October Newsletter

Dear All,

Although we are moving into Autumn and the nights are drawing in, a lot has been happening at the Club both in front of and behind the scenes.

Firstly a very big thank you from everyone to Hamid Irshad and John Barton for their quick thinking in securing new furniture in the Clubhouse at a bargain price! Many of you have said that it has made the clubhouse so much more welcoming. Some of you have said that you will now consider having private events at the Clubhouse rather than going elsewhere. If you would like to do this then please discuss this with Hamid at an early stage.

Breast Cancer Now Tournament

A big thank you to Winnie Bridge, Jill Thompson and coaches Alex Heath and Luke Hymas for organising this annual event. Thanks also to Manjit Roseghini and Anna Leslie for managing the bar and to all the bakers for providing a fabulous spread. It was lovely to see so many of you at the event and in the pink. The Club raised approx £1,700 for Breast Cancer Now. If you would like to make a further donation please go to https://breastcancernow.org/ and select ‘donate’.

Dates for Your December Diaries will be announced shortly!

If you would like to propose other events then please let Virunee or a member of the Committee know.

Changes in the Coaching Team

It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Luke Hymas who has made a tremendous contribution to the Club and the Old College Tennis Academy in the almost two years he has been with us. In recognition of this the Club Committee has gifted him a 25/26 Club membership. We are in advanced discussions for a replacement coach who we hope will join the Club’s coaching team officially in January and may provide some assistance to Alex and the coaching team before then.

Tennis Court Usage

The Tennis Committee is starting to use MyCourts data to review how our courts are used and consider how pressure points could be eased. However, we can’t waive magic wands! We also need your help with this. Therefore, please:

If you book a court and then find you can’t use it, cancel the court as early as possible and no later than 12 hours before the allotted time to give other members the opportunity to use it. Currently 11% of bookings are cancelled within 4 hours. Please bear in mind it takes time for whoever takes the time slot to organise a game.
Sign in on arrival using your PIN either through your app, in the clubhouse or by asking someone who is playing with you to sign in. If you don’t a ‘no show’ is recorded which assumes the courts are empty and we know this is not always true! Currently we don’t know if 38% of bookings resulted in games. Your PIN is noted on the My Courts home page. (Change Password or PIN option).
Record who you are playing with. This allows us to see how many times each member plays sessions that are not organised by the Club or by coaches. We currently estimate the average member plays 24 times a year at such sessions although individual participation rates vary widely. We know we are under-recording these numbers so please help us improve this data.

The Tennis Committee will review the data periodically and where it is for the good of the Club Community may take general or targeted actions.

Off Peak Membership Playing Times Trial Extension

It has been observed that the courts are not used very much on Friday and Saturday evenings. Therefore for a trial period from 1st November to 31st March we will redesignate those evenings as off peak. Bookings for Mixed Teams Matches, the Ladies’s and Men’s Socials will continue to have precedence.

We would welcome comments about your tennis experience on those evenings, particularly from off-peak members.

Looking to strengthen your serve or refine your rally?

Enter Dulwich Picture Gallery’s Christmas Raffle to win two training sessions with one of our incredible coaches at the Old College Tennis Club. Tickets cost only £5, and all proceeds go towards the care of the Gallery's world-class Collection and innovative programming that brings their paintings to life.

Other prizes include a trip to Denmark, theatre tickets, wine tasting and much more. Winners will be announced on 16th December – so it will be the perfect Christmas present for a loved one or a treat to yourself for the New Year! Find out more here: https://dpg.art/raffle

Do you want to be involved?

Lastly, Committee member terms are typically for three years. There are two current vacancies and others coming up soon. Being on a Committee gives you a chance to have input into the Club’s direction and the opportunity to be part of a dynamic oversight team with different backgrounds, skills and experience. We are looking for members who bring with them a passion for the Club and/or specific experience. If you might be interested in being part of this team, please contact Bob Henderson (rjhend3003@gmail.com) or Caroline Beck (carolinebeck@btinternet.com). Please note that this invitation is open to off-peak members.

On behalf of all the Committee we hope you continue to enjoy playing as the nights draw in and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes, Caroline

29/10/2025