Newsletter
November 2023
Chairman’s Letter
Newsletter
The longer standing members will notice that this is the first newsletter we’ve produced for several years – there is lots of information on our website but the Committee thinks there’s also a place for a regular newsletter as well. We would therefore welcome any member who would like to produce a newsletter, in conjunction with the Committee – please contact either Karen or Marcus if you’d like to find out what’s involved.
Court bookings
Please remember to cancel any court bookings you no longer need – there was a glitch in the website software which prevented you from doing this – it’s now been resolved, so cancellations should work as normal. Any queries please contact membership@shiplaketennisclub.co.uk
Gala dinner 16th November 
We’re so looking forward to seeing some of you at this year’s Gala dinner – tickets have sold very quickly! There are a few left so please order yours now if you’d like to come as we need to get final numbers to Orwells shortly. Deadline is midnight on 5th November. It should be a great evening!
New members
We’ve been lucky enough to welcome many new members to Shiplake this year! Below are the lists of each category – Welcome to you all!
Adults
Helen Burling
David Carlsson
Kirsty Clarke
Malcolm Cooper
John Cooper
Juliette Cottam
Stuart Edwards
Charlie, Mandy and Imogen Ferber
Fede Gonzalez-Bergez
Laura Haldane
Richard Hodgkins
Louise Holland
Grainne Keogh
Victoria Lee
Sally Markham
Ashley Marrison
Ian & Jo McKnight
John Murdoch
James O’Brien
Emmy Paice
Sarah Penny
Anne Sawbridge
Matt Stone
Miriam Stroud
Matt Tams
Jessica Turner
Louise Veltman
Juniors
Emilia & Leo Belk
Thomas Broomfield
Harry Carlsson
Joseph Cawthorne
Zack Cook
Lilia & Noah Cottam
Adam Cowley
Adam Craig
Maya Curran
Zachary & Joseph de Haan
Rosie Doble
Alessandro Dubina
Ollie Ewens
Julius & Anton Gertsmann
Hollie Goodchild
Freddie Lewis
Wilf MacDonald
Mia & Noah Moore
Oliver Nazzari
Harrison & Bella Nethersole
Martha Parvin
Leo Poupel
Annika Ryan
Angus Smith
Sebastian Speirs
Alex Stronach
Sophia Tams
Fred Thomas
Bea Thornton
Ava Turner
Izzy Wooldridge
Students
Will Frood
Annabelle Roberts
Mia Wooldridge
Your Committee
As most of you will be aware, the club is run by a Committee of volunteers, all of whom work very hard on all our behalf to keep the club running smoothly. Minutes of the meetings can be found on the website.
| Marcus Binning | Chair |
| Jenny Berger aka Moneypenny | Secretary |
| Jane Sharples aka Moneybags | Treasurer |
| Rachel Richardson | Minister without Portfolio |
| Karen Peters aka Moneymaker | Membership Secretary |
| John Church | Minister without Portfolio |
There is a vacancy for a Social Secretary. We haven’t arranged many social events this year, apart from Finals Day and the Gala dinner, as we have no-one to take on the work involved. If you would like to be involved and join us we can promise you’ll receive lots of help and advice as to what has been done in the past – there’s also lots of scope for you to introduce your own ideas. Please get in touch! Thank you.
Health and Safety Officer 
There’s also a vacancy on the Committee for a H & S officer. I’m sure you’ll all agree that Nick Wrigley is a very hard act to follow – he did a superb job especially during Covid and we all miss him hugely! If you’re interested in keeping H & S matters up to date in the club please contact Marcus who will be very happy to chat through the role.
Gardening 
We no longer employ gardeners as the Committee felt that keeping the club tidy could be taken on by volunteers rather than using our precious funds to pay for gardeners, We’re looking for volunteers to keep the weeds down, cut the grass, cut the hedge, sweep the deck and generally keep the club premises looking good. If this is something you could help with please get in touch with Marcus who is compiling a rota. Many hands make light work!
Coaching 
I’m sure you’ve all met Chris Ovenden, our wonderful new coach, who has done a great job revitalising the coaching at Shiplake. He runs several group sessions and is also available for individual lessons as well as pairs and fours. Please get in touch with Chris at chris@cotennis.co.uk if you’re interested in coaching – details of current courses can be found on our website.
Teams 
Team captains are always on the lookout for new squad members – if you’re interested in playing in the teams and would like more information about what’s involved or an informal chat please contact Mens Team Captain Richard Ormerod at Richard.ormerod@gmail.com or Ladies Team Captain Nikki Botterill at nikkiandbotts@aol.com who would be delighted to hear from you.
Membership Secretary 
After more years than I care to remember, I will be standing down as Membership Secretary at the AGM in March 2024. For those who rightly say I’ve threatened to retire before, this time I am serious and will be going whether or not a replacement can be found! It’s a busy job around renewal time in late December/early January, but the rest of the year the role involves answering queries and processing applications from new members as well as welcoming them to the club and showing them around. I can honestly say I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Committee – it’s a great way to get to know other members and to play a part in the running of our wonderful tennis club! Do get in touch if you’d like to chat – it would be great to get someone in post soon so we can do the renewals together. Thank you! membership@shiplaketennisclub.co.uk
Clubhouse Noticeboard
Please ask a member of the Committee before putting anything on the clubhouse noticeboard. Thank you.