SWAS Section
Prudden Road Surfacing League
League Secretary's Report on 2007 Season by C.S.
Bishop
In total contrast to my disappointment in 2006, the 2007 season turned
into the most competitive ever in the history of our league. Titles,
promotion and relegation issues went down to the wire, as will be covered in
detail in the Divisional Organisers reports. The competition was excellent
led by the Premier Division which leant itself to some great press headlines
and reports and also to happy sponsors. Well done to all the teams involved
and let’s hope for a repeat next year! There were a few games not played,
added to which we probably also suffered the wettest summer in our history.
However, three matches and one void game out of a list of 280 fixtures are
not too bad. One point that needs re-emphasising is to remind teams that
when matches are postponed (e.g. due to rain) or interrupted by bad light,
then Divisional Organisers MUST be informed as soon as possible (and within
72 hours) with interrupted scores where applicable, and approval sought for
the dates agreed by clubs to re-arrange/complete the fixture. Provided these
arrangements are within the rules it may just be a question of
“rubber-stamping” the agreed date. However, any re-arranged matches without
an Organiser’s approval will not be accepted as official league fixtures.
The Junior League also ran well with only two fixtures not played and we saw
new clubs Evesham and HDA of Redditch join the competition.
I would like to offer my annual thanks to all the committee for their work
during the season and for keeping me updated with the weekly scores from
their divisions. This in turn helped me write regular press releases to the
five local newspapers, the Stratford Herald, the Stratford Observer, the
Bromsgrove Observer, the Evesham/Stratford Journal and the Alcester
Chronicle/Redditch Advertiser. Our league now has a good rapport with all
its Sports Editors with who I am on first name terms. I would also express
my thanks to all the team contacts and club officials who have made my life
easier over the summer with their efforts. I would like in particular to
thank our Chairman Tony Eskew for his support and lending me his ear on a
couple of occasions during last summer. It is a comfort to have someone of
such experience to run things by when tough decisions have to be made.
Finally, I need to thank our sponsors, Tony King for the Annual Pairs
Tournament and the scorecards, Lee Taylor of Asphalt Express, Redditch, for
the divisional winners cheques in aid of junior development. Last but of
course, not only least, but most of all, Lee and Vanessa Prudden of Prudden
Road Surfacing Limited, Redditch, for their continued financial league
backing and that of the Charity Cup, Junior League trophies and assistance
with Handbook advertising.
The sixth Inter-League Charity Cup Final between the Champions of the Summer
and Winter Leagues for this area was played on Saturday, 23rd June at
Claverdon Tennis Club, who not only hosted the event free of charge, but
also supplied refreshments to those attending. Our thanks are extended to
them for their generosity. Press coverage was excellent and the
competitiveness spilled over on the courts. Our Summer League paid for the
winners and losers trophies and organised the event and publicity. Our
league sponsors Prudden Road Surfacing Limited also donated the main £250.00
cheque for charity. Meanwhile it was the Winter League’s turn to donate a
£100 cheque to charity. Stratford-on-Avon represented the Summer League as
our champions, while Evesham were the Winter League champions. Despite a
long and close match Stratford emerged winners giving our Summer League the
title for only the second time. They donated the £250.00 cheque, presented
by Carl Haywood who is the office manager of Prudden Road Surfacing, to the
“Starlight Foundation” which is a children’s charity. The runners-up Evesham
donated the Winter League’s £100.00 cheque to the “Friends of Evesham
Hospital” charity. Lee Prudden sent word that his company would increase the
winning cheques in 2008 to £500.00 and we thank him for his generosity.
Another successful end of season Pairs Tournament was again completed at
Stratford-on-Avon Tennis Club last September. We were blessed with fair
weather yet again and with an early start and once more a free barbecue paid
for by the league, a most enjoyable competition ensued. Repeated thanks are
due to Alan Colbourne who arranged, cooked and served the barbecue and Alan
was assisted by Stratford lady member Lucy Beysens who was a real delight as
she served coffees, teas and cake with a lovely smile. She was later joined
by Jill Colbourne who brought her usual charm and help to proceedings. Many
thanks to those two ladies who kept me supplied while I was busy organising
the tournament! Stratford themselves clinched the main ‘Shield’ trophy
beating last year’s champions Claverdon 7-6 in an exciting tie-break final.
This Stratford adds to their League and Cup double. James Smith celebrated
partnering Tim Page to the treble in his usual style by scoffing any
leftover food in addition to his own! In the ‘Plate’ competition Alcester
B’s Gareth Price and Stuart Beach took the trophy after defeating Ilmington
6-2. Finally, Nick Allen and Mark Willmore lifted the ‘Cup’ trophy for
Studley B after they beat Henley 6-2. After this the Junior Cup Final took
place in front of the many parents, coaches, senior players and spectators.
Shipston-on-Stour retained the trophy for the third year in succession after
James Hudson and William Vaudry, playing some superb tennis, beat
Tanworth-in-Arden’s Andy Turnbull and John Starmar 6-0, 6-2. Our Chairman
Tony Eskew presented the junior cup and ‘Pairs’ awards along with all the
League trophies in the presentation ceremony immediately following the
Junior Cup Final. We must thank the tournament sponsor our President Tony
King and also our ball sponsor Paul Bruner of “Shop Fittings & Equipment”,
Bidford-on-Avon.
An important announcement for 2008 is the establishment of a new league web
site at the address: www.swastennis.net which will be up and running for the
new season. This is to lay the grounds for any future league official to
take over seamlessly when necessary, without the loss of data which was
currently only kept on my personal AOL site. We have also taken the
opportunity to introduce a template for a scorecard which must be completed
by home teams after each match by copying the original scorecard, which will
still be completed and signed immediately after the match by the two team
captains. This copied e-card can then be sent to Divisional Organisers via
the web site as per the current time regulation (i.e. ASAP but no later than
within 3 day of the match). This will require a slight amendment to Rule 17
at this AGM. The original scorecard MUST then be retained by the home side
and NOT discarded until two weeks after the final league fixture for that
year and must be produced on demand to any League official should a dispute
over the scores arise. Failure to produce the card may result in the
offending team losing the fixture 4-0. The idea behind this scheme is that
Divisional Organisers and the Secretary, for publicity purposes, would
receive the results more quickly and reliably than the current postal system
and of course at no cost to the league. I must give a big thank you to Jon
Scothern of Harbury Tennis Club who volunteered to design and set up this
new site for the league and enable me access to add the detail required
before and during the season. Many thanks Jon! He will also create a
codeword which will be given to Divisional Organisers to access and update
their own Divisional tables during the season. Due to all of the above it
has been decided that only members who have email addresses can be accepted
as team contacts for the 2008 season.
The final act in this my eighteenth annual report is the pleasant one of
congratulating Simon Moss of Shipston Tennis Club who, for his efforts last
year as their junior secretary and as an excellent Division One Organiser,
was presented with the Millennium Scroll in recognition of his
administration duties for both club and league. It also gives me great
pleasure to congratulate Shipston-on-Stour Tennis Club who are the fourth
winners of the “King Cup” awarded to the best club in 2007. Their case was
enhanced by a strong Junior Section ably led by Simon, their team
secretaries Bob Bass and Bill Cheney and their strong coaching team led by
Barry Tugwood. Finally, last year I wished you all a good summer’s tennis
and a repeat of last year’s wonderful weather we all enjoyed so much in
2006. Well, we got rain and more rain, but we also got some great tennis! So
let’s keep our fingers crossed for more great competition in 2008! .
Corin Bishop – League Secretary
With thanks to
our league sponsors
