Club Newsletter – August 2026

Welcome to our August Newsletter!

What are you doing on Sunday 20th September?  Why not bring the family or your friends down to our Club Open Day.  

We’ll be throwing open our tennis and squash courts for everyone to have a go.There will be plenty of organised sessions (best to book in advance, as some slots get fully allocated) and plenty of opportunity for people to simply get on court.  The bar and kitchen will be open, so we’ll have your food and refreshment needs catered.  Have your lunch with us that day.

We’ll also have local duo Calima Acoustic playing a couple of sets.

Tennis, squash, food, refreshment, live music.  We’ve got your Sunday covered.

Club Council bios

We thought it was time to stop being bashful, particularly if the club expansion and associated padel plans progress to the stage that we bring them to you for member consultations and a special general meeting for a members’ vote, and meet many of you along that pathway.

So we’ve added a headshot and a few words about each of us to the club website here.

Now we’re neither nameless or faceless, when you see us around the club do please ask us about the proposals.  No need to wait for a consultation meeting; we’re happy to talk to you all at any time about it.  The better informed you are ahead of an SGM, the more we can keep that meeting to a voting session and help towards a large turnout.

That said, negotiations with Berkhamsted Sports Grounds, the owners of the area in question, have hit a bit of a bump in the road at the moment, which we hope to be able to resolve.

Tennis

Hockey not tennis, but it’s nonetheless incredible:  massive congratulations to tennis member Shrina Patel who has recently returned from playing for Canada in the 2026 Masters Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands!  Brilliant achievement!

You will probably have seen that our National League team has reached the National Finals for the 4th consecutive year.  To be held as usual at the West Hants Club in Bournemouth.  Friday 4th September to Sunday 6th September.

We hope to have a fair few supporters along with the team for what is always a brilliant weekend of superb tennis.  Contact Phil or Josh for more details.

If you don’t fancy a trip to Bournemouth, how about Wendover?  The finals of the Aylesbury League Knockout Tournament are being held at Halton on Wednesday 23rd September.  Last year we won the Gold Cup and our team has high hopes of reaching the finals evening and having a shot at reclaiming their title. Members and family are welcome to go along and support.

Squash & Racketball

The Herts county closed squash championship is being held on the weekend of 18th to 20th September.  As well as the men’s and ladies open tournaments, there are graded events from SquashLevels 1200 upwards, plus O40 and O55 masters events. Enter on the Herts Squash website.

Additionally, to engage more players across the county and encourage higher participation at events such as the county champs, the Herts committee has created a Squash & Racketball WhatsApp group, open to all Herts players.  It’s an ‘information only’ group rather than a chat group, so you won’t be spammed with irrelevant messages.  Join via the QR code below.

In our club box leagues we’re now in the last of the Summer rounds, finishing on 20th September for both squash and racketball.  For those who sit out the Summer boxes to take a break from competitive squash, get your names into Rob Harbron in readiness for the start of the Winter boxes.  New season incoming!

To mark the restart, Richard and Gill are arranging one of their ‘fun evenings’ on Friday 18th September (for anyone not entering the county champs).  Look out for news coming soon from them.

However, before we move on from the Summer ‘off season’, a special shout-out to our Herts Summer League 2nd team who were crowned Division 2 champions! Particularly noteworthy as their key players were 13 year old George Ogden (at first string!), 17 year old Jack Thompson (at second string!), and ably captained by Keith Farnham (age unclassified, just keep scrolling to find it).

Cafe & Bar news

By popular demand we’ll soon be announcing dates for the return of both:

• Quiz Night; and
• Kevin Mack sings swing.

Look out for the confirmed dates and put them in your diary! Are you fundraising for a special charity or a sponsored event?  Our Rock n Roll Bingo Night is a great way to raise some funds and have a bit of fun. Please email claire@isalie.co.uk to discuss further. 

Until next month, that’s all for now!

Club Council

(John Shaw, Wal Mackey, Adam Suggett, Pete Walker, Matt Markwort, Tracey Mackey, Mark Shattock)