Club Message:-Tennis Courts now booking for play !!!!

Message to all members of 1879 Some great news!

As I am sure you are all aware, Boris announced on Sunday that part of the next phase of the lockdown is the broadening of our ability to take exercise. One of the benefits of this to us is that we will be able to use the tennis courts again for restricted play. The club will therefore partially re-open for outdoor activity from tomorrow – Wednesday 13th May. We cannot eliminate all of the risks of infection through our safety measures, so members are invited to use the club at your own risk. The committee has discussed the best way to reduce risks and asks you to observe/follow in order to: a) Comply with government and LTA guidelines b) Help prevent potential contamination between people c) Provide a good overall experience for all members. We are aware that these may alter and develop on a daily basis as the LTA, Sport England and other governing bodies provide us with further advice as the club is used by more and more people. We will monitor and update you on this. ______________________________________________________________ The key principles are that:

Where players are all from the same household doubles can be played (government and LTA instruction).
Only singles play is currently allowed between people from different households (government and LTA instructions)
Where playing singles with someone from another household we advise that you both bring tennis balls and only touch and use your own ball when serving. Please mark your tennis balls with your initials to avoid confusion (memories of playing as a junior in the 70’s!!)
If you have clinical gloves it is suggested that you could wear one on your non racket hand for picking up and holding balls For those who would like the full recommendations from the LTA here is the link that they have provided for players: https://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/news/2020/lta-guidance-for-tennis-players---covid-19.pdf
Unfortunately the clubhouse and toilets will remain closed – please go before you come down!
We would request that members do not bring guests to the club whilst we trial the uptake and demand. Once we know how much pressure there is on the courts we will update the ruling on guest access.
Communal club sessions/tournaments for adults and Junior Night are on hold until the club receives notice from the LTA relating to more accessibility and flexibility in these areas.

_______________________________________________________________ THE LOGISTICS

So, we will be opening up courts 1-3 and 5 and 6 at this stage. Court 4 will be used by Nick Brooks and his other two coaches for their individual coaching.
We have decided to keep the Clay courts closed for general use at the moment due to our lack of ability to monitor and control the correct and regular maintenance and brushing etc after play. These will be made available to the coaches if enough people book 1-2-1 sessions for them to need three courts.
The 5 available courts must be booked using the MMM system. We are expecting the court time to be in demand and so, will ask each person to limit themselves to a maximum of 4 one hour bookings per week initially and we will see how the system works ongoing.
If you cannot play for any reason please remember to cancel the court straight away to allow others to book and use.
Squash members have been invited to enjoy the tennis courts too as part of their membership during this time so please welcome them (from a distance) on the courts
Please remember to lock all the courts when leaving to avoid any non-members wandering onto the courts and using the private facilities
The new court code is: 2010. Please keep this safe and do not give it to others unless they are known members who have forgotten the code
Please do not go to the club hoping to get a court without booking as this could lead to disappointment and risks causing arguments.

_______________________________________________________________ UPDATES We will update you on any further news, as and when we receive it from the sports bodies – LTA, England Squash and Sport England and of course the government. We also plan to update you on the club tournament, social activities and the use of the clubhouse once we know the schedule ongoing. Please enjoy the club again, as often as you can, and although I am sure that you would all do so anyway please respect each other’s space and health. Kind regards Neil Grantham Chesham 1879 Club Chairman