As I said last week, the Nedgroup Investments(IOM) Ltd Junior Open is the next event for our juniors and all island or visiting juniors. Nedgroup have sponsored this tournament for many years and it would be nice if juniors players would enter via the lta.org.uk website as soon as possible. However you will notice when you go on to that site that there is an error – the event is shown twice – the dates are 13 – 20 April (not the dates shown in March) So please make sure you enter for the correct dates. The events are boys/girls singlesU8,U9,U10,U12,U14 and U18. Any queries contact Ian Watson or Sally Walker.
The club committee will be sending out, to ALL members, a one page survey inviting members to assess the product – ALBANY LTC. We would really like every member to complete the form which will take no more than five minutes. It can be re-turned to the secretary by using the new post box in the club room or e-mailing to ballabreck@manx.net. Now that the new committee has settled in to the role there is a need to assess members opinions – like and dislikes – as to how the club is currently run. Questions cover club nights, social activities, are the fees value for money? Obviously our fees have to be higher than other clubs but the facilities are larger, better and the upkeep is costly. Also queried are on court activities, coaching, competition, playing in a league team. So please spare that five minutes – your replies could influence the future of the club. For more recent members, the Ballaughton Meadows site was spawned from “A daft idea” and an acre of farm land for ?485 in 1965/6. Lots of hard work on fund raising and also hard physical work has produced what we have today. The progress from that field went in stages – 3 hard courts, floodlights, indoor court and clubhouse - is all credit to former members who did everything from laying hardcore for the base of the courts to painting the clubhouse ready for the Island Games in 2001. We had to do painting and tiling as there was no funds left to employ a decorator.
However a club should never rest on it’s laurels – hence the fund-raising scheme to fit insulation to the indoor court, which will cut out the condensation and make it a bit warmer!
So we now need a band of enthusiastic members to take the club’s development a stage further. Please contact me if you want to help and if any of our newer members would liketo read Albany LTC – History part 1, 2 and 3 let me know. The club played at various places before moving to Ballaughton Meadows – one site was in Victoria Road opposite the old prison. That area is now used as a car-park but if you look closely you can still see some of the court markings.
