DLTC Christmas Prize Draw Winners

The DLTC Christmas Prize Draw is now complete! A full list of winners is below with further details on there way. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the buying or selling of tickets and helped make this a great success, and a special thank you to Wendy and Joan for all their hard work.

1st Prize: 1 week stay at a 5 star resort apartment in Pizzo, Southern Italy
Winner - Phil Richardson (1212)

2nd Prize: Charcoal Portrait 
Winner - Susan Cook (1039)

3rd Prize: 2013 adult membership of Dalkeith Lawn Tennis Club
Winner - Anne Abrahams (1359)

4th Prize: 1 month’s free membership and sports massage at Queen Margaret University Sports Centre
Winner - Phil Richardson (1211)

5th Prize: family meal at Lady Nairne Beefeater, Edinburgh
Alex Innes (0667)

6th Prize: lunch for two at Cavaliere Italian Restaurant, Dalkeith
Winner - R Robertson (0285)

7th Prize: 12 Pizzas from Cosmo, Dalkeith
S. Biavati-Smith (0588)

8th Prize: 2 x 1hr tennis lessons with qualified coach (for adult or child) at DLTC
Winner - Charlie Milne (0250)

9th Prize: 1 racquet stringing at DLTC for each of 2 winners
Winners: M. McDermott (0331) & Kirstie Gallagher (0658)

10th Prize: Lonsdale Training Top - 2 Stripe Quarter Zip Fleece Mens
Winner: Nicola Innes (0675)
       

LEVEL 2 QUALIFIED!

Well done to Gareth Stewart and John Slater who have recently passed their Level 2 Coaching Qualification. This means that we now have 2 members of the Club who are able to provide coaching for Juniors, beginners and improvers. There are plans for 2013 to further develop the coaching available through the Club and perhaps consider other activities such as Cardio Tennis. Keep checking the web site for further news.

In addition to passing the Level 2, Gareth and John also passed the playing test which enables them to progress to the next level (if they can spare the time!).

Christmas Prize Draw

Only 1 week until the Christmas Prize Draw is made!

Thank you to everyone who has bought or sold tickets. Can all money and ticket counterfoils now please be returned to Joan Sumner.

To those who haven't yet bought a ticket - time is running out!  Contact any commitee member to find out how to get your hands on a ticket.

The draw will be made in the Cavaliere Restaurant, Dalkeith  on 4th December at 7pm. Hope to see you there.

Annual Dinner and Prize Giving

DLTCs 2012 Annual Dinner and Prize Giving will be held on Friday 9th November at the Cavaliere in Dalkieth. Tickets cost £20 and can be purchased from the commitee.

Click on the below image for further details and menu choices.

Winego

DLTC will be hosting a fundraising 'Winego' event at 7pm on Friday 21^st September at St Davids Church Hall, Dalkeith. This family event will include bingo, a quiz, games, bottle tombola and much more.

Nibbles will be provided. Please bring your own bottle(s)!

All tickets (adult and children) cost £5 and are available from any committee member.

Click for full poster

Club Championships Saturday 18th August

Don't forget The Club Championships take place this weekend. Come down and support the finalists. Refreshments provided by The Cavaliere and you are welcome to BYOB. Play starts at 12 noon.

Adult Coaching

Interested in having some coaching? We have secured the services of  Bruce Beadle (who currently provides our junior coaching) and he would be happy to offer this. Bruce is an experienced LTA coach and provides adult and junior coaching at David Lloyd and Balerno Tennis Club.

Coaching sessions at Dalkeith would 'likely' take place on a Monday evening, in blocks of 4 week sessions, for 90 minutes at a time. The cost would depend on numbers. Sessions would need to have a minimum of 6 people and be limited to a maximum of 12. The first block of 4 could start on Monday 13 August.

If this is something you are interested in, let John Slater (dj.slater@virgin.net) know by Friday 10 August. He will collate names and numbers and get back to you to let you know the arrangements and the cost.

Club Championships Finals Day

This is planned for Saturday 18 August. Play will commence at 12 o'clock with the Men's Singles and Ladies Singles on courts 1 and 2 followed by the doubles ties The Cavaliere is providing a buffet lunch and you are invited to bring your own drinks (BYOB) and be entertained.

IMPORTANT NOTE - CAN ALL TROPHY WINNERS FROM LAST YEAR RETURN TROPHIES TO A COMMITTEE MEMBER BEFORE 18 AUG.

ESLTA Division 8 Champions

For the second year running Dalkeith Mens Doubles are Champions in their ESLTA League Division. The team had a fantastic run in the Divison 8 competition and were unbeaten both home and away.This means that next season the Club will now be promoted to Division 7. Congratulations to all of the players and thanks to Frank Nisbet for all the organisation.

East Lothian League End of Season Report

A very successful 2012 East Lothian League campaign for DLTC promised a tense final match for the 'A' team and a nervous wait for the 'B's who finished the season with wins over North Berwick B, Gullane, Musselburgh, North Berwick A, Haddington, Dunbar and a draw against DLTC A's.

Coming into the final match the A team required an away win against Dunbar to secure league victory, with any other result handing it to the B's.

Unfortunately the match was decided by injury, with DLTC having to concede 2 of the 4 ties and finishing with a draw

Congratulations to the League winning B team of Joanna Young, Elaine Gray, Louise Karbownicki, Louise Kirkpatrick, Alice Smith, Bill Fleming, David Dowell and Michael Roarty.

MIDLOTHIAN OLYMPICS EVENT CANCELLED

Again we have been defeated by the weather and todays event at Bonnyrigg has been cancelled.

BBQ CANCELLED

Due to the weather conditions, the BBQ & Tournament scheduled for 16th June has been cancelled. An alternative date will be announced shortly.

League round up

Another great week for the Dalkeith Teams in the ESLTA league and the East of Scotland League.
In the ESLTA League the men won a tricky tie at Corstorphine despite having some new pairings for this match. Great to see the return of Nigel Gray and Steven Smith to the team. The team is on a great run and are still undefeated this season.

Both A and B Mixed Teams are going well in the East Lothian League with wins this week for the A Team over North Berwick A and for the Bs over Musselburgh.

Wk comm 28th ties are ESLTA - Dalkeith v Braid 4 (Monday 28th), East Lothian Weds 30th May Gullane v Dalkeith A, Dalkeith B v North Berwick A

New Handicap Champions

Well done to Graeme Forbes and Karen Campbell who won the Marion Allan Handicap Trophy this weekend. There was a great turnout at the Club to watch the match in hot, sunny conditions. Ricky Smith and Louise Kirkpatrick played well, however the other pairing were just too strong on this occasion. Karen is proving to be bit of a specialist in this competition having won twice in the past 3 years with different male partners.

NEW Junior Summer Camp Dates

Junior Summer Camp will now be held on the 8th, 9th and 10th of August 2012.

Mini Red/Orange groups will run from 9am to 12 noon with Juniors/Intermediates from 1pm to 4pm.

Updated information and application forms can be downloaded from the junior section and should be returned to John Slater by 1st July to book a place.

More great results!

Another week of great results for Dalkeith's teams in the regional competitions. The mens team had another fantastic result beating Kirkcaldy 11-1 at home. Great to see Gareth Stewart back in action following recovery from his recent injury.

The mixed team also had a great start in the East Lothian League with a resounding 8-0 win over Haddington.

Well done to all.

Mens Team on a roll!

Another victory for the mens team last night winning the away match against Dalgety Bay 8-5. That is now 3 wins out of 3 in the East of Scotland League. The team of Frank Nisbet, Mike Clarke, Peter Campbell, Phil Richardson, Ricky Smith and Graeme Forbes are proving to be strong pairings. Keep it up guys.....next match is v Kirckaldy at home.

Junior Summer Camp

DLTCs Summer Camp dates for 2012 have now been confirmed! 

Sessions will be run on 6th, 7th and 8th for juniors aged 5-10 years old with sessions on 9th, 10th and 11th for 10 years old upward.

Additional details and information on how to apply for places can be found in the downloads section of the Juniors webpage.

Its a Bagel!

Great result for Dalkeith Mens team on 2nd May with a 12-0 home win over Waverley 3. Well done boys! That is now 2 wins out of 2 in the ESLTA League. Next League match is Wednesday 9th away at Dalgety Bay.

Junior Cake and Candy Fundraiser!

Click poster to enlarge

Club opens today 21st April!

The Club will open for the season today (weather permitting!) at 2pm. Come down for mixed doubles tennis this afternoon. Don't forget our Social event this evening at the Justinlees. All welcome.

Dalkeith Men off to a flyer in East of Scotland League

Despite having to play a "home" tie at Musselburgh on Wednesday evening, Dalkeith's Mens team got off to a great start in the East of Scotland League by beating Corstorphine 8-4. A fantastic result considering the team were a man down as Phil Richardson was unable to play. Well done boys! Next match is April 25th away to Braids.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Reminder to all - if you have not yet renewed your membership for this season, can you please do so asap. If you are an existing member, please note that we are now opening up the membership to new members so you are therefore not guaranteed to have last years membership renewed.

No luck in Scottish Cup

Our team crashed out of the Scottish Cup in the first round after a tricky tie away at Thistle TC on Wednesday evening. The team was not helped by difficult weather conditions and Thistle had some particularly talented youngsters playing who were obviously more used to the surface at Thistle. Oh well, as they say it is the league that counts!!

Junior Coaching Sign-up Now Open

Junior Sunday morning coaching will commence on the 29th April (weather and court preparation permitting). Coaching will be run in three separate sessions:

• 9.45am – 10.30am  Mini Red (Age 5-8 Years) 
• 10.30 am – 11.15 am Mini Orange (Age 8-10)
• 11.15am– 12.00pm Juniors / Intermediate Tennis (Approx.10 Years upwards)

Application forms for the sessions are available from the downloads area of the Junior section of the website. Complete the application form and return to John Slater as detailed on the form.

Dust off your rackets

Dalkeith Lawn Tennis Club will be reopening on Saturday 21st April 2012 weather and court condition permitting. The club will open at 2pm for social tennis following off-season resurfacing and court improvements.

On the evening of the 21st, the club's first social night of 2012 will take place in The Justinlees and will include the ballot for DLTC's Wimbledon ticket allocation. Further ticket details, including dates, prices and how to enter the ballot, will follow by email in due course.

Curry sponsor named in Britain’s hot hundred

DLTC sponsor Itihaas has been named one of the top 100 curry specialists in Britain.

The Dalkeith restaurant, opened less than four years ago, is one of only six establishments in Scotland among 100 shortlisted in the 2011 British Curry Awards. The others are in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Renfrewshire.

It is the latest distinction for Itihaas, voted best South Asian restaurant in Scotland in 2010 in awards run by Spice Times magazine and one of four finalists in the Indian category of this year’s Scottish Restaurant Awards.

Some 2,700 restaurants were entered for the British Curry Awards from a record 68,000 public nominations. Nine regional winners will be selected from the shortlist and announced at the Battersea Evolution, London, on 28 November at an event hosted by celebrity chef James Martin and attended by more than 1,500 guests. It will be the biggest night of the year for almost 100,000 people involved in the industry.

Awards’ organiser Enam Ali MBE said: “This is the seventh year of the British Curry Awards and the standards get higher every year. To reach the shortlist is a tremendous achievement. Interest in the competition has been greater than ever, underlining the tremendous support for Britain’s favourite food.”

Matin Khan, Bangladeshi-born Director of the restaurant on Eskbank Road, commented: “My team are proud to have been listed as one of the best curry restaurants in the whole of Britain and one of only a very select number in Scotland.

“Our menus are built around traditional Indian and Bangladeshi dishes, using the freshest ingredients and authentic spices. Curries come in an amazing array of flavours and textures, and we consistently try to get our customers’ taste buds buzzing!”

Mr Khan recently opened another Midlothian restaurant, Radhuni, in Loanhead’s Clerk Street.

Coaching success

Congratulations to John Slater (Junior Liaison Officer) on passing his level 1 coaching qualification recently!

David ‘thrashes’ the rest in tennis season finale

Dalkeith Tennis Club marked the end of its season with a men’s handicap event which attracted a great turn-out.

The winner was David Dowell, runner-up in the 2011 men’s singles championship, who beat Ricky Smith in the final.

In the semi-finals David overcame Johnny Costello while Ricky defeated last year’s handicap winner, Frank Nisbet.

The event, known at the club as ‘The Thrash,’ was superbly organised by Ricky and Stuart Campbell who laid on food and refreshments.

Play it again, Sam! She’s champion again after 22 years

It took a long time but Samantha Fearnley’s second ladies singles championship at Dalkeith tennis club was well worth waiting for.

The left-hander, who last won the title as a teenager in 1989, emerged victorious from one of the finest ladies’ matches in recent memory at the Eskbank Road courts when she beat defending champion Lorna Lettice 6-3, 6-2 in a high tempo final.

Despite the score the number of points won was almost identical for each player in the first set and the close confrontation continued.

High quality tennis was served up by both players who kept striking the ball from corner to corner with astonishing accuracy, creating a succession of long rallies. Lorna’s sliced forehands and backhands were not quite as powerful as Sam’s, with the new champion also making her opponent race to cover drop shots and acutely angled drives.

The result carried on a proud family tradition. Sam’s father Bill is a former men’s singles champion at the Club and is now its Honorary President.

There is a new name on the men’s honours board after 27-year-old Gareth Stewart from Gorebridge beat last year’s seniors’ winner David Dowell 6-1, 6-3 in the final.

Off to a flyer with a 5-0 lead, Gareth cruised through the first set and led 2-0 before David levelled things at 2-2, then 3-3, before the younger man stepped up a gear to take his first DLTC title. This was only the second season at the club for Gareth, who works in environmental health for Borders Council.

Many times men’s doubles champions Graeme Forbes and Phil Richardson were toppled in the final by Bill Fleming and Dowell 6-4, 6-3.

In the mixed doubles final, Sam Fearnley made it a daily double by teaming up with Grahame Forbes to retain their title with a 7-6, 6-2 win over Michael Roarty and Lorna Lettice.

Gareth’s the one to beat

Gareth Stewart is the new men’s singles champion at DLTC, beating last year’s seniors’ winner David Dowell 6-1, 6-3 in the final.

Off to a flyer with a 5-0 lead, Gareth cruised through the first set and led 2-0 before David levelled things at 2-2, then 3-3, before the youngster stepped up a gear to take his first DLTC title.

Our courtside reporter commented: “I think he will have his name on this trophy a few times in the years to come.”

Flame and fortune - Our BBQ was a sure fire hit

"Phew, what a scorcher!"

And that was just the weather.

The Club’s first barbeque of the Summer, on a sunny last Saturday of July, was a sizzling success, largely thanks to the efforts of head chef and events supremo Ricky Smith.

He and his team served up a mouthwatering spread of sausages, chicken (with vegetarian options on request), pizzas, rolls, salads, potatoes and salads. All free! Yes, all you needed was love …

Oh, and there was tennis too. Lots of it. The BBQ smoke got in some players’ eyes but nobody minded (and it was a failsafe excuse for hitting a poor shot).

A great crowd of members, old and new, and their families enjoyed another red hot social event at DLTC.