Many of our members chose to arrive at the Hampshire Court on Friday for a spot of pampering in the hotel spa or simply to start their catch up with friends a little earlier over a glass of wine and dinner in the restaurant. I was unable to get there until Saturday morning, but due to a swift journey, I was able to arrive with perfect timing to enjoy our pre-AGM coffee.
While we were somewhat sadly depleted in numbers again, we still had a spirited turnout of 14 members. However on this occasion and for the first time in BATS history, we were joined by a new BATS member of the canine variety. Eddie the golden retriever was warmly welcomed by the members and he wasted no time in endearing himself to all present by trotting around with his lead in his mouth.
We then settled into the AGM meeting itself with the previous minutes being approved and several conversations about junior tennis, the upcoming visit to Prague for the Billie Jean King Cup and an agreement about the necessity to ensure that members provided their LTA Advantage membership numbers to secure their ongoing BATS membership. This was felt by all to be the only fair way to ensure fair allocation of LTA ticket distribution for various events, not least Wimbledon.
The AGM meeting lasted for around an hour, after which there was a general dispersal as members went off to have lunch. The annual tennis tournament was due to take place at 2pm, so the six contenders for the trophy had a very quick, light snack beforehand. Kay Gilbert very kindly volunteered to organise the tournament and off they went.
Tournament finalists 
The winners!
In the meantime, several of us ventured out to the sunny terrace for a cup of tea. We were very fortunate that this particular weekend the weather was extremely warm and during the relatively short time we were sat there, the sun wasted no time in adding a little colour to our cheeks!
As our very own Andy Murray and Dan Evans were due to play their round of 16 matches at the Miami Open that afternoon, a few of us installed ourselves in the bar to watch them on the iPad. While the timing of these matches was for us most fortuitous, by the time 7pm arrived, it was time to disappear for a quick shower and change of attire in readiness for our evening meal.
The hotel had kindly accommodated us in our private room for dinner, principally so that Eddie could join us once again. We enjoyed a delicious, if protracted dinner and the waiter even brought Eddie some treats too! The winners of the tennis tournament, Anne Hutchison and Kay Gilbert, were awarded their trophies and we held our annual raffle. All in all a most enjoyable evening.
On Sunday morning, as breakfast was served only in the restaurant, Eddie and I were contentedly installed in the bar area for the consumption of our breakfast. However, armed with Wordle and Eddie standing by for any stray bits of food coming his way, this was still a meal to be savoured. After which, we all went our separate ways until next time. For those of us fortunate enough to be going to Prague, this unusually meant a very short gap of just three weeks, so it felt exciting to know we didn’t have long to wait before meeting up again for our next little get together and tennis adventure.