by | May 31, 2020 | Uncategorized
Given the government announcement last week and the further easing of lockdown conditions with effect from tomorrow, we have been awaiting guidance from the sports governing bodies.
TENNIS
LTA have made some modifications to their guidance, today, and we are reviewing the impact of this on our current court booking conditions.
In the meantime, our existing conditions apply and these can be found here https://staplehurstcricketandtennis.teamapp.com/articles/4652367-tennis-court-booking-conditions
Under no circumstances are people to access or use courts they have not been booked. This includes overstaying after a booked session.
CRICKET
ECB have confirmed they are assessing the options for moving to small group cricket practice but, in the meantime, existing guidance remains in force this week.
However, in view of demand we have modified, slightly, the number and length of Sunday morning junior sessions.
You can find current net booking conditions here https://staplehurstcricketandtennis.teamapp.com/articles/4650339-cricket-net-booking-and-conditions
by | May 26, 2020 | Uncategorized
The tennis courts are now open and have been very popular. Midweek bookings have averaged 10-12 hours per day in the two weeks since reopening. Weekend are quieter.
OUTSIDE OF COURT BOOKING AND OFFICIAL CRICKET NET SESSIONS THE CLUB SITE REMAINS CLOSED AND THERE IS NO ADMISSION UNLESS AUTHORISED BY A MEMBER OF THE CLUB’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The tennis courts are available for booking online ONLY. Only ONE court can be booked at any given time*.
Play is open to TWO individuals for singles tennis or doubles for a maximum four individuals who are members of the SAME HOUSEHOLD. The LTA guidance tennis players are required to observe are included under Documents on the Club App here https://staplehurstcricketandtennis.teamapp.com/documents/796330-lta-tennis-players-guidance-may-2020
In short and as applied to the Club’s premises:
• Before leaving home & after you return wash your hands
• Bring hand sanitizer with you
• Use all your own equipment
• Clean and wipe down your equipment, including racquets and water bottles
• Bring a full water bottle, and do not share food or drink with others
• Bring your own tennis balls that are clearly marked (e.g. with your initials)
• Ensure you take all your belongings with you at the end of the session
• Avoid using public transport
• Arrive as close as possible to when you need to be there
• Avoid touching court gates, fences, benches, etc. and wipe them down if inadvertent contact
• The court nets will be set at the appropriate height and the winding handles removed
• Allow others to leave before you enter the court – if you need to wait then do so away from the courts and clear of the gates
• Ensure you leave the court 10 mins BEFORE the end of your allotted time
• PLEASE WIPE DOWN THE COURT KEYPAD AND HANDLE AS YOU LEAVE AND BEFORE OTHERS SEEK ACCESS
• Arrive changed and ready to play
• Do not congregate after playing and leave the premises promptly
• Stay at least two metres away from other players at all times
• Do not make physical contact with other players
• Stay on your side of court and avoid changing ends
• Avoid chasing the ball down to another court if other players are using it
• Make sure you have the court access codes from the booking confirmation
• Do not provide anyone with the court access codes or facilitate access to ANYONE ELSE, especially if they have not booked
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CLUBHOUSE REMAINS CLOSED AND OUT OF BOUNDS TO ALL. So bare in mind that there are no toilet facilities and access to water although First Aid boxes will be available.
The Tennis Committee will keep conditions under continuous review and amend as necessary so please keep checking Club media and the tennis chatroom on the App in particular.
Any abuse of or failure to observe the required conditions may lead to the curtailing or withdrawing of the facilities and/or cancellation of individual bookings.
• *With the exception of HotShotZ Tennis
by | May 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
As previously advised, we will be opening the cricket nets to bookings under strict conditions with effect from Tuesday 26 May. No use of the ground or nets is permitted outside of the designated times for booking which are:
– Tuesdays and Thursdays – 4.00pm to 8.00pm – for adults (age 18+)
– Sundays – 10.00 to 12 noon – for juniors (ages 9-18)
Bookings can be made here https://bit.ly/2zrXDlp upto 6 days in advance for each 45 minute session (plus 15 mins buffer time). Only one booking per member is allowed on any given day. The buffer time is to allow appropriate cleaning time and to avoid contact with subsequent users.
There are limited sessions available. So if you cannot make your booked session please cancel; cancellations accepted upto one hour before session so keep an eye out for late booking opportunities.
The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) conditions have been supplemented by additional Club requirements and users will be required to accept these conditions on booking. Each session will be distance supervised by a member of the Cricket Committee to ensure compliance – you MUST adhere to their guidance.
The member booking will be responsible for the conduct of their session and ensuring other users – one other individual or a maximum of 4 members of the same household arranged by them – are aware of and observe the conditions.
In short, those conditions are:
– REMAIN ALERT
– Do not attend if you or anyone in your household displays symptoms or your household is currently in isolation (full details at the beginning of this document)
– Personal hygiene measures should be carried out at home before and after use of the facility
– The Clubhouse and toilets are closed and out of bounds; make sure you go to the toilet before leaving home
– Bring your own hand sanitiser where possible. If this isn’t possible wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after visiting the club
– Travel together as a household. Avoid public transport.
– Bring your own filled drinking bottles
– Try not to arrive too early, aim to arrive at the start of your slot to help with social distancing
– Bring your own playing/training equipment especially balls (some added identification a good idea)
– Batters are to avoid contact with the ball and use bat and feet to return ball to bowler
– Cricket gloved hands are not exempt – they, especially leather, are a good home for the virus.
– Avoid touching as much as possible whilst on club premises
– Try to ensure social distancing is practised wherever possible
– No bowling machines are to be used
– Do not leave private property behind
– No spitting
– No saliva or sweat should come into contact with the ball at any time
– Wear appropriate equipment. The wearing of helmets by batters is compulsory to minimise risk of ball contact with face
– A First Aid kit will be available on the ground
– Do not overstay your allocated time slot, you should be clear of the area by the time the next users arrive
– The less bodily contact with facilities, the less cleaning you will need to do at the end of your session!
– Leave the Club site immediately after your session; do not stay to socialise or loiter in the car park
– Users in each final session are required to push the net cage off the square to the edge of the outfield and clean where they may have touched
In addition, for junior cricketers (ages 9-18)
– Bookings must be made by a parent/guardian
– They are responsible for arranging other participants
– At least one parent/guardian must be present on the Ground for those aged 13 and under
– UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES is an adult (age 18+) to practise with a child under age 14
– The supervising committee member will have appropriate coaching and safeguarding qualifications including current DBS
– Parents should avoid too large a gap between the age/capability of the intended participants to avoid the disappointment of being disbarred from activity by the supervising coach
The full ECB conditions can be found under Documents on the App.
A summary is shown in the infographic image on this article. Versions will be available at the Club.
These arrangements and conditions are subject to continuous review by the Cricket Committee and Club Executive. Further opportunities may be arranged once operation has been reviewed and demand warrants. Please bear in mind the Cricket Committee supervisors are volunteering their own time for your benefit! Poor compliance may lead to all sessions being suspended so please observe the conditions for the benefit of all.
PLEASE REMEMBER: the Club is closed for all activity except authorised tennis court and cricket practice BOOKINGS only. Strictly no cricket practice is permitted outside the approved sessions. In addition to wear and tear on the ground, affecting play conditions when we do get back to cricket, it potentially puts the health & safety of our groundsman at risk.
BUT ABOVE ALL IT IS BREAKING THE LAW: we could be subject to inspection by the local authorities and non-compliance lead to prosecution of the Club and/or individual transgressor(s) with a maximum fine of £3,000!
And finally, we are ALL responsible for ensuring compliance with conditions as we are with the Club Code of Conduct in normal times.
Any queries or issues can be raised on the COVID-19 Cricket chatroom on the App under Chat
by | May 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
Further to last week’s Club announcement and subsequent guidance from the sports’ governing bodies, we can now advise that we will be opening up for sports activity in a very limited way with stringent conditions applied to ensure compliance with HM Government’s latest advice.
OUTSIDE OF THESE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES THE CLUB SITE REMAINS CLOSED AND THERE IS NO ADMISSION UNLESS AUTHORISED BY A MEMBER OF THE CLUB’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
TENNIS
The tennis courts will be available for booking online ONLY and use from 11.00am tomorrow morning, May 18. Only ONE court can be booked at any given time*.
Play is open to two individuals for singles tennis or doubles for a maximum four individuals who are members of the same household. The LTA guidance tennis players are required to observe are included under Documents on the Club App here https://staplehurstcricketandtennis.teamapp.com/documents/796330-lta-tennis-players-guidance-may-2020
In short and as applied to the Club’s premises:
• Before leaving home & after you return wash your hands
• Bring hand sanitizer with you
• Use all your own equipment
• Clean and wipe down your equipment, including racquets and water bottles
• Bring a full water bottle, and do not share food or drink with others
• Bring your own tennis balls that are clearly marked (e.g. with your initials)
• Ensure you take all your belongings with you at the end of the session
• Avoid using public transport
• Arrive as close as possible to when you need to be there
• Avoid touching court gates, fences, benches, etc. and wipe them down if inadvertent contact
• The court nets will be set at the appropriate height and the winding handles removed
• Allow others to leave before you enter the court – if you need to wait then do so away from the courts and clear of the gates
• Ensure you leave the court 10 mins BEFORE the end of your allotted time
• PLEASE WIPE DOWN THE COURT KEYPAD AND HANDLE AS YOU LEAVE AND BEFORE OTHERS SEEK ACCESS
• Arrive changed and ready to play
• Do not congregate after playing and leave the premises promptly
• Stay at least two metres away from other players at all times
• Do not make physical contact with other players
• Stay on your side of court and avoid changing ends
• Avoid chasing the ball down to another court if other players are using it
• Make sure you have the court access codes from the booking confirmation
• Do not provide anyone with the court access codes or facilitate access to ANYONE ELSE, especially if they have not booked
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CLUBHOUSE REMAINS CLOSED AND OUT OF BOUNDS TO ALL. So bare in mind that there are no toilet facilities and access to water although First Aid boxes will be available.
The Tennis Committee will keep conditions under continuous review and amend as necessary so please keep checking Club media and the tennis chatroom on the App in particular.
Any abuse of or failure to observe the required conditions may lead to the curtailing or withdrawing of the facilities and/or cancellation of individual bookings.
• *With the exception of HotShotZ Tennis
CRICKET
Further to the ECB’s recent announcement on relaxation of lockdown rules for practice in pairs or small household groups, the Club Executive has agreed that the Cricket Committtee will oversee the implementation of proposals for net-based practice, initially, with effect from TUESDAY MAY 26. NB one week on Tuesday
Set periods when the Club is availablle for such practice – initally it is proposed to hold on Tuesday and Thursday late afternoons and early evenings – are being considered.
Further information on conditions including the required booking of facilitiies will be issued shortly.
UNTIL THEN THE CLUB IS CLOSED FOR CRICKET ACTIVITY AND NO UNAUTHORISED ACCESS TO THE GROUND IS PERMITTED
We appreciate that this is not as we would like to operate but current circumstances mean we will seek to do what we can consistent with the guidance to protect the overall health and wellbeing of all club users. And we know that you will support and help enforce the proposed conditions of use.
by | May 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
As you should already be aware, one of the Club’s sponsorship platforms has been opened up to all local businesses for free until the end of the year. If we help good local business in tough times, maybe they will support us when things get better.
If you are on Facebook can we ask you to help out and let’s try a little experiment. The latest promotional post is currently being boosted through Facebook to around 8,000 local households within 8km of the Club.
But let’s see if, as Club members, we can beat that figure. All you need to do is to go to the Directory’s Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/Staplehurstbusinessdirectory
It goes without saying we want you to like and follow the Page. But take a look at the image in this article. You can also invite your friends on Facebook to follow and like the page too.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY – you can share the post in the image on your timeline publicly as highlighted. Of course, this is how it looks on my PC but it may look different on your phone, tablet or however you access Facebook.
Let’s see how many people we can reach between us and if we can beat the number Facebook itself reaches for us. The number of people who have seen the post is already 726 in the last 12 hours so how many can we get by the end of the promotion next Wednesday?
Thanks in anticipation of your support.
If you are not on Facebook then you can always take a look at the Directory online. There’s a button on the App and the App online. And you should bookmark the page on our website here https://staplehurstcricket.com/business-directory. You never know when you might need it.
And, if you have a friend who runs a local business, make sure to tell them about the opportunity. That’s if they haven’t already heard about it through your Facebook post share first!
