Shankill Tennis Club Newsletter December 2009 / January 2010 A busy year of Tennis was brought to an end by a blanket of snow covering the courts and so it was a very quiet and peaceful Christmas in Shankill Tennis Club. But before all that calm was all this….. Mixed Turkey Run Prizes were presented after the last matches on Friday 18th December when wine and savouries were served. The winners were: Ladies Winner: Susannah Kingston Men’s Winner: Eamon Byrne Ladies Turkey Run The winners of this competition are: 1st Marian Caulfield 4th Ann O’Connor 2nd Sarah Murtagh 5th Carrie Smyth 3rd Janice Roche 6th Brenda Kilroy Ladies Morning Points Winners 1st Freda Birmingham 4th Helen Troy 2nd Marion Kirby/Teresa McGing 5th Regina Harkin 3rd Ger Ryan 6th Marion Tierney Ladies Christmas Party The Ladies Christmas party was held on the 14th December and prizes for the above events were presented. The winners of the American Tournament on the night were: Maureen Roberts, Mary O’ Grady and Freda Birmingham. A collection for our local St. Vincent de Paul was held on the night and raised €565. The success of this most enjoyable evening is thanks to Fiona Gaul, Eileen Sheridan and Ann-Marie Kelly. The hot beverages prepared by Helen Murphy were much appreciated on that cold night! Winter League The Winter League commenced on Sunday 24th January with 7 teams entered – this is the largest number of teams ever entered. Junior News Congratulations to all as follows who took part in the National Indoor Championships at Riverview Tennis Club: Aisling Deane and Judy Deane took part in the U-14 Girls, Aodhán Deane took part in the Men’s & Boy’s U-18 Singles, Jonathan Lindberg and Cóilín MacNamara took part in the U-14 Boys’ Singles. Stephen Martin, Jack Devine and Donal Roche participated in the Boys’ U-18 Singles. Stephen Martin was semi-finalist in the U-18 Boys. Cóilín MacNamara was runner-up in the U-14 Boys. The juniors were delighted with the support of the Men’s Captain, Tommy Sheridan, who came to watch some of their matches. The behaviour of junior members throughout the tournament was exemplary. Congratulations to Aisling Deane – National Winter Matchplay U-14 Champion 2009. Development of the Club An EGM was held at the club on Wednesday evening 3rd February regarding proposed future development of the club. A presentation was made by the Chairman Mark Orr and the Development Committee member Liam O’Donoghue who outlined proposals to the membership with regard to two separate projects as follows: Upgrade of courts 1-4 These courts are to be re-surfaced in 2-tone green/orange Tiger Turf Advantage synthetic tennis surface. New lighting is to be installed to the existing poles. New mesh is to be erected and fitted to the existing fence posts with an additional gated entrance to courts 3/4. The works will also include new posts and nets to these four courts. There is no cost to the membership for this project. Research to enable recommendations for the specification of these items was carried out by Mark Orr, Liam O’Donoghue, Ken Tormey and Ronan Troy. Additional Courts Layout plans were displayed indicating the location for 3 additional courts to facilitate the increasing demand for courts. The proposals were well received by the members and the project will proceed to the planning stage. We’re looking good! The new crested club gear has been delivered and looks very smart and we reckon our hoodies and zippies are the must have fashion item for the new decade! Thanks to Siobhan Bardon for driving this project. Orders are still ongoing so please contact Siobhan or the office if you need any details. Our People Pat Foley has been working in our club for 4 years and unfortunately his term with us will shortly be over. His presence and contribution to the club will be hugely missed. On behalf of all the members we wish to extend our thanks for all his work and dedication and we wish him all the best for the future. Upcoming Events · Blue & Gold: commencing 26th February for 5 weeks duration with finals night hosted by Shankill on 26th March. · AGM will be held on Thursday 25th March. · Charity League: commencing in March – lists are on the notice board so sign up now if you wish to play. · Table Quiz: Saturday 20th February at 7.30pm in the clubhouse, sign in your team now! Cost €10 pp including supper.