Hi!

What a week. The ITF World Tennis Masters Tour has been taking place all week at the Club. If you’ve been to visit, we hope you enjoyed the incredible tennis that’s been played on our courts. And there’s still time to pop down to watch some of the matches as we head towards the end of the event with all matches being wrapped up by the end of Saturday. The atmosphere at your Club has been terrific and I am sure you’ll want to know that our players have been hugely impressed by the quality of the courts, organisation of the event and indeed the resources available within our Clubhouse. From the bar, flapjacks and cakes to Poolside Kitchen and tasty food! And, what a BBQ! We’ve had about 200 players attending this year and we are hoping that next year it will be even more! And well done to all our Club Members who have entered! The weather has been somewhat erratic, meaning our grass has been out of action in the latter part of this week due to it being so wet. All court bookings will be honoured but if you don’t book ahead, you run the risk of not being able to play! As soon as it’s dry enough, play on the grass will resume. And if you require some help to use the booking system, please enquire via the office! 

Tennis

Last week we sent out some updated direction for using our grass courts. Following Member feedback, we have amended those slightly to accommodate you whilst trying also to preserve our courts as best we can. Please, no play on the grass courts before 9am. If you’d like an early game of tennis, please use the hard tennis courts. If you want to play at 9am on the grass, it’s Section 4, only. And from 10am there’s play across the Club.

Please apply the ‘knee test’ before playing. It’s a simple test. Use a sports towel and kneel on it! On the playing surface near the base line. If it’s damp under knee.. then it’s too wet to play. Also please do the test again to the rear of the court. Two reasons for doing this. If the courts are wet, they are likely to be slippy and we could do without any more injuries from slipping! And also it’s about keeping our courts in good condition. If they are played on when wet or damp, this compacts the playing area leaving dips. And no one likes an undulating court! This is expensive to put right. And as part of our strategic plan to improve the level of tournaments at the Club, that means our grass courts need to be in tip top condition. This is why we rest some courts. If the net is down, please don’t play on the court. Even if you have booked it, move to an adjacent court and if it’s not obvious where to play – enquire via the office.

You can book your courts HERE.

An Apology from The President

I appreciate why one or two members were upset to see me playing tennis on the grass courts before 10am last Sunday and apologise.

To provide some context, there was some misunderstanding in relation to the latest Board Meeting minutes and the actions arising therefrom. I should have picked up on the information which went out in the Newsletter a couple of days previously.

I was due to discuss the situation with Steve our Groundsman which I did prior to 9am that morning.

Understandably, Steve takes great pride in his work. He and I have been working together on and off since his arrival on various grounds related matters and our discussions on Sunday led to the solution which has now been put in place and is set out above.

Steve and I had established that the courts were dry and playable on that particular morning at 9am. However, we hope the new rules provide clarity whilst striking a balance between keeping our courts in good condition and providing access to the grass for you, our Members. 

Martin Tinsley | Club President

The conversation about court opening times continues. We’re not deaf to our Members and what you would like. However we hope this compromise achieves our two aims and we’ll monitor how it goes over the coming weeks. Our aims? To look after you, our Members and give you the facilities you’d like and also to preserve our courts as best we can making sure there some of the best in the country so we can enjoy them whilst also hosting amazing high level competitions too.

Club Championships

In other tennis news, the Club Championships are under way. Please check our tennis notice board and play your matches within the set deadlines! Any issues arising will be dealt with by the Tennis Committee or our Club Coach, Pete Richmond.    

Wimbledon Whites Pimm’s Tournament | Saturday 15th July from 1pm

Have you entered our Wimbledon Whites Pimm’s Tournament yet? ….Pimm’s is, of course, included! 

Quite a few players are on the list already, so it should be great fun as always. It’s very easy to enter, just click HERE. £5 for Members and £10 for non-Members. 

We are showing all the Wimbledon tennis matches at the bar and also serving some of your favourite Wimbledon beverages. Why not pop down with your friends to watch the action? It’s always more fun than watching at home!

Summer Tennis Camps

We have a range of summer camps and tennis activities for our junior Members. And non-Members too. Click HERE for all the details. Booking is flexible and you can sign in for whatever you’d like! Whether it’s keeping the children occupied, active, improving skills or technique. There’s something for everyone! 

Cricket | Sunday 9th July from 12pm

If you have any Australian friends or colleagues, it hasn’t been an easy few weeks to endure all The Ashes banter! However our Triangle Tournament as supported by Stabilised Pavements Limited, SPL continues! And we hope we’ll have a different tale to tell when the matches are played this weekend! After our last win at the Golf, we’re hoping our amazing FOS LTC team of cricketers will perform well. And why don’t you join us to watch! It all starts at Midday this Sunday 9th July at the Cricket Club. 

Squash

We’ve got brand new Junior ‘drop in’ classes on Saturdays from 10 until 10:45am. Ideal for ages 4-7 and it’s only £5 per session. Should you want to find out more, please get in touch with Chris chrisakv@btinternet.com | 07768 067044.

And there’s a range of squash coaching too! All the details are HERE.

Swimming

For adults, swimming in the mornings and our lifeguard is on duty in the afternoons during the summer holidays. Not Mondays though as the pool is closed for cleaning. Please book your slots for the juniors as it does get busy! And please don’t forget to cancel if you no longer intend to show up. All guests must sign in and pay their fees please!

Poolside Kitchen

If you’ve not tried our epic Chicken Burger or any of the other tasty offerings on the menu yet, then get on down to the Club! Or perhaps you fancy a Mr Whippy Ice-cream? Nom! (please eat responsibly yada yada). Poolside Kitchen opening hours and menu are listed HERE.

Coaching

We have a full range of coaching at the Club. Newcomers and complete beginners are welcome!

• Tennis

Peter Richmond – contact:  www.NEETacademy.co.uk or email  neetacademyhq@gmail.com

• Squash & Racketball

Chris Vine – contact:  chrisakv@btinternet.com or call 07768 067044

• Croquet 

Richard Everett – contact:  croquet@fosltc.com or call 07766 611 826

• Gym & Personal Training

Katy Calver – contact:  katy@fosltc.com 

Gym Charity Marathon | 26.2 Hours of Training | 27-28 July 

How better to raise charitable funds from a slightly mad-cap gym session?! Please join us in supporting this event. It will be fun, and a great way to drop a few pounds, all for a great cause! We start our 26.2 hour training on Friday 28th July! The aim is for at least one person (or more) to be active in the gym or in a class at all times. It is £5 to enter and all money raised will go to Colchester Hospital Rosemary Suite. We will run some extra classes and these will be £5 to attend. 

A timetable and sign-up sheets will be up at the gym and the fee can be paid to Katy or the office.

Gym will be free to use for any Members wishing to do their routine exercise.

And talking of routine exercise. We have a wide range of classes and activities for you too. To see the full schedule and to book – click HERE. 

Croquet

If you haven’t tried our amazing croquet lawn yet – why not find out more? Every Wednesday afternoon there’s a Club session where all are welcome. And if you’re unsure of the rules or would like to find out about the game – Richard Everett and Ann Evander and our very vocal croquet crowd would be more than happy to introduce you to this amazing game! It’s open to all AAA members or you can upgrade your membership to get involved. 

Very special visit from Luff Care House

On Tuesday we had a very special visit from residents of Luff Care House. They had their very own Wimbledon experience at the Club. Thanks to Chef for providing strawberries and cream and to everyone who helped to make this such a lovely afternoon. We hope everyone had a great time and enjoyed watching some exciting matches.

Frinton Summer Theatre

The summer season kicks off with The King’s Speech. There’s a fabulous array of plays on over the summer with some spectacular actors treading the boards. And then there’s the return of the now famous tent on the Greensward. This year’s big top production is My Fair Lady. It’s going to be epic – and given our longstanding partnership with the Summer Theatre we hope you’ll want to pop along to a show or two! 

Meanwhile the Theatre are holding their two Summer Music Nights at the Club on Sunday 16th July and Sunday 13th August. These events are superb! And a lot of fun too.

For all the details just visit the theatre’s website to see the programme or book your tickets HERE.

Frinton Literary Festival 

It’s on from Wednesday 25th October until Sunday 29th October. There’s a whole range of events taking place around Frinton in October including a special lunch with the one and only Miriam Margolyse – to be hosted at our Club. For tickets and more information, please pop into Caxton Books. 

Bar

The cost of living ‘crisis’ will not have escaped your attention. We are acutely aware of the increased burden of rising prices. And this week I was reporting a story where the boss of J D Wetherspoon, Tim Martin, was quoted as saying the £8 pint isn’t far away. Well… if you buy a pint of our very own FOS LGR (our own branded lager) at the Club – it’s £4 for non-members and just £3.20 for Members. Or Camden Hells and Corona at £5.50 for non-members and £4.40 for Members. And a glass of Pimm’s… £4.50 for non-members and £3.60 is the Member’s price. That is VALUE! And since the weather forecast is good – why not pop down to the Club for a cheeky beverage? (please drink responsibly yada yada) and yes we have a full range of wines, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages and a range of snacks. And cake. 

Threads

You may have heard about the new social media app launched by Meta, the owners of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsAPP. Within hours of launch it has over 10 million users! And yes, we’re on it too! Do follow us on the socials as we’re putting out content and keeping you informed and updated regularly! @FOSLTC 

Thank You

As always there are plenty of people to thank at our Club – from our hardworking staff, our coaches and instructors, our catering team, volunteers who help around the Club and to Ann Towler who continues to ensure the flowers on display outside look amazing and to our sponsors too. Thank you! 

And Finally

I’m sure you’ll all want to join me in wishing Tom Philpot a speedy recovery. He’s currently languishing in hospital awaiting an MRI scan following a nasty turn after playing a match at the Club last week. Our thanks go to our coach Pete Richmond who rushed to administer first aid, to others who called the medics and in particular to Danny Faulkner who marshalled the emergency services so efficiently. Tom assures me he’s on the mend and will be back at the Club very soon!

I hope you’ll agree there’s a lot going on! Plenty to get involved with and some fabulous events and sporting activities at your Club. Please continue to spread the word! After all, in these economically challenged times, who wouldn’t want a venue that serves drinks with a Member’s discount? Or has such fabulous sporting facilities, classes, events and opportunities for a good ol’ bit of social! All the details on how to join and the membership fees are HERE. 

Enjoy the weather and everything that’s going on. Have a great week!

James Max

Club Chairman