Contents
Fixture Entries Due Now
If you haven"t lodged an entry form for this year, you need to do so promptly.
A nomination form to play for UQ in the Brisbane Hardcourt Tennis Association and Brisbane Night Tennis Association"s Fixtures is enclosed with this newsletter. This nomination form also covers the Club"s internal Fixtures.
Nominations must be lodged by the relevant closing date.
Players will not be included in UQ teams unless they have lodged a Club nomination form and paid all fees by the specified deadline.
The competition closing dates are:
| 6 March |
BNTA Monday
BNTA Tuesday
BNTA Wednesday Threes |
| 12 March |
BHTA Saturday Pairs
UQTC Thursday |
| 13 March |
UQTC Monday
BNTA Wednesday Pairs |
Entries in the BHTA Saturday Threes and BNTA Thursday Mixed Fixtures closed in early February and these competitions have already started.
Please note: If you have been sent a team registration form by the BNTA or BHTA, ignore it unless you are submitting your own team (i.e. you do not want to play for UQ).
Qld Juniors Win Nationals
Following on from their strong performance in the National Teams Championships, Queensland"s junior players have achieved some great results in the National Hardcourt Championships with Robert Smeets and Guy Belcher taking out Singles Titles.
![[Robert Smeets]](../Graphics_Files/Photos/rsmeets.jpg)
Robert Smeets. 2002 Australian 16 & Under Hardcourt Singles Champion
The Finals results were:
18/U Australian Hardcourt Championships (Melbourne, 11-19 January)
18BS Ryan Henry (NSW) d Robin Soderling (SWE) 5/7 7/5 6/2; 18GS Myriam Casanova (SUI) d Maria Sharapova (RUS) 6/1 6/4; Philipp Petzschner (GER) & Robin Soderling (SWE) d Brian Baker (USA) & Frank Dancevic (CAN) 7/5 6/4; Elke Clijsters (BEL) & Tatiana Golovin (FRA) d Daniela Casanova (SUI) & Myriam Casanova (SUI) 3/6 6/4 6/1
16/U Australian Hardcourt Championships (Gosford, 1-7 January)
16BS Robert Smeets (QLD) d Dalibor Pavic (SA) 6/2 6/1; 16GS Sophie Ferguson (NSW) d Stephanie De La Torre (NSW) 6/1 6/1; 16BD Brodie Stuart & Sam Withell (NSW) d Aiden Fitzgerald & David Galic (VIC) 6/2 4/6 (10/6); 16GD Charlotte Bellis & Jennifer Poskitt (NZ) d Anne-Marie Atelj & Dragana Jackovljevic (NSW) 7/6 7/5.
14/U Australian Hardcourt Championships (Brisbane, 7-13 January):
14BS Guy Belcher (QLD) d Myles Blake (QLD) 7/6 6/1; 14GS Marina Erakovic (NZ) d Joanna Carswell (NZ) 6/1 6/0; 14BD Ryan Agar & Guy Belcher (QLD) d Luke Brelsford & Jake Edgley (QLD) 7/6 6/2; 14GD Jessica Hoath (QLD) and Emma Bailey (SA) d Marina Erakovic & Ellen Barry (NZ) 7/5 6/4.
Comment
The Summer competitions are drawing to a close and the 2002/1 BNTA Thursday night Mixed and BHTA Saturday afternoon Threes competitions are already under way.
If you haven"t renewed your membership, you need to do so now.
As most of the major competitions start in March, the first few weeks of March are going to be really busy for the Committee.
Because of the tight timelines we have to get players graded, teams finalised and teams submitted to the fixture associations, it is absolutely essential that people make the effort to get their entries in on time.
The Club"s Fixture Selection Policies are set out below and should be read carefully by all players. Remember, you will only be included in a team if you have lodged a nomination form and paid all fees by the designated closing date.
The Sunday afternoon Social Tennis Program is up and running again and is already attracting around 30 players each Sunday. Some of the special events planned for first semester include the Doubles Tactics Clinic (14 April), the Fastennis Singles Challenge Tournament (21 April) and the Doubles Surprise Tournament (26 May).
I look forward to seeing you all playing fixtures, tournaments and social tennis again in 2002.
Doug Bergman
President
Fixture Policies
Because of the high demand for places in UQ teams, it has been necessary to develop procedures to ensure that all applicants are looked after fairly and equally and are placed in a suitable team.
The following policies will apply for next season"s Fixtures:
Nobody will be included in a UQ team unless all fees and a signed application to join the UQ Tennis Club are received. One person lodging a form and listing a group of people he/she wants to play with will not result in those other people being included unless they lodge their own forms and pay their fees.
Requests to play together will be considered but cannot always be granted. Players of a similar standard will generally be able to play together provided they ask to play with each other. Players A and B will probably not end up in the same team if Player A asks to play with Player B but Player B does not ask to play with Player A. However, because of the numbers that apply for a particular competition, it will sometimes prove impossible to grant all requests to play together. For example, in the Wednesday Pairs competition where there are only enough courts available to field 30 teams, a maximum of 90 players can be accommodated. However if there are applications from 40 pairs and 10 individuals, 10 of the pairs will have to be split up to form the 30 teams of 3 players each.
Applications received without fees will be ignored. No Fees - No Play - No Exceptions.
Off-campus home courts will not be used. This means that all UQ Tennis Club teams will have home courts at UQ. Teams in BHTA and BNTA Fixtures may still have to travel anywhere in Brisbane for away matches.
Quotas will be applied to all competitions. This means that lodging an entry by the relevant closing date will not guarantee all applicants of a place in that competition.
Players will be requested to nominate their preferred alternative competition(s) should their first choice(s) be over-subscribed. Applicants who do not nominate an alternative, or nominate alternatives that are also over-subscribed, will miss out if their chosen competition is full when their application is received (in which case, fees will be refunded).
Teams will not be formed with just the bare minimum of players needed (unless there is a shortage of players of the appropriate standard or gender). This means that there will be one extra player in each gender-neutral team and one extra male and one extra female in mixed teams.
Late applications will only be accepted where there are shortages or where vacancies arise after the season begins.
Players are not entitled to a refund after teams have been finalised and registered with the Fixture associations. With the optimum number of players per team, anybody pulling out can cause havoc unless there are some late applications to fill the vacancy. Players pulling out because the Club or Fixture association grading committees didn"t put them in the grade they think they should be playing will not get a refund and future nominations from them will not be accepted. In extenuating circumstances, the Committee may approve a partial refund (e.g. where somebody is transferred or seriously injured before playing any matches).
Find A Hitting Partner
Players who registered for the Find-A-Hitting-Partner Program in 2001 will need to register again for 2002. For this program to work, the contact information must be up-to-date and the people listed must be those currently available to play.
At the beginning of March, the list will be amended to remove everybody who has not re-registered for 2002.
Q & A
Question: I"ve been playing for UQ in the 2001/2002 Summer Fixtures. Do I have to pay the 2002 Club membership fee to play Fixtures this semester?
Answer: If you paid the $45 membership fee for 2002 when you lodged your entry for Summer Fixtures, you don"t have to pay it again. If you didn"t pay the fee with your Summer Fixture fees, then obviously you have to pay the $45 membership fee to play this year. Although the membership fee strictly covers January to December, members in 2001 were not required to pay the 2002 membership fee to play Summer Fixtures. New members, joining to play Summer Fixtures, were required to pay the 2002 membership fee.
Parking Changes
The parking situation isn"t getting any better. While everybody has been away on Christmas vacation, the University has been making some major changes.
Around 50 Green Zone parking spaces have been lost from Sir William MacGregor Drive by removing all parking spaces on one side of the road between the intersections with College Rd and Blair Dr (i.e. next to the pool and Playing Field 4). Apparently, parking will remain on both sides of Sir William MacGregor Drive beside the Tennis Courts and Playing Field 5, but the traffic flow will become one way.
The Blue Zone along Blair Drive has been changed to a Red Zone.
There will be a lot more parking spaces available when the new indoor sports facility (UQ Centre) is completed later in the year (March/April), but this will be a Purple Zone (i.e. pay by the hour).
Remember, parking charges now apply on week days up until 9 p.m.
All parking is still free on weekends.
Qld Wins Reid Cup
The 2002 Australian Junior Team Championships were played around Australia in December/January.
The best results for Queensland were achieved by the 16/U Boys (beat NSW in the Final) and the 14/U Boys (lost a cliffhanger to Victoria in the Final).
The Queensland teams and their results were:
| Linton Cup (18/U Boys) - Perth |
Robert Smeets, Matthew Whitecross & Marcus Walker finished FOURTH |
| Wilson Cup (18/U Girls) - Perth |
Natasha Kersten, Samantha Stosur & Tiffany Welford finished THIRD |
| Wayne Reid Cup (16/U Boys) - Gosford |
Robert Smeets, David Campbell & Suleman Jafarey-Hall WON |
| Wayne Reid Cup (16/U Girls) - Gosford |
Shannon Golds, Tina Kenniff & Kayla Berry finished THIRD |
| Sproule/Stephens Trophy (14/U Boys) - Brisbane |
Ryan Agar, Guy Belcher & Luke Brelsford finished SECOND |
| Mary Hawton Trophy (14/U Girls) - Brisbane |
Jessica Hoath, Shelley Rothman & Kelli Zahmel finished FOURTH |
Calendar
| 23-24 Feb & 2-3 March |
Queensland Close Championships |
| 27 February |
Orientation Day |
| 4 March |
UQ First Semester begins |
| 27,24 March |
Frawleys Junior Development |
| 30 March-1 April |
Laffs Junior Masters |
| 3-7 April |
Ferny Hills Junior |
| 14 April |
Doubles Tactics Clinic |
| 20-21,27-28 April |
Ipswich Open |
| 21 April |
Club Tournament Fastennis |
| 4-6 May |
Beenleigh Age |
| 4-6 May |
Coops Junior Masters |
| 26 May |
Club Tournament |
| 8-10 June |
Chandler Junior Masters |
| 17 June |
UQ Examinations begin |
| 22-23 June |
Logan City Age |
| 24-29 June |
Rod Laver Queensland Junior Championships |
| 30 June-4 July |
Little Masters |
| 5-7 July |
Ipswich Junior Masters |
| 13-14,20-21,27-28 July |
University Open & Queensland Open Championships |
| 29 July |
UQ Second Semester begins |
| 7-8 September |
Beenleigh Open |
| 15,21,22 Sept |
Club Championships |
| 21-23 September |
Frawleys Junior Masters |
| 23-26 September |
Redcliffe Age |
| 27-29 September |
Pine Rivers Age |
| 27-29 September |
Sunnybank Junior Masters |
| 4-6 October |
Carindale Junior Masters |
| 13 October |
Club Tournament |
| 2-3,9-10 Nov |
Wynnum Open |
| 23 Nov-1 Dec |
Junior Masters Circuit Final (Coops) |
| 7-8 December |
Frawley Junior |
| 11 November |
UQ Examinations begin |
| 7-8 December |
Queensland Grand Prix Masters |
| 14-20 December |
Queensland Junior Teams Event |
Wimbledon Ticket Ballot
Any Queensland registered players lucky enough to be visiting England during June/July have the opportunity to apply to purchase tickets for Wimbledon 2002 through Tennis Queensland.
A small number of tickets are available through Tennis Queensland for Centre Court, Court No. 1 and Court No. 2. As demand will far exceed the number of tickets available, a ballot will be conducted.
Applications for the ballot close on Monday 25 February.
Contact the Club Office for a ballot application form. Successful applicants will be contacted by Tennis Queensland in March/April and will then have to forward payment to Tennis Australia"s ticket agent in England.
Tennis Centre Briefs
The UQ Tennis Centre has a range of coaching programs to suit all Tennis Club members.
Senior Coaching
Private and group lessons are available all year round with our experienced and qualified coaches. Call to book a time that suits you or enrol in our upcoming Recreation Classes starting from 18 March 2002.
Recreation Classes
The most economical way of getting coaching is through the Recreation Classes. These classes consist of 1 hour group coaching for 8 weeks. Groups contain a maximum of 8 players. Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced classes are available. Select from the following classes on offer for first semester:
|
Time |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
| 7am |
|
|
|
|
B-I |
|
| 8am |
|
B-I |
I-B |
B-I |
B |
B |
| 9am |
|
|
|
|
|
I |
| 10am |
|
|
|
|
|
B |
| 11am |
B |
|
|
|
|
|
| 3pm |
B |
|
|
A |
|
|
| 4pm |
I |
B |
B |
B-BZ |
|
|
| 5pm |
B |
I-IZ |
B-I |
I-IZ |
|
|
| 6pm |
A |
B-BZ |
|
I-B |
|
|
| 7pm |
I |
I |
|
A |
|
|
| B |
Beginner (less than 2 years experience) |
| I |
Intermediate (between 2 and 5 years experience |
| A |
Advanced (tournament or fixture player) |
| Z |
Group of 6 players only for beginner (BZ) and intermediate (IZ) |
Enrolments and payments must be made at the UQ Tennis Centre (from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.). The deadline for enrolments is Friday 15 March.
If you need more information about any of our programs, contact us by phone (3365 6933) or e-mail (tennis@uqsport.uq.edu.au).
Remember to check out our Pro Shop if you need a new Tennis racquet, balls, footwear or clothing. Club members receive a 15% discount.
SEE YOU SOON
Troy McGrath
(Tennis Centre Coordinator)
Doubles Tactics Clinic
The Tennis Club has launched a new initiative for its members to improve their Fixture skills.
The Doubles Tactics Clinic will be held on Sunday 14 April from 9 a.m. to approx. 11 a.m.
Winning in Tennis isn"t just about how to hit the ball. Tactics are just as important as technique, particularly in Doubles.
Where is the best place to hit the ball? Where should you stand on the court? What are the options when your opponents have you on the run? Where should you move when your partner is pinned to the baseline? When is the best time to go for that winning intercept volley? When should you try the lob? What do you do when you get lobbed?
The Doubles Tactics Clinic will be conducted by the Tennis Centre"s professional coaches. The tips and drills they will teach you will help you play better Fixtures. The Clinic will be limited to the first 30 players who nominate. The cost is just $8 for Club members because the Clinic is being subsidised by $10 per person through a Tennis Australia Club Grant.
Enrolment forms must be lodged by Monday 8 April.
Fastennis Tournament
The Club"s first tournament for the year will be the Fastennis Singles Challenge to be played on Sunday 21 April. Entries close on Wednesday 10 April.
Entry in the Fastennis tournament is restricted to current financial members of the UQ Tennis Club, the Brisbane Hardcourt Tennis Association and Metropolitan Tennis Association.
In Fastennis, a set is won by the player who is first to win 21 points. A consolation format (such as the Continuous Play Draw, Feed-In Championship or Compass Draw) will be used in this tournament to ensure that all players get plenty of Tennis.
A novel feature of this tournament is that all players (good, average, not-so-good, male and female) will go into a single draw. Under the consolation draws to be used, a medium level player may be outclassed in the first few rounds but will eventually meet players of a similar standard. There will be lots of small prizes for the best performed player in designated levels (based on Fixture grades and NTPRs).
In addition, all participants on the day will go into a draw for a Dunlop/Slazenger Tennis racquet and other Dunlop/Slazenger products. The tournament will be followed by a free Sausage Sizzle for competitors.
Intervarsity
The 2001 Australian Universities Tennis Championships were held in Sydney at the end of September as part of the Australian University Games (AUG).
The UQ Men"s team (Cameron Liggett, Graham Prickett, Paul Cullen, Damien Freelagus & Samson Ham) finished 8th out of 12 competing Universities. The UQ Women"s team (Natalie Frawley, Katie Hall, Rebecca Leeks & Megan Martin) finished 9th.
The competition was a very close one and not much separated all of the teams. Highlighting this was the tie between UQ Men and the eventual pool winners, University of Western Australia. In that match, WA won all three of the singles rubbers with scores 9/7, 9/7, and 9/6. Had UQ been able to win these tight encounters, the team would probably have made the Semi-Finals. Although the 2001 results were not spectacular, the teams competed in true University Games spirit and there is a nucleus for competitive teams this year.
Representing their university in Intervarsity sport should be a career highlight for all university athletes.
The 2002 Intervarsity Tennis competition will be played in Adelaide as part of the AUG (29 September to 5 October).
To compete in the AUG, UQ has to qualify through the Northern University Games which will be played on the Gold Coast (30 June to 4 July).
