Dear Members,

We are nearly half way through the court repair program and the committee wanted to provide a quick update on our progress.  At this point Court 4 should be back in action for “light play” this weekend (weather permitting) and work has just started on Court 5.  The photo to the right shows the difference between the old crusty, brittle court surface that would not allow water through to the new smooth, great draining surface.

Overall, the improvements in playability and drainage has been significant. There has been a huge amount of muddy material removed from the courts by our contractors. They have levelled and put down new material to assist in playability and drainage. There have been a couple of great examples this week with the wet weather.  On Tuesday morning it bucketed down for about 10 minutes.  Within 30 minutes Courts 1 – 3 were playable and Courts 5 &6 were still swimming pools!  Also, on Wednesday night just as Competition was about to start, the rain came down for 5 minutes.  The teams were out playing within 10-15 minutes on courts 1-3 whilst the other courts were still full of water.

 

John Richards and his team, along with our wonderful Caretaker (and now “Chief Roller”) Robin, have been doing a fantastic job of repairing our Courts.  John has two generations of knowledge and experience behind him and is advising us on the best outcome as we progress along.  Our schedule is probably a week or two behind due to Melbourne’s very changeable weather, and some additional work being done to ensure we get the best outcome on the repaired courts.

 

The courts will continue to improve with more play. The committee is also looking at further recommendations on improving the quality of the surface of our courts. This includes looking at installing more drainage at the back of the courts 1 to 6, improving the condition of courts 9 & 10 as well as fixing the baseline area on courts 7 & 8.

Please help us look after our courts. Remember, correct bagging and watering is very important for these type of courts. Also, if you see someone with incorrect footwear, please ask them to leave as we want to keep the courts in the best possible condition for our members and guests. We have included a link to our Court Care & Shoe Policy on our website:   http://eastmalverntc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/EMTC-Court-Care-Shoes.pdf 

Kind Regards,

EMTC Committee