Club Coaching and Facilities Management: Adjustments for November and December

Dear All,

As many of you know, Hamid Irshad is due to have a knee operation on 11th November and will be away from the Club for a few weeks before gradually resuming coaching and all that Hamid does to keep our facilities running smoothly. On behalf of the Club, we all wish him well and a good and speedy recovery.

Whilst Hamid is away a number of junior members will be helping us keep the grounds and clubhouse tidy and clean. However, please also make an extra effort to check after your games that you are sweeping the courts (subject to weather conditions) and you have not left anything behind. If you have any concerns about the facilities during this time then please email facilities@oldcollege.co.uk.

As far as possible we are running Club managed tennis sessions as normal with a little adjustment as indicated below:

Alex Heath will run the Wednesday 9am to 10:30am session Group Coaching Drop-In. (Wayne Evans will continue to run the Friday 9am to 10:30 am Group Coaching Drop-In.) Saturday morning Group Coaching Drop-Ins will be covered by Alex and Wayne.
For Club Sessions on Wednesday evenings, Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons Alex or Wayne will be there at the beginning of most sessions to provide balls and to get each session started although they may ask a more experienced member to help co-ordinate the remainder of each session. As always, our aim, whenever possible, will be to give each member attending a Club Session at least one competitive game, one game that allows them to improve and one game that gives others the opportunity to improve.
Monday Ladies' and Men's Team Coaching Sessions will be run by Alex or Wayne.

For the off peak Club play sessions which are not coach managed balls will be made available as normal.

If you have any concerns or issues with any of these sessions then please do not hesitate to contact Alex, Bernard Stillwell or me.

Alex and Bernard have been taking steps to expand and strengthen the coaching team next year. Therefore Alex expects to review these arrangements with Hamid, Wayne and those who may be providing additional coaching support before the start of 2026.

Best regards, Caroline

07/11/2025