Hello!

Spring is certainly here and Easter is just around the corner. Evenings are getting lighter and we’re certainly looking forward to our summer season!

First things first… since it’s Easter, we’ve decided to hold a sale of our Club Merchandise – it will be 10% off all our branded sportswear. This will kick off next week, so please watch the space! (But not the woolly jumpers, I’m afraid!). Now is the perfect time to upgrade your sporting wardrobe! In woolly jumper news, in addition to the redesign, we have added some extra sizes for you, so please get your orders in by the end of the weekend as we’ll be placing the order on MONDAY! The sweaters will then be manufactured and with us in time for the summer season. They’re a special one-off production run – a fitting way to celebrate your Club’s 125th anniversary!

Easter Sunday Lunch | 31st March

We really enjoyed hosting all the amazing mums and families last Sunday! Our next Sunday Lunch is on Easter Sunday, March 31st. It’s a perfect way to enjoy a tasty roast lunch, relax with family and friends. Once again we’ll be serving a delicious two-course roast lunch. We’ll be serving Roast Rump of Beef, Roast Leg of English Lamb, Roast Fillet of Salmon, or Roasted Beetroot and Goats Cheese Parcel. All served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and a selection of fresh vegetables.

Make sure to book your table soon! Please click HERE for the full menu and to book.

Easter Sunday Children’s Easter Egg Hunt!

We’ll be holding an event for Children this forthcoming Easter Sunday. To register your child’s interest in this free activity… please email Georgia@fosltc.com for full details.

Wine Tasting and Dinner | Saturday 13th April

Are you ready for an exquisite wine tasting and dinner? Join us for a memorable night hosted by our Club President, Martin Tinsley. Further expertise will be on hand with Steve Pryer, the former wine critic for the Evening Standard. It’s an event you surely won’t want to miss, the wine will be flowing, Chef will be preparing a specially paired menu to compliment the wines and you and your friends will have a great evening. Don’t miss out and get your ticket now HERE.

Croquet Coaching

Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes our eagerly anticipated croquet coaching sessions! Starting in May, we’ll delve into the world of croquet, a sport that combines strategy, skill, and lots of fun. This is a game that’s easy to learn but challenging to master. It’s perfect for all ages and abilities, offering a blend of gentle exercise and competitive excitement. Join us to discover why croquet is such a beloved pastime. Please click HERE for more information.

And don’t forget about our croquet charity competition to be held on Wednesday 3rd April. Please click HERE for more info – Everyone is invited to play!

Walking Football

A few weeks ago, our walking footballers had the pleasure of participating in the Clacton Rhinos’ mini tournament for over 60’s at the Clacton Leisure Centre. It was a display of incredible teamwork and dedication, with every player contributing their all to the game. A huge congratulations to all players for their amazing effort!
A special thanks goes out to our hosts, the Clacton Rhinos, for organising such a fantastic event.

Are you thinking of joining our team? As we head into Spring and Summer, now’s the best time! We play every Monday afternoon, from 2.00pm and every Wednesday evening (under floodlights) from 7.00pm. Newcomers welcome! The first week is free of charge and all you need to do is to turn up.

C&D Tennis League 2024

Attention all tennis enthusiasts! We’re still on the lookout for tennis players to join our teams this year. Sign up now by adding your name to the form on the tennis notice board and we’ll be in touch!

Farewell to a past President | Alan Brient 1934 – 2024

With great sadness, we announce the recent passing of Alan Brient. He was a great supporter of the Club and his involvement over many years was extensive. He served as Grounds Chairman and then Club Captain on 4 occasions (1979, 1986, 1988 and 1991) and subsequently as our Club’s President.

There’s no one better than our current Club President, Martin Tinsley, to write a fitting tribute.

“It’s hard for me to believe that I took over as President from Alan. It would not be possible to live up to his achievements as he had such an incredible influence on our Club.

However it wasn’t just the Club to which he so generously dedicated his time.

He ran a Sunday school for boys known as Crusaders and to me, this was something to look forward to because there was great camaraderie and fun amongst the group of local boys, typically involving day trips to the rowing boats at Dedham or other local activities, recorded on Cine film.

My earliest recollection is that when a milestone was reached (such as a number of attendances) or a record broken, a 78” vinyl was broken over Alan’s head to the amusement of all concerned.

He introduced us all to David Hemery, an Olympic Gold medalist whom I remember running up the cliffs.

At that point, most of the boys would have been in attendance at Frinton Primary School including Alan’s sons, Alistair and David. Alan’s daughter Jane was in the same class as me so to an extent, we had a social connection.

His impact on FOSLTC was huge. Older members will remember that the squash activities took place in Old Way, at a site now occupied by Frinton School of First Aid.

Alan was a very keen squash player and was heavily involved with the relocation to Holland Road and the subsequent development of the squash membership which at one point reached a staggering 400 members.

It was however the exhibition tennis for which Alan will mostly be remembered by virtue of the generous sponsorship from his company, Dudley Stationery.

Those of a certain generation will look back on these times with great affection.
1991 was arguably the most notable year, when those taking part included Virginia Wade, Sue Barker, Betty Stove, Yvonne Goolagong, Tony Roche, Peter McNamara, Paul McNamee, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Neale Fraser and VJ Armritraj, partially eclipsed some might argue when Cliff Richard played in a subsequent year and sang ‘Summer Holiday’ on the court afterwards, apparently enjoyed by golf club members alike because of the amplification.

Alan was a great squash player by all accounts but he was perhaps most proud of winning the Men’s Tennis Doubles with his then son-in-law, Martin Guntrip, having been thwarted the previous year because of a ‘technicality’.

Alan took a great interest in the grounds and contributed generously to the infrastructure. He could regularly be seen walking around the grounds with his dog and enjoying conversations with Matt Crown, our former groundsman.

After he handed the reins to me, we often used to bump into each other at the Newsagent on a Sunday morning when he would continue to impart his wisdom. His wish was that his granddaughter Becky was granted Life membership and this was agreed shortly afterwards by the then committee in recognition of all that he had given.”

Martin Tinsley
Club President

My thanks to Martin for sharing his recollections for all Members to read and our collective gratitude to Alan Brient for everything he did for our Club. We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends at this very sad time.

On that sombre note, that’s it for this time. We hope that you’ll continue to sign up for events, competitions, classes and activities. Not forgetting our Thursday Night is Games Night – with special offers on at the bar too. There’s a lot going on. And we hope to see you at the Club soon.

Have a great week.

James Max
Club Chairman