News

January Update

Hi to all members, and a happy 2012!

Summer Twilight Tennis will again be in full swing each Sunday, starting on the 8th January, at 4.00 pm. The weather at this time of year is usually great, so why not come down for some organized social tennis and follow it up with a BBQ afterwards (BYO everything). Twilight tennis extends right throughout the daylight savings period, check dates on the Members link for the court captain roster.

It's that time again. No, not for going to the beach but for putting your name down for winter tennis comp. The BRTA requires that we submit our proposed teams for the Saturday afternoon seniors winter competition by mid February. There will be a notice put up on the notice board in the Clubhouse for interested players to put their names down. Competition tennis is important to the Club and we hope to get a good number of players and teams for the winter comp, so please give it serious consideration.

Speaking of competition, summer comp is now in recess until February the 4th. Our teams are once again doing Highmoor proud, with two teams (Mixed Rubbers Section 2 and Mens Singles & Doubles Section 4) sitting on top of the ladder at the half way point and the Women's Singles & Doubles Section 3 team in second place. Great effort guys and gals! To view the latest results and ladder, visit the BRTA website here.

There is a new social calendar available on the Events link, so why not check out some of the upcoming events and mark them in your diary now. See you at the twilight tennis!

December Update

Our annual Xmas BBQ was held on Saturday the 3rd of December. We had 60 people in attendance, and we thank all club members and friends who helped raise funds for the club through their entry fees and items purchased in the auction. We would especially like to thank Damian Graf for donating an hour coaching lesson, Jenny Plymin for providing the beautiful plants, the fertilizer and tool packs, six adorable gnomes and her lemon butter which she made especially for the day. Jeff Mayes donated the popular nespresso machine and Frank Collins and Jasper Flynn walked up and down Hampton Street collecting donated goods from Echo Sport, Nandos, Video Ezy and Red Balloon for the auction. Thanks to all these companies for their generosity and to everyone who contributed goods for sale. A special thank you to the social committee who organised the event, in particular Ross, Sandra and Jenny, who did a fantastic job as the auctioneer. Click here to view Santa's special snaps.

Still on social news, there was a sausage sizzle held at Bunnings which was very successful, thanks once again to the dedicated band of members and helpers who were on hand to cook and sell yummy sausages to the public. There were a constant stream of customers which kept the troops going, but by the end we had raised $1200 for the club which was a fantastic effort. Thanks to Ross for overseeing the whole thing, the great group of volunteers who manned the stall, and Keith Riddle who came up with the idea. Hopefully this will become an annual event as we were blessed with a great "just before Christmas" slot and warm "soft drink friendly" weather.

Please note that the ever-popular Sunday twilight organised tennis sessions begin on January 8th at 4 p.m. and will continue through the months of January to March inclusive. The roster for Court Captain duties for the new year is also now available on the Members link. Summer senior comp is now having its holiday break, so we expect to see some good numbers at Saturday (and Sunday) social tennis in the coming six weeks or so.

To all our members and friends!

November Update

The AGM was held on Thursday November 18th at the club. This year's AGM saw the retirement of Betty Hooppell as our Junior Welfare Representative on the Management Committee of the Club after some 44 years. Much of the fabric of Highmoor that we all hold dear, and that we are so proud of, is a result of the influence of Betty Hooppell (and of course Bob) during the years of their involvement. Betty's committee involvement may cease but her nurturing of our juniors and assistance to Damian Graf, who will take over the role, will continue. On behalf of all members, thank you Betty for such an outstanding contribution to our club. Jenny Plymin will also be taking a break from the social committee next year but unofficially she will still be helping out behind the scenes. Thank you Jenny for all your hard work this year. To read a copy of the 2011 Annual Report, click here.

Have you checked out our great new range of merchandise yet? If not, you are missing out on a great opportunity to buy some fantastic Christmas presents for family and friends or to put in your own Christmas stocking. There are a range of polo tops with white and navy trim, vests, caps, hood tops and fleecy jackets, available in mens, ladies and kids sizes. You can see samples in the clubhouse or contact Sandra Collins for further details. Click on the merchandise link to download an order form. Not only is it very reasonably priced, the clothing features our new Highmoor logo (see right).

We invite all club members to attend the annual Christmas BBQ on Saturday 3rd December from 7pm. Our freshly made salads, fresh bread, hot baked potatoes will all be available from 7pm so please come along and help yourself. We will have the BBQ going so all you need to BYO is your meat and your drinks. There will also be delicious home-made desserts for you to try with tea and coffee. If you would like to bring one of your own desserts to share with us you are welcome to do so. During the evening Santa will pay a visit and each child will be have the opportunity to have their photo taken if they wish. There will also be supervised races on the oval for anyone who wants to join in.

Finally the Christmas BBQ would not be complete without the auction at the end of the evening. Sadly we will need to find an auctioneer (or several) to carry on John Sugden's legacy. If you do have any items that you would like to donate to our auction, please contact Ross Cartledge or Sandra Collins for further details. This is all included in the fee of $10 per person 16 years and over, payable on arrival (under 16 get in for free). On arrival you will also be given a numbered ticket to go in the draw for our door prize, a beautifully handmade gingerbread house which will be on display at the Clubhouse in the weeks leading up to the night. Please arrive by 7pm so you have time to cook your BBQ and join in the fun. We hope to see as many members as possible, as it is another chance to show our appreciation for Betty's 45 years as a Committee member and stalwart of the club.

October Update

Despite the cool conditions, the matches for the Club Championships and Veterans Doubles were played in typically fine Highmoor spirit, with many members coming to watch. The standard of tennis in the men's open and boys finals, in particular, was very high, with top seed, Ben Abbott, claiming his fourth consecutive men's open title in a tight match against Glenn Collins. In the boys final, Jayden Moorfoot, stamped his claim as another one to watch out for, with victory for a second year in a row, against new finalist, Sam Hooppell. Unfortunately we were unable to run the girls or ladies championships, due to a lack of starters, so next year ladies, we invite you to step up! A comfortable win was recorded by John Smak and Mike Lyons against Graeme Bane and Alan Kempton in the mens veterans final, while Marianne Pattison and Brigitte Juhlke carried home the trophy after downing Fiona Winn and Sharon Elsing, who stood in at the last minute. A great day was had by all and you can view the pictures by clicking onto the Gallery Link.

2011 CLUB CHAMPIONS

Event	Champion	Runner Up
Open singles - Mens	Ben Abbott	Glenn Collins
Open singles - Womens (not held)
Junior singles - Boys	Jayden Moorfoot	Sam Hooppell
Junior singles - Girls (not held)
Veterans Doubles - Mens	John Smak and Mike Lyons	Graeme Bane and Alan Kempton
Veterans Doubles - Womens	Marianne Pattison and and Brigitte Juhlke	Fiona Winn and Sharon Elsing

Teams for summer competition are available on the Teams link. Is it possible to top or even get close to last season's high achievements? The season started on October 8th, so good luck to everyone.

The next social event to mark in your diary is the cup day barbeque on November 1st, starting at 12.00 noon, and the social tennis in the afternoon, and the afternoon. BYO drinks, BBQ and nibbles.

Club subscriptions are now due and payable by the 30th September - to download a 2012 membership form, click here. Paying your subs on time is important to the Club, so that we can avoid the unnecessary hassle of chasing of overdue subs. The AGM will also be held next month on Thursday the 17th November starting at 8.00 pm in the clubhouse. Come to the meeting and have your say about the club.

On a sad note, we mourn the passing of John Sugden, a long time member and friend. John could always be relied upon for a smile and a laugh, and we will miss his inimitable style running the annual Christmas auction. The club sends its deepest sympathy to Val and his family.

Further sad news, regarding Alan Hooppell, who passed away on the 22nd of October after a long illness. Alan was a great tennis player and former Club Champion at Highmoor. Father to Stephanie, Carl and Sam, husband to Judy, brother to Kay, son to Bob and Betty and friend to us all. You will be sorely missed Alan.

September Update

Three of the teams won their grand final matches of Winter comp, which was fantastic, with the last match finishing under lights at 7pm! Congratulations to the Premiers:

S1 mens doubles/singles	Ben Abbott, Glenn Collins, Brett Collins, Geoff Lowther, Scott Lyons, Jayden Moorfoot, Michael Bane (P/T)
S2 mens doubles/singles	Frank Collins, Dong Il Lee, Clem Lee, Sam Hooppell, Brooke Abrahams (P/T), Mitya Argentov (P/T)
S2 mixed doubles	Jason Mahmoud, John Smak, Dale Collins, Alan Hooppell, Neil Roberts, Judith Hooppell, Sharyn Frawley, Lucy Rudolph

and to the runners up:

S2 Womens 10 game sets doubles

Sally Watts, Lauren Luke, Melissa Gresle, Monica Ki, Amie Plymin, Sharon Elsing, Sarah Abbott

There were many highlights in this finals series -

young Jayden Moorfoot stepping in for injured Glenn Collins in the open singles / doubles and being involved in what was virtually the premiership winning marathon dogfight of a match against old foe Lauriston and their toughest team,
Ben Abbott continuing his superlative form as our top player and arguably the sections top player in section 1,
the ladies tipping out top team Le Page in the semi final in the tightest of matches and giving eventual premier Kings Park a real run for their money in the final,
'new kid on the block' John Smak winning every set he played in the finals,
and the young guys Scott Lyons and Jayden making their way in the top section and Sam Hooppell and Frank Collins in the second section
all the support by great team people like Geoff Lowther giving up their own tennis to watch and support and to family and friends who came to watch (Tanya, Mike, Marg, Bill, Brett, Lauren, Sandra and others)
but, for mine, the highlight of the finals was my old mate (not that old...) Neil Roberts who I had to make the painful phone call to just before the finals to say that he wouldn't be selected to play in the finals despite playing very well during the season - Neil typified Highmoor spirit by rolling up in all his tennis playing finery ready to play if needed, not thinking he would be needed, but then our mixed rubbers gun player, Jason Mahmoud, 'does a hammie' and has to stop playing, the team has to lose a set six love, Neil steps in and, with playing partner, Judith Hooppell, coolly takes out the next two sets to get his team over the line for another premiership. We were all so happy (and thankful) for Neil.

I also would like to thank the team captains - Glenn Collins, Frank Collins, Amie Plymin and Dale Collins/ Judith Hooppell, who made my job as court captain pretty easy. It was also great to have Glenn Collins, Brenda Chan and Sharon Elsing on the selection committee .... and Dale Collins in the earlier months of the year before he got summonsed to Chicago with work. Dale, you can take a bow for the team managing to bring home the flag - being the spiritual leader of all matters mixed doubles. Lest I forget, thanks to Bob and Betty for keeping on keeping on, managing monies, balls, forms, etc. Great job, guys. Click on the Teams link to view the photographs.

Cheers

Maurice Pattison, Court Captain

July/ August Update

Highmoor continues to make a strong impression in the local Saturday competitions. Two of the four juniors teams for the Moorabbin and Districts Junior Tennis Association competition - those of the boys' sections 3 and 18 - were runners up in the February to June season. Congratulations to all concerned. Five teams

[four boys (sections 2, 5, 14 and 15) and one girls (section 7)] are now competing in the July to December season. All four BRTA winter competition seniors teams have made the finals, which is a great result - well done guys and gals!

You can now click on to the teams link to view the teams submitted for grading review for the coming BRTA summer 2011/ 2012 seniors competition. The club has a very strong representation in the mens sections, particularly with 3-time and reigning club champion, Ben Abbott, taking all before him (having not lost a single set in open singles/doubles 1 grade this season) as captain, along with the return of legendary 11-time club champion, Paul Luke, and a crop of young guns nipping at their heels and on the way up. Other teams entered for the summer seniors competition are a mens singles/ doubles, a mixed rubbers and a ladies team - a good mix, showing the diversity of competition tennis playing options offered by Highmoor.

On the social tennis front, Highmoor continues to enjoy good numbers of players rolling up for Saturday afternoon organised social tennis, while the mens and womens veteran's doubles round robin tournament was held on Sunday August 14th in almost perfect conditions for tennis (no excuses available there!).

The new roster for Court Captain duties is available on the Members link so please remember to check when you are on duty. We are happy to report that there have been several new members who have joined the club recently, so why not come and have a social hit on a Saturday and see some new faces?

The social committee will be holding their answer to Masterchef on Sunday the 28th August - yes folks, Pudding night is back and will be bigger and yummier than ever before. Twilight tennis starts from 2.00 pm, followed by a BYO BBQ from 5.00 pm, then that lovely selection of puddings can be sampled for only $5 per head (excellent value!) Don't forget to mark it in your diary NOW!

Maurice Pattison, Court Captain

June Update

The social committee have had to cancel the proposed dinner on the 24th June, which is unfortunate, however there are still some good things happening at Highmoor. On the competition front, the Section 2 S/D team are sitting on top of the ladder and the Mixed Rubbers section 2 team are sitting in second place (after 5 rounds). The ladies section 2 team are in third, and the Mens Section 1 S/D team are sitting just outside the four. Good luck to all those teams!

It may seem to be the dead of winter and you may ask 'How can you think about summer tennis now?', but it is time to start thinking about it. The BRTA requires that we submit our proposed teams for the Saturday afternoon seniors summer competition by mid July. There will shortly be a notice on the notice board in the Clubhouse where interested players can put their names down. The summer comp starts on the first Saturday in October (after footy season has ended) and goes through until March, with the break for Christmas and January.

You don't have to play every week (usually, players play 3 out of 4 weeks or thereabouts) or you can elect to put your name down as a part-time player or as an emergency. The more 'full-time' players the better. If you have a strong preference for doubles or for singles/ doubles, we will take it on board, although individual preferences may have to make way in some cases for the greater good.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING NAMES FOR SUMMER TEAMS IS SATURDAY, JULY 9TH.

It is a requirement that players be financial members of the Club. You can either write your name on the list or you can advise me by email. If you feel unsure or need to discuss anything, feel free to ask any of our selection panel (Dale Collins, Brenda Chan, Sharon Elsing or Maurice Pattison).

May Update

Plenty happening at Highmoor. Great recent attendances at Saturday afternoon social tennis, especially between the summer and winter senior seasons, with between 27 and 32 players on deck on three of the Saturdays in the April / May period. Some extremely well organised and well attended social functions (night tennis and young members tournament, etc.) have been had. The four junior teams are all performing well in their grades, with the top section 3 boys team on top of their section and the four senior winter teams have got off to a flying start, with most teams winning their matches. Member numbers are running at approximately 190, which is a good, healthy number. The club's management committee continues to work hard behind the scenes to preserve members' best interests by overseeing things such as maintaining the standard of the courts and maintaining links with the City of Kingston, Tennis Victoria and other important agencies. The club leases the courts from the City of Kingston and has recently been involved in an independent review commissioned by the Council into future tennis resourcing needs, in the face of an influx of approximately 30,000 more people into the municipality over the next 15 years.

April Update

On 9th April we had the annual Highmoor Night Tennis comp at Cochranes Road. What a great night! Thanks to all who attended and made the night so much fun. Congratulations to the trophy winners John Smak, Jasper Flynn and Janelle Burns and runners up Geoff Lowther, Michael Bane and Jeff Mayes. The winner of our beautiful ANZAC Tin door prize was Janet Bane. Thanks Janet for giving up your Saturday night to come down to help us. Well done to Maurice Pattison for guessing the correct number of M&M’s in the jar and taking the jar home to eat all 739 of them! Special thanks again to Dale Collins for his tireless efforts with the draw for the night and to Bill Collins for his help with keeping the players organised. And final thanks to our new Happy Hot Dog winner this year Graeme Bane. Congratulations Graeme, well deserved! To view pictures of the event, click on the Gallery link.

Jenny Plymin & Sandra Collins

The entry sheet for the Club Championships is now up on the noticeboard. Things are hotting up in the mens section, in particular, with quite a few young and upcoming contenders ready to take on Highmoor's top section stalwarts. A good showing in the club championships will go a fair way towards rankings for future seniors competitions. There may also be the odd experienced male and female player, new to Highmoor, who will give the respective tournaments a shake. It's getting crowded at the top and this year's tournaments promise to be really competitive. If you are interested in participating in the seniors Club Championships, please put your name on the sheet or send Maurice an email at .mauricejpattison@gmail.com The closing date for entries is Sunday, May 1st. See here for the rules (same as last years).

Please check new the roster for Court Captains for May-August 2011. Please note your date and arrange any changes if you find you cannot attend on your date. Thank you for volunteering; because of the good response, only one duty time per person has been allocated in the 4 month period. If you have any problems down-loading the roster, see Keith Riddle for a copy. There is also a copy on the notice board.

Happy hitting!

March Update

Two summer senior teams made the Finals this year. The Mens S/D Section 4 team, made up of Ben Abbott (C), Jason Mahmoud, Glenn Collins, Scott Lyons, Patrick Meehan, and John Smak were eliminated in the first week but the Mens Doubles Section 2 team of Michael Bane (C), Dong Il Lee, Geoff Lowther, Jayden Moorfoot, Neil Roberts and Frank Collins made it to the Grand final against Glenhuntly. They finished runners up, going down 3 rubbers to 1 in an entertaining final held at the Mordialloc TC. It was great to see so many supporters at the match, encouraging the guys.

On March the 27th the Young Player's Doubles tournament was held. Thank you to all those who participated - it was an excellent day of tennis! Congratulations to the winners Ben Abbott & Monica Ki and runners up Pat Meehan & Frank Collins. Well done on a thrilling Grand Final! Special thanks to Glenn Collins for filling in at the last minute....and for coming last after a dodgy score adjustment by the Tournament organiser. Thank you also to Dale Collins for running the draw for the day and Geoffrey Lowther and Graeme Bane for all their assistance. Finally, thanks to the family members who came along to support the players and joined us for lunch. View pictures of the day on the Gallery link here.

Also on the social front, our night tennis tournament at Cochranes Road is on again on Saturday the 9th April. A great time will be had - details are on the flyer. If you want to play (or prefer to eat big and laugh at the players like Dale), please write your name on the list in the Clubhouse or send an email to Dale, Jenny or Sandra from the Social Committee as soon as possible.

Happy hitting!

February Update

The Oz Open is done and dusted, the footy season proper is over a month away, the Aussies have lost the Ashes and our summer was humid rather than hot. So why not come on up to the courts and have a hit of social tennis, especially at our summer twilights (Sundays from 4 p.m.) and Saturdays (commencing 1 p.m.). We have balls supplied and a roster of club members organising sets to make sure everyone has a good time. We even have barbecues after the Sunday tennis at about 6.30 p.m. in Jan, Feb and March.

The social committee of the Club have prepared a great calendar of social events for Club members and friends to be held during the year. Two of the upcoming events that will be of interest to members are the Young Players day on the 27th March and the Night Tennis, which is on Saturday the 9th April. Details are on the links below and the Club notice boards - please put your name down if you would like to participate.

The social side of the Club is really important so please have a look at the list of events, put those that interest you into your diary now and watch for further details. Your social committee works really hard to provide good, fun events, so please support their efforts!

Young players event details - click here

Night Tennis event details - click here