Google Review Winner
…and the winner is Galileo West for his aserbic and hilarious review of the club. Thanks to everyone who entered. All the entries can be read here and here is Galileo’s wondeful description of the club…
This club is suitable for people of all ages and of all talents. It has the best Thai food in North London. It has nine hard-courts and three clay-courts. The club house, which is already really good, is getting upgraded. But you know all that. What makes this club a gem is the location and the populous. Even the cricketers are friendly though one still has to watch out for their balls.
One can forget oneself in this bizarre cul-de-sac, buried in the heart of Crouch End. I grew up here. I learned everything here. Forgot tennis, forget learning backhands and forehands, which I also did, I learnt how to function in a society. Because in this club are the greatest mix of people, of all backgrounds, classes and creeds.
Honestly, not everyone here is going to be to one’s taste. But you can easily avoid them or, even better, you can get in their ladder and have the pleasure of kicking their ass. Occasionally play gets rained out, and sometimes there’s a team match going on so there are no courts. But all these problems are generic. Every club has these issues.
The positives are unique, distinctive and the stuff of memories. Spending a day here is like a little holiday. One feels like they are in an Agatha Christie novel but before the brutal murders. Easily accessible by tube [Highgate], car, bus [W7, W5, 43, 134, 263] or even by bike, this is the perfect getaway. I used it to get away from my troubles, and to relax. Because sometimes one just finds themselves having one of those weeks. This is the perfect place to recharge after having one of those weeks. Or even one of those days.
Ladder play is in the simple form of a league, while tournaments are played on the clay-esque shingle courts and the hard courts. Doubles themed one-day tournaments are a frequent occurrence. And there is social tennis where anyone is free to come down and play. That is on the weekends and certain weeknights. If you are curious about the club, come down at 1:30 pm on a weekend day. Everyone’s real friendly. Social tennis is my favorite because I can hit whatever shots I like and if I am abysmal it doesn’t really matter. And my partner may be even more abysmal than I am. Another great feature of the club is the communication. Emails are just frequent enough to keep one informed but not so common they are a nuisance.
So our club may not be ultra-organized, and we never had a British number one play here full time. We don’t have indoor courts. And sure, we have some real oddballs but we also have soul. We have a great junior program. Everyone from single people to families are welcome. We have a beating heart of membership and affordable fees [with great discount options]. We have friendly coaches and a positive attitude. We have a great clubhouse that is frequently being updated. And we hope to have you come and join us too!