Bits and bobs
- The 2 outside Pickleball courts at Wodson have now been marked out and are available to hire from Thursday 19th September. The weather is likely to be ok for a little while so try them out !!
- The pickleball sessions on Sunday will remain at the Old School (Boys High) until further notice. It is hoped we will be able to move to the new school at the beginning of October.
- The County Sports and Physical Activity Partnership is organising a club Conference on October 11. If you are interested please book a ticket, it is free 9.30am-4.30pm. Fielder Centre, Hatfield Book your FREE ticket now 👉 t.ly/_kNRI pic.twitter.com/QUd40LM…
Calling pickleball players of Hertfordshire
Herts Open Mixed Doubles Tournament, 21 September 2024
Travel and Accommodation
The venue is easily accessible by car being close to the A1(M), just 5 miles from the M25, and there is plenty of parking which will be free over the weekend. The postcode is AL10 9EU.
Hatfield railway station is served by Thameslink trains and the journey from Kings Cross takes 25 minutes. However, the venue is a taxi ride from the station.
Some players may need hotel accommodation. The Comet Hotel is a short walk from the venue, https://comethotel.co.uk/and there are also Premier Inns and Travelodges close by.
Registration & Fees
The registration process will start on 1 May. One partner must send an application email, with Mx Doubles in the Subject, to hertspickleball@gmail.com containing ALL the following information for both players:
First Name
Last Name
Gender
Age
Skill Rating (DUPR rating if applicable)
Club(s)
Mobile Number
Email Address
Note: only one application email is required per pair but the sender should CC their partner. Once applications have been processed, but not before 15 June, payment instructions will be issued to those allocated places.
The registration fee will be £35per player. Players can either pay as a team or individually and, once full payment has been received, a receipt will be issued completing the registration.
Volunteering
This tournament, like all Pickleball England events, is a volunteer run-tournament. A lot of things will be planned out in advance but it is always helpful to have some extra pairs of hands, and feet, on the day. In particular we will need people to help manage the game schedules and act as medal match referees. If you would be willing to help, please send an email to hertspickleball@gmail.com. There should be some court time available to the volunteers.
Tournament terms and conditions
By applying to enter the tournament you agree to the following:
• You promise to notify the organisers promptly if you become unable to attend, since the tournament will be disrupted if there are not the correct number of teams.
• Cancellation and refund requests must be made before 1st August, after which registration fees are non-refundable. (Refunds will be subject to a £5 admin fee.) However, registrations may be transferred after 1st August and funds may be transferred between players. Requests to transfer, giving details of the new player(s),should be sent to hertspickleball@gmail.com before 1st September.
• The Organisers have discretion to vary the format of the tournament as deemed necessary, and their decision is final.
• Subdivision managers have discretion to make adjustments as they see fit, and their decisions are final.
• Promise to follow pickleball England code of conduct and uphold pickleball England values.
• Acceptance of the following waiver:
RELEASE, PERMISSION AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT
Waiver: In consideration of being permitted to participate in any way in the tournament, you, your heirs or assigns must hereby release, waive, discharge and covenant not to sue the tournament players or the organisers, its/their officers, employees and agents from liability from any and all claims resulting in personal injuries, accidents or illness (including death) and property loss arising from participation in the Tournament.
Assumption of risk: Participation in the tournament carries with it certain inherent risks that cannot be eliminated regardless of the care taken to avoid injuries. These specific risks vary, but include: 1) minor injuries such as bruises, sprains or dehydration; 2) major injuries such as eye injuries, joint, bone or back injuries, heat stroke, heart attacks and concussions; 3) catastrophic injuries such as paralysis or death. You must have read the previous paragraphs and know, understand and appreciate these and other risks are inherent in attending the tournament.
You must assert that your participation is voluntary and that you knowingly assume all such risks. You must also agree to indemnify and hold the tournament harmless from any and all claims, actions, suits, costs, expenses, damages and liabilities, including solicitor’s fees brought as a result of your involvement in the tournament.
You must also give the tournament and its agents and designees permission to use or distribute, without limitation or obligation, your image, name, voice and words for any purpose connected with the tournament, including promotional, marketing, training, informational and archival use.
You’re never too young…..
I thought I’d share this picture of Jessica, my six-year-old granddaughter with you. She had to give a two-minute talk to her school class on any subject and she choose Pickleball after coming to watch me play in the county match.
Hopefully she has inspired some youngsters to pay Pickleball one day!!
Colin Walker
Herts Inter Club League
Many of you will be aware the first Herts Inter Club League was held last year. It was a trial league and some lessons have been learned but overall it was very successful. The matches are very sociable and players enjoyed competing against other clubs.
The second Herts Inter Club League will be starting in mid March. BaD had lots of interest from members wanting to be part of the team last year and I hope there will be lots of interest again !
If we get enough interest we would be able to enter 2 teams, West Herts Wizards had 2 teams in the league last year. The teams would be distinct and once a member has played for one team they could not play for the other. We therefore need a large pool of players to enable us to enter 2 teams (and maybe 2 captains) The number of matches you may be asked to play will be around 4 matches over the 4/5 month period.
Please let Christine know as soon as possible if you would like to take part in the second Herts leaegue. If you were part of the team last year please also let her know if you would like to be in the team again.
Three Counties Doubles League
Club drill sessions announced
The recent BaD AGM agreed for the committee to investigate the possibility to have a drills session possibly on alternative Fridays from midday until 1pm prior to the regular pickleball session. Mike Varney has kindly agreed to lead the sessions. Dates for new sessions to be updated soon.
The drills session is for players who want to improve their game and possibly want to participate in tournaments etc. There will not be any social games at the drills session.
We need multiples of 4 players and have provisionally booked 3 courts to accommodate 12 players for each session. There may be less players interested, in which case we will reduce the number of courts. However, there may be more players interested and it will be first come first served for the session. We intend to set up a WhatsApp group so we can check/confirm who is attending at the next session and include others on the list of interested players if appropriate. Someone from the BaD committee will be administering the session. We will be charging £4 for the drills session on Sumup.
If you are interested in participating in the drills session please let Christine cc to Neil know at the earliest opportunity chrisneyndorff@btinternet.com and neil.trantum@ntlwoorld.com
Club playing guidelines
As the sessions are becoming busier, the committee would like to remind members of the guidelines and introduce them to our newer members.Click here for updated guidelines
New Saturday sessions
BaD will soon be starting a regular session at Wodson Park on Saturdays. Initially this will be once every four weeks 1pm to 3pm. All members (and members of HTC) are invited to attend.
There will be graded play on 3 or 4 courts, depending on numbers interested. The grading will be determined by people’s performance at these sessions (after an initial ranking) and it is hoped that players will be able to participate on a regular basis. The charge will be £5.
The other 2 or 3 courts will be used for beginners, coaching and play for members who are unable to attend week-day sessions. The exact use will depend on requests from members or prospective members. The charge will also be £5 for the two hours.
The first two sessions will be on January 13 and February 10.
Please let Pam know if you would like to attend and, if so, for graded play or otherwise.
If these sessions are popular there will need to be a team of six people to manage the sessions, two at a time in rotation. Therefore, each manager will be in attendance once every 12 weeks or so.