Etiquette  exists to help everyone enjoy this game. Sportsmanship, consideration, and politeness have always been an important part of our game and the following points need to be observed:

- Talk quietly if you are near tennis courts that are in use

- Don’t walk behind another court during a point, across someone else’s court while they’re in the middle of a game or interrupt a point on another court to retrieve a ball. Pass as quickly as possible after a point has finished

- Do not open gates whilst a game is in play on that court, and always shut gates when you have passed through them

- Do not disturb people on court until after their time is up

- Do not use mobile phones on court or allow them to ring

- Before starting to play, ensure any equipment you are not using (spare rackets, clothing, drinks, etc.) are out of the way.

- Often a ball from another court will end up on your court. To return a ball simply roll it safely to the back of the court and not directly to a player unless he/she requests it.

- Tennis balls will end up scattered over the court during play, so you should retrieve balls for your partner and your opponent to - keep the game flowing.

- Do not criticise your partner or opponent, be positive and offer encouragement instead.

- Line calls can be hard to see from the other side of the court so you must call your own lines, ensuring your opponent can hear you. A ball that touches any part of the line is good, so you don’t have to say anything, but you could say “Yep!” as an acknowledgment.

- Always respect the line calls of your opponent because he/she is nearer than you.

- If you have a disagreement with your opponent, offer a let. This means you replay the point whether it’s a first or second serve.

Court Selection

If you are arranging a social tennis match, and you cannot agree with your opponent on the type of court to play on (i.e. hard/tarmac or artificial grass/astro turf) then we suggest the matter can easily be resolved by a simple coin toss. 

Court Booking Etiquette

As we grow as a club, pressure on court times becomes more of a issue for members, and booking courts when you want to play can be challenging at times. We therefore ask that you take the following into account when you are arranging when you play your tennis; 

Each player has a booking allowance of 3 x 2 hour (max) bookings per member per week. The booking window opens two weeks in advance. 

If you have booked a court and are not going to play, or use that booking - you MUST cancel that court booking to allow others to use the court. Please also cancel the booking as soon as you know you are not going to use it.  Persistent failure to do so will be dealt with by the committee. This is especially important at peak times such as between 5pm and 8pm on weekdays. 

It is also not in the spirit of the booking system to repeatedly use your allowance (in conjunction with 2 or 3 other members) to collectively book up to 12 x 2 hour bookings per week to play as a regular foursome.

Please also consider how much tennis you play and at what times, and if you could play more of your tennis at non-peak times.  Non peak times are currently weekday afternoons, after 8pm at night and Sunday afternoons. 

Is is not our intention to interfere with members and their court bookings and if all members act in a fair and responsible way, then we will not need to do so. 

Finally, please do make sure you enjoy your tennis!