With the start of April, we are looking forward to our club’s Opening Season Tournament. This 5 event tournament with reverse draws provides a good warm up for the match season with all sets being played to 9 games. This year we have a new organiser (Andy Parker) who takes over from Gary van der Byl and Katie England who, between them, had run the tournament since it first started eleven years ago. Catering and bar helpers are gearing themselves up for the after match snacks, evening meals, tea/coffees and alcohol !
The club has recently been successful in obtaining a £500 grant from Leicestershire County Council’s Silver Legacy Fund to set up a programme of cardio tennis at the club. Thanks go to Alex Brown and club coach Hassan Khan for their work in securing this grant and we look forward to the start of the sessions.
During the summer term all our junior coaching sessions will take place at the club with, hopefully, warmer weather. A new coaching programme has been set up by Hassan with the aim of reducing our squad sizes and ensuring all children are grouped with others of similar ability. At £3.50 a session for all our juniors, this will provide excellent value for money. We continue to encourage parents to join the club with a special Parent Player category so they can enjoy tennis time with their children outside of organised coaching sessions.
Off court, members have been having a spring clearout of their new/nearly new clothes and other items. A recent “Grab a Granville Bargain” sale meant that members gained cash for their unwanted items and the club gained a % of all sales. We will be clearing out any remaining wardrobes and cupboards in the autumn for a similar event !
Last week we were clearing snow once again, but now are hoping warmer weather is on its way. At least the bulbs outside our clubhouse are in bloom !