It is my very sad duty to inform you of the death of Alan, a while back on holiday in France. Alan was a very longstanding tennis member and, indeed, former Tennis Secretary. I have just learned that his funeral will be on Wednesday at Bushey New Cemeteryat 1pm.
Shiva will be held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 21 Wadham Gardens London NW3 3DN, I believe at 8pm.
As a member of the LTA Advantage programme, I have just received the email that invites members to opt in to the annual Wimbledon ticket ballot. This is in addition to the public ballot, which is still, just, open.
If you haven't received this email, it's probably because you haven't joined the LTA Advantage scheme. If you are a member of an LTA-affiliated club such as Brondesbury it's free. Just visit the LTA site and join, and if you are a member, affiliate to Brondesbury, which is in the LTA's Middlesex region.
The ballot is now digital only (in past years the club was able to hold a physical ballot) so you'll only learn the outcome if you've won.
It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of Peter Rudge, an outstanding GP with a special interest in dermatology. A caring and thoughtful physician whose encyclopaedic knowledge of medicine enabled him to skillfully diagnose and treat his patients both for their ailments and as individuals.
Peter was a very active tennis section member spending most Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the Club and for many years, a member of the tennis committee.
It is however, as Club Secretary for in excess of 10 years that we all owe Peter a debt of gratitude. At a time when club finances were to say the least somewhat rocky and inter-section relations were therefore not at their best, Peter's good humour and unflappability smoothed over and prevented many a situation. Peter's commitment of his time to the Club helped to get us through this difficult period when much of the work now done by others was carried out by the Club Secretary. The fact that today we have a vibrant Club with excellent facilities and an active and welcoming membership is in no small part due to the part that Peter played.
It is with real sadness that I report the passing of Bob Wright, our greatest male champion.
Between 1976 and 2004, Bob won eight singles titles, seven men’s doubles titles, and a record nine mixed doubles titles. Despite his elevated status, Bob was willing to play with anyone, regularly mixing in on weekends and lending a helping hand to some truly awful players, myself included. His generosity enabled us to become slightly less awful, and to learn to love the sport.
An ‘old school’ grass court specialist, Bob’s racket was tautly strung with gut, he possessed a wickedly sliced backhand, and a volley as crisp as his favourite biscuit. Many older members will remember sunlit evening doubles with a modest man, his footwork as sparkling as his Hollywood musical heroes, and the perfection of his insincere net-cord ‘apology’.
Perhaps it is worth noting, as our lives become busier, and society appears to be more fractured, that kindness leaves a legacy and we should endeavour to pass it on.
Bob Wright : 1953 - 2024 animal rights campaigner, teacher, champion.
Firstly, please remember to put Finals Day in your diaries, Sunday 29th September.
Getting Started:
You can see who your opponent is by logging into Playwaze.com
The dates that each round must be played by are shown in each of the tournament draws.
You can contact your opponent to set up the match by finding their email or phone number on the ‘Members’ page.
Please update the final score on PlayWaze once the match is complete.
Tournament Rules:
Matches are to be arranged at a mutually convenient time and must be completed before the play by dates (can be seen at the top of each round). Please ensure you offer as many dates as possible and remain communicative throughout the process. If the forecast is set to be bad, please try and have a backup date agreed before cancelling.
If a player is more than 30 minutes late for an agreed start time, they will concede the first set.
If a player is over an hour late they will forfeit the match.
If a player does not show up for an agreed match date and time, without any communication, they will forfeit the match.
Please bring your own balls (there will be none available at the club).
Tournament matches do not get priority over courts but should be allowed to finish once started.
Adult Scoring Format:
Matches are the best of 3 tie-break sets.
If all players agree, in advance, a Championship 3rd set tie-break can be played (to 10 points) instead of a 3rd full set.
Junior Scoring Format:
Each match is best of 3 short sets (FAST4).
If it is one set all, a Championship tie-break is to be played (to 10 points).
We hope you have fun in the tournament and enjoy some competitive tennis, and that, win or lose, we’ll see you in September for Finals Day.
The payment services company whose hosted service the club system uses to take payments has advised us of changes to the way Visa payments will be made. You will already be familiar with other payment systems where you are asked to enter a code either texted or emailed to you as a means of verifying your identity. Visa will now require this option from August from our payment system.
Currently, our membership system doesn't pass either the mobile phone number or email address fields to the payment system. We are currently working to amend this. However, I see some phone numbers of longer-serving members which are landlines. Hence, I'm requesting you ensure that only your mobile number is recorded in the system. To change this, you need to login, access your membership account, select your name, and amend the phone details appropriately. You can also do this via the Profile menu item. Also, please remove all brackets.
Yesterday we celebrated the 90th birthday of George Badacsonyi, one of our longstanding members and, just possibly, our oldest, showing the contribution that tennis makes to longevity.
George is standing to the left of the group wearing a white cap and a blue top.
