Welcome to a new tennis season at OTC to any newly joined members as well as our existing members,
Whether you take out a senior, junior, collegiate or house membership, I hope you are able to come down often enough and get full value for your subscription. As I write to you, I'm sure some members are searching high and low for last year's racket and starting all those stretching exercises in anticipation of another successful season. Even though last season's final set of league matches and final's day feel a long way back into the dim distant past of lighter evenings and warmer days (well when it didn't rain last summer!), some members remained active through the colder, darker months of the winter. Seniors, together with, I am delighted to say, some of our older juniors, took part in the Floodlit Winter League, Singles Boxed League, winter coaching, Table Tennis League or even the Quiz Team. It was good to know that some of the juniors continued with playing on Sunday evenings. Many thanks to those members that supported the club by attending our Presentation Evenings at Hurlston Hall in November and for the Juniors in September, at the Aughton Institute.
Those wishing to make themselves available for the senior teams this season, please come down to the practice nights. If for some reason you are unavailable for these, then you will need to get in touch with the particular team captain.
Enclosed in this information pack is all you should need for the coming season. Time to get out the diary and mark in all those important OTC dates for the coming months, be it competitive play or a social night out. In particular, for those families with younger ones, please take note of the return of the BBQ & Race Night in July. This was a huge success last time it took place and we are always looking out for some new and energetic jockeys!
Now that we have our new coach, Andy, on board, this may well be the time to make good use of his skills to improve your play. As for me, I think I'll need some advice and coaching just to keep my place in a team, especially as some of our juniors from last year quite rightly push for a place in the senior teams. The club would still like to see our junior girls come through into the senior teams and hopefully this will happen as the club is committed through our coaching system to make this a reality.
So it just remains for me to wish everyone a happy & successful season ahead.
Dave Iliff
Chairman