Having reviewed both the Government statement and guidelines from sports governing bodies, the Club can announce Phase 1 of a return to restricted play starting on Saturday 16 May 2020.

Further details are laid out below, but it is important to stress that all activity should be consistent with government guidance on health, travel, social distancing and hygiene at all times, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Please ensure that you read the following carefully. The Club has a responsibility for the health and safety of members and staff, and as such any abuse of the procedures and restrictions in place could result in the Club returning to full lockdown.

Tennis courts will reopen on Saturday from 9.00am. Courts 1-5 will be available, and courts must be booked using the ClubSpark booking system. Members only are permitted to use the courts – NO guests are allowed.

Singles play only will be permitted – NO doubles play under any circumstances. The only exception to this rule is that ONE parent can play with up to two children if all are members and from the same household. No organised activity such as club play and tournaments can take place at present.

No ancillary buildings will be open for general use, ie NO toilets or changing facilities and NO bar for drinks or snacks. This means that floodlighting will not be accessible so usage will be restricted to daylight hours. However, first aid kit and the defibrillator will be available in the kitchen area if required. 

On arrival each court will have a designated waiting area to allow players to exit the court safely on changeover. Hand sanitizer will be available if possible at the entrance gate to each court, but members should be responsible for their own hygiene. All equipment will be removed from the courts to avoid common use, ie benches, bins, net winders, drag brushes, etc.

Coaching will be available, but only on an individual basis. Courts 6 & 7 are allocated to coaching so that there is no possibility of contact with equipment, and will remain locked when not in use. There are additional safeguards in place for coaching, so please contact Toby or Toussaint directly for information or to book a lesson.

We trust that members will adhere to general social distancing rules whilst at the Club and be respectful of other members’ space. My newsletter on Friday will provide a link to the LTA Guidance for Tennis Players document, which provides useful information about keeping safe whilst enjoying play.

Croquet could potentially return to play in Phase 2 of our plan. There are additional concerns and procedures that need to be put in place to allow for this to happen. Therefore, croquet will remain closed at present.

I’ll circulate a document next week to all croquet members, with a view to commence croquet from 1 June, and will host an online meeting to discuss options and explain how we can return to restricted play.

Squash and Racketball will remain closed for the moment, in line with government rules that exercise in an indoor sports court is still prohibited. Hopefully, we will have more news soon, but there will be an open online meeting for all S&R members later in the month.

Please be aware that all of the above is constantly under review and could change at any time, but we can at least be somewhat hopeful. Many thanks again for your co-operation over the last couple of months.

I very much look forward to seeing some of you again soon.

Dez Lewington
Club Manager
Contact – dez.lewington@sltcc.co.uk