of this happens without a lot of effort from a small army of people - club members and Colts parents who all volunteer to help run this club. Obviously that includes all the Committee members, but there are numerous others who run tennis or fundraising events, captain teams, fix things, manage things. Thank you all. Without your efforts and hard work this club would not be the vibrant place we all know and love. I should also like to thank the OWA, bar staff and ground manager and ground contractor as they are an integral part of what we enjoy here.
So, looking ahead I believe 2020 will be another good year for the club. But we do have to focus on helping some very longstanding Committee members reduce or handover their work to new people. That has already started. After 7 dedicated years Hazel is standing down from the Fixtures Secretary role (thank you Hazel) and is being replaced by Moira French. We have created a Tennis Facilities Manager role which John Drabwell has helpfully offered to undertake – and he will work with several willing volunteers to ensure all the little niggles as well as regular maintenance tasks are done. Tina White has also kindly agreed to help ensure our events are advertised on time, and that our event organisers are supported. We haven’t quite worked all that out yet though.
As you know, I really wanted to step down as chairman at this meeting. I have now undertaken this role for 9 years and the club really needs someone with fresh ideas and new energy to create the next leap forward. I need to reclaim some time because I continue to work part-time whereas I was retired when I originally took on this role. In addition to being our chairman, I am Treasurer for Kent Tennis and a member of their Board, I’m on the Board of Bromley Tennis Centre and from the start of 2020 will become the LTA Councillor for Kent. This club has benefitted enormously over the years from my involvement in the wider tennis scene, and I’m sure this new appointment will bring further benefits and prestige to OWLTC. But I will need the time to do what that role demands.
I have been persuaded to remain as chairman for another year, on the basis of a new, slightly more delegated structure. Getting other people to look after the facilities and the events will take a load off my shoulders. Tim and Judy have already taken over other areas and that has gone well so I am optimistic this will work well for everyone. I will aim to provide leadership and strategic direction to ensure we sustain all the excellent progress this club has made in the last decade. It would be a terrible shame to allow it to unravel….As part of these changes I am considering whether we should create a Vice Chairman role so that my eventual successor can see at close quarters what I do, learn the ropes and then take on the role and shape it in their own style. I’d be interested to hear what members think about that idea – and to be inundated with a flood of applicants for the role.
I end as I always do - this is YOUR club. The events we decide to run, the things we change or add - all of this is for you the membership to determine. If there's anything you feel our club as a whole should be doing, please let the Committee know. And if you can help, if you have a skill or an idea for helping us, please don’t be bashful – just let us know.
This is your club. Please continue to support and nurture it.
NIGEL JORDAN
Jacob Johnson’s Report
AGM 2019
The coaching programme is going from strength to strength. Two more adult classes and two more Mini Red classes have been added. The club has seen an increase in adults joining with a new singles and doubles championships this year. The emphasis on next year will be working with the committee to increase adult’s membership and putting a strategy together to achieve this. I feel the club and I could do more to attract new members especially now the Junior club programme is established.
In the summer the club formed a new ladies team which I Captained with a mix of juniors and ladies playing. I will let Hazel tell you how they got on in a moment but overall I thought it was a positive result and a great learning curve for all who played so well done. This winter we also fielded a team and now I have passed the Captaincy over to Caroline, thanks Caroline for taking over this.
The club has colts and junior teams of all ages represented in the Kent league. Without the help of Tim Skillicorn this wouldn’t be achievable as there is a lot of admin involved and he is a contact point for all parents if they have any questions, Thank You Tim.
If you don’t personally know Oliver Weller I am pretty sure you would have have heard of him. He is now a full time Coach with RAW Tennis and he will be doing his level 3 coaching qualification next year. He has been with RAW Tennis since a young lad and is extremely hard working and enthusiastic and a great addition to the coaching team.
Throughout the year the club has been hosting grade 6 tournaments for all ball levels, which needed to be sanctioned by the LTA. This is a great pathway for juniors to play matches outside of lessons and ticks all the boxes with the LTA.
Finally I would just like to thank the Committee with their continued support and especially Nigel who I know is stepping down his workload but has agreed to manage and support us for another year, thank you Nigel.
Treasurer’s Report for y/e 30 September 2019
I am delighted to report the continuing good health of the Tennis Club’s finances. Without having the large court maintenance costs of last year, we have recorded a record surplus for the year of £9,825. Total reserves on General Fund now exceed £27K.This will easily cover the costs to be incurred on the refurbishment to the old green hut, presently being undertaken.
We have also put away £8,750 to add to the Sinking Fund which now stands at £62,067 and this is more than enough to replace the carpet courts when needed. Whilst they are going into their tenth year they still play well but the moss needs to be kept at bay. They should then last a few more years.
Membership numbers have held fairly level, Judith will no doubt expand upon this with the actual figures. Income from membership has increased by approximately £1,500 to £28,923 showing in the accounts and a further £500 plus which has recently been transferred from the PayPal account. The increase has occurred due in part to previous non-members now joining up. Court fees have subsequently fallen a little. Thanks go to Judith for chasing the slow payers and for Jake in converting the non-members.
With a full year of the new coin-operated light meters plus those with keys paying in the funds direct, the Light income rose to £3,459. Many thanks to those who collect the cash regularly.
The club remains socially active and once again I thank all those involved in the organisation of Quiz nights, wine tasting, BBQs and various tournaments, plus the 100 Club, all of which contributed useful income. Some £1,051 more than the last year.
We do not propose to increase membership costs this year and we remain, as a club, very good value compared to other local clubs.
Once again I look forward to a successful year ahead.
Bob West
21st October 2019
Membership Report to the AGM – 12 November 2019
The total membership of the OWLTC currently stands at 462. The membership numbers seem to have reached something of a natural level as this figure is only six below the same time last year and seven above the year before.
The membership can be broken down as follows:
87 Full Members
31 Midweek Members
6 Student memberships
91 Juniors
235 Colts
12 Social Members (including coaches)
There are a couple of important points to make here. The Colts membership has reduced by 30 since the same period last year but very significantly the Junior membership has increased by 24. In short, the vast majority of Colts who transitioned to Juniors have rejoined and it is important to stress how significant this is.
Youngsters entering secondary education have so many options and historically this is a time when we have lost several of them but that has not happened this year. This is all down to Jake and his team for keeping these youngsters engaged with the Club. They are our future and it is vital to keep their interest for as long as we possibly can.
Our next challenge will be to retain them through their student life and into adulthood and to that end, when they are ready, we are introducing them to Club sessions and social tournaments and also to playing for the adult teams.
From an adult playing point of view, the membership numbers are exactly the same at last year! We have lost some and gained some and, without doing a specific age analysis, the age profile would appear to be reducing significantly – which can only be a good thing for the future of the Club.
The decision has been taken not to increase any of the membership fees this year. The Club’s finances are healthy at present but we will of course conduct another review before the AGM in 2020.
As always, a very big thank you to Nigel and to Jake for the long hours they put in to make our Club the success that it is.
AGM TENNIS FIXTURES REPORT 2019
I have reports from all the Team Captains but would like to say a big thank you to all the Captains for taking on the challenge. After a few years of not having enough ladies willing to participate in match play, I’m pleased to say that this year we were able to do so. We did not have a nominated captain for the Ladies but Laura Perrins has kindly done a report for the Summer season and Caroline Tate has stepped forward to Captain the Ladies team for the coming seasons.
Many thanks to Chris Heayberd who has supported the Team Captains in helping to organise the teams, Judith Heayberd for booking the courts and to Nick Herbert for posting the results on our website.
Finally I would like to wish Moira every success as she will be taking over from me as Fixtures Secretary.
Men’s 1st Team Report
We enjoyed a pretty average season in terms of results, winning 3, losing 6 and halving
A few of the defeats were just by one rubber, so while the results weren’t great in totality we were always competitive.
Some of the matches were tough against some strong oppositions. When we turned up at Sundridge a few of the Coaches had just finished up, tidied their balls and then they casually strolled over to the courts we were playing on.... Got beat 6/0 in that one with one of our strongest sides
We picked from a wider pool of players this year, enabling us to complete all of our fixtures without too much drama. It was great to integrate a few new faces into the pool of players, and when we have everyone available, we are a good side. The hope is that we can stabilise the pairings next season and turn a few of the marginal defeats in to wins.
My biggest issue was the last 2 matches fell into the summer holidays and it was like a tumbleweed moment at Old Wilsonians! That first weekend everyone was either out camping or on the beach somewhere.
I exhausted all of my contacts and had some great help from both Jake and Nigel to finally get a team together. Thanks guys, appreciate it. I really don't want to go through that hassle again as was quite stressful.
Finally, a big thank you to all the players for their effort and commitment and let's hope we can continue to carry that through to both this winter and next summer.
Thanks
Nick
Men’s 2nd Team Winter 2019
The Men’s 2’s Winter 2018-19 team came close to winning the league and drew 2-2 with eventual winners Shooters Hill 3. A close match against Wendover provided the definitive difference between winning and coming 2nd. Thanks to James Goskie, Antony Wong, Andrew French, Bev Edet, Jeremey Cupit (who sadly moved house and is no longer playing at OW’s) and one of the clubs rising Colts Harry Suggett for playing in the team.
After 2 years as Captain, Tim Skillicorn handed the Captaincy of the Mens 2’s to Rob Kingdon.
Men’s 2nd Team Summer 2019
The Men’s 2’s results were wins 2, draws 2 and losses 4.
The final results could have been better as the drawn matches were very nearly wins and we lost 1 match as all the rubbers couldn’t be completed in the allocated time.
We used a total of 16 players which is still an ongoing problem to get a consistent pool of players that can play for the team and this can prove costly in matches when the opposition often have regular pairings.
I’m sure that if we could get some consistency in the pairings along with the players that are potentially available we could move up the divisions.
I’d like to thank all the players that participated in our matches and Chris Heyberd for his support with the administration.
Many Thanks, Rob
Juniors and Colts Summer 2019 report
This was my 1st year of assisting with the Junior and Colts teams for OW’s, so it’s been a learning curve and I would like to thank Nigel for his guidance and patience. Additionally, Charlotte Hares and I have shared many tasks so again thanks to Charlotte.
In total 29 Juniors and Colts played in 26 matches
2 x 8&U Mixed Teams (boys and Girls)
1 x 10&U Mixed Team (boys and Girls)
3 x 12&U Boys Teams
1 x 14&U Girls team
1 x 14&U Boys Team
It was a shame we couldn’t raise more girls teams notably the U16s boys.
We would like to thank all the adult captains who coordinate the teams and players matches. We wouldn’t be able to raise any of the teams without so they do have a critical role.
Thanks goes to
Kate Crossley,
Elaine Copper
Catherine Caulfield
Charlotte Hares
Sue Haggett
Tina White
Alex Williams
John Inglis
Congratulations goes to
8&U B team, 12&U Boys B team, 14&U Boys all who won their leagues.
The winter teams are now mid-season and we have a similar level of engagement so good luck to all those teams.
Finally - To date our efforts have mostly been around arranging the teams and matches but I would like to make it clear that I am available for anyone who wants to discuss the Junior and Colts. If any parents would like to talk to me please let me know and I would be happy have a chat.
Ladies Team Report for AGM
This was the first year many of the ladies competed in league tennis and overall we got a side out for every match bar one. The results were mixed, winning 3, losing 4 and drawing two.
The lowlight was playing against Willett Recreation, who we were told won the league last year and therefore should not have even been in this league. It was particularly tedious playing against one of their players who sliced everything, which in the humble opinion of this writer, is not tennis!
The highlight was certainly seeing the young players come through, Daisy Cooper, May Baynes and Annabelle Guillou. All three are very good tennis players and displayed an excellent attitude towards each match. It was a pleasure to play with them.
We hope to continue to get good sides out in the future.
Men’s Vets 40+
Firstly a big thank you to two members who have stood in for me as Captain finalising the teams and organising early in the season when I was away on holiday, namely Chris Heayberd and John Goskie.
On paper our results at the end of the Summer do not look great having won 2 and drawn 1 of our 8 matches, sadly loosing 5, but I know different. Two of those matches against Catford both in June were very close affairs with literally a point or two in it and the draw against Crescent in May, who we later beat in July, was also very close - so you see the end of season points tally could have been very different had the greasy finger of luck wavered a little more in our direction.
The matches that I played were very friendly and I can only recommend the Vets it to any of you thinking about putting yourself forward for this enjoyable category next year, I am sure you won't regret it - if you are old enough of course. Matches are a great way to play different people with different styles of play and for you to find out what you are really made of - breaking the dullness of playing the same players every week!
Here's to the other players that supported the Vets this year - Richard North, John Lawrence, Rob Kingdom, Tony Howard, Nick Herbert, Steve Drew, Martin Partridge and Derek Seston you are all stars in my book.
Thanks
Andrew.
Over 60’s Report
Another enjoyable season for the over 60’s, fulfilling their fixtures and offering 11 members the opportunity to play representative team tennis.
All matches were played in true Old Wilsonian’s spirt of good sportsmanship and camaraderie, finishing the season in a very respectable mid table position of third out of five.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members who turned out for the team this year, I am sure they will be looking forward to the 2020 season..
John G
