British Games Club, Tenerife

A sports and social club for British ex-pats, swallows and visitors in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife. Other nationalities also welcome.

A sports and social club for British ex-pats, swallows and visitors
Other nationalities also welcomed
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Games Club member’s memoirs go on sale after book launch in El Corte Inglés

April 30, 2019

THE TOP floor of the Corte Inglés store in Santa Cruz was the setting of a special book launch and signing for the memoirs of long-time British Games Club member, Dr José Antonio de Vera Reyes.

The front cover of José’s book features a picture of him as a boy

José has long been a popular and much-loved member of the Tennis Section, always an enthusiastic and regular supporter of the annual tournaments and lunches.

Even at the age of 86 he turns up for the occasional game and still has the capacity to catch opponents by surprise with some vicious cross-court forehands.

Josés book, Un Niño Tinerfeño Que Logro Ser Médico, charts his life and career as one of the leading medical practitioners in Spain and a world pioneer in research on spinal cord stimulation, as well as in the application of intrathecal and intraventricular drugs to modulate chronic and malignant pain.

In a prologue to the book, one of José’s former colleague, Dr Francisco J Robaina Padron, writes: “I observed from my first contact with José Antonio that he conveyed a sense of control over his patients’ situation and that spinal and skull operations were much easier to perform than I had imagined.

“The level of neurosurgery in health service hospitals in the Canary Islands has reached very high levels thanks to having had in the beginning pioneers like José Antonio.”

WRITER’S CRAMP: José hard at work at the book signing sessions during the launch of his memoirs.

After qualifying as a Bachelor of Medicine in Madrid, he later completed a double doctorate at the University of La Laguna, in Medicine and Philosophy.

He developed his special knoweldge in some of the worlds leading centres for neurosurgery, namely in Madrid, Oxford and Bristol.

In London he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Fellow of the World Neurosurgery Federation.

He returned to his native Tenerife to become regional head of Neurosurgery Services and was head of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for 45 years.

He also founded the hospital’s specialist Pain Unit, while at a national level was a founding member of the Spanish Pain Society, of which he was also president for a number of years. He was also a founding and honorary member of the Atlantic Pain Forum.

His book is a delightful and gentle memoir, full of amusing anecdotes from his childhood and beyond.

Un Niño Tinerfeño Que Logro Ser Médico is published by Laertes and can be ordered through the publisher’s website. It is also on sale in Corte Ingles and other bookshops around the island.

More pictures from José’s book launch

Filed Under: News

The ears have it – by just one point in close Easter tournament

April 10, 2019

TO THE VICTORS go the spoils, as British Games Club bunnies were quick to demonstrate after winning the Tennis section’s annual Easter Fun Day tournament.

This tradititional contest pits the Bunnies against the Chicks in a series of doubles matches playing over the course of three hours.

And this time round the winning margin couldn’t have been closer, with the Bunnies coming out on top by one point as the final scores tallied to 76-75.

The winning bunnies were: Lorna, Victoria, Gabie, Andrea, Paco, Angelo, Donald, Ken, Derek and Albrecht.

With Easter falling quite late this year numbers were down on previous years due to our ‘swallow’ members heading home early to take advantage of cheaper air fares.

Nonetheless, 23 people sat down to the usual post-tournament lunch in the clubhouse, ably served up as usual by Cheo, Jacobo and the clubhouse team.

Th Easter Fun Day marks the end of the tournament programme as the section heads towards the end of its twice-weekly winter playing sessions. The last winter session will be on Tuesday, April 30 before once-a-week sessions commence on Tuesday, May 7 and continue until Tuesday, September 24.

The 2019/2020 season will kick off on Tuesday, October 1, when playing sessions will revert to twice a week.

Filed Under: Tennis

1960s night proves to be a smash hit

March 24, 2019

A SXTIES NIGHT, a new British Games Club social event, proved to be a big hit with members, who showed just how lively a bunch they are as they danced the night away at the Teide Mar hotel in La Paz.

Louise provided the live music and ahead of the dancing there was a buffet meal consisting of a choice of popular dishes from the 1960s, beef bourguignon, chicken a la king or fish ‘n’ chips.

There lots of prizes for those who dressed 60s-style for the occasion.

  • FLOWER POWER WINNER: Janet’s costume was a sure-fire success.
  • ROCK AND ROLL: Marilyn’s crinoline-style dress was all the rage in the late 50s and early 60s.
  • HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE: Noel and Judith evoked a third iconic 60s fashion style.

Filed Under: Social events

Nena and Nigel pick up the prizes at season’s last trophy tournament

March 24, 2019

THE LAST ‘trophy tournament’ of the British Games Club’s 2018/2019 tennis season saw a keen morning’s competition, resulting in success for Nena Stenzel.

Nena walked away with Chris’s Trophy from a relatively new tournament in the Games Club calendar, held for the first time three years ago as part of the section’s forewell to vice-captain Hara Davis on her return to the UK.

The rule has been established that each year’s winner provides the trophy – and the tournament name –for the following season. Chris Rogan was the winner last year, hence participants were competing for Chris’s Trophy.

A total of 26 members entered and play had to start at 9am to accommodate them all. After four hours of intense doubles competition, members relaxed over lunch in the clubhouse, with Cheo’s Clubhouse team serving up the usual excellent repas.

Also presented at the lunch was the Pam Squires Trophy for the Most Improved Player of the Season, which this time round went to Nigel Ross, who was declared the winner following the traditional secret ballot among fellow members.

In the picture above, former President Pam Squires and current President Susan Dickinson joined forces to present the silverware to Nigel – one a commemorative cup – while Chris Rogan presented her trophy to Nena.

Filed Under: Tennis

Karen’s victory adds new name to the tennis section honours board

March 11, 2019

Club President Susan Dickinson hands the Jim McColl glas-bowl trophy to Karen Dalton, while David Self gets ready to present the commemorative plaque.

THE ANNUAL contest for the Jim McColl Trophy, one of the main events on the British Games Club’s tennis calendar, gave us a new name to inscribe on the honours board – that of Karen Dalton.

The 16th staging of the tournament, played in memory of a much-loved former member, saw the usual level of keen competition.

Due to the highlevel of entries a 9am start was necessary and play continued right through to 1pm.

As ever, the competition phase was followed by a traditional and convivial Tennis Section lunch in the clubhouse, which was not as well attended as usual due to other competing activities taking place at the same time.

After lunch, Karen received the glass bowl trophy and commemorative plaque from Club President Susan Dickinson and David Self, a long-time friend of Jim McColl.

Filed Under: Tennis

Jim reigns supreme as Games Club bowls champion for the fourth time

March 11, 2019

JIM GOODMAN reigns supreme as Bowls Club Champion after lifting the British Games Club trophy for the fourth time, beating Ronnie Ventilla in the final 12-7.

As befitted the occasion, it was a nip-and-tuck final, which saw Jim build an early lead, hang on to it throughout a tight, low-scoring match and ultimately secure the victory on the last but one of the scheduled 14 ends.

In addition to claiming the title for the fourth time since 2011, Jim also completed a season ‘double’ of winning the Men’s Championship and Club Championship.

Jim is pictured receiving the Club Championship trophy from bowls captain David White (second left), with runner-up Ronnie (left) and competitions organiser Brian Cundall (right) looking on.

Now is a good time to learn the game

As the 2018-2019 season draws rapidly to a close and many of our swallow members prepare to return home to the UK for the summer, we fervently hope to see them all back in Tenerife in the autumn – Brexit permitting – for the start of the 2019-2020 season in October.

Sadly, as things stand at the moment it seems unlikely that there will be sufficient demand for summer bowling this year.

However, we may reconsider if enough people come forward to register an interest. Please contact captain David White on 922 889 572‬ or 645 293 798‬ for futher information.

We have improved facilities to look forward to in the new season – and over the summer if bowling proves viable.

Between now and the end of the season is a good time for any new players wishing to take up the game of bowls to come along and give it a go.

We provide all the equipment you need to play and we also offer free taster sessions and free coaching for beginners.

Filed Under: Bowls

Twists and turns in the tale of two tennis tournaments

February 21, 2019

British Games Club and Los Gigantes players line up before the start of the 21st staging of their annual tournament.

Los Gigantes team on the receiving end of a British blast

Nigel reluctantly hands over the trophy the Games Club lost to the team from Finland

IT WAS A TALE of two tournaments for the British Games Club tennis team in February as they recorded a resounding victory in one but slipped to an unexpectedly heavy defeat in the other.

In the first of the two tournaments, the Games Club hosted the 21st staging of the annual inter-club match against the Brits based at the Tipsy Terrace in Los Gigantes.

The match proved to be as competitive as ever but this time round resulted in a resounding victory for the home team by 113 points to 77, reversing the trend of recent years which has seen the Los Gigantes team have the upper hand.

The tournament was played out over 24 half-hour doubles matches, nine for men, nine for ladies and six for mixed pairs.

The British team was made up of tennis captain Maxine, Victoria, Monika, Nena, Janet and Fran on the ladies side and by Geoff, Ken H, George, Nigel, Tony and Ken S in the men’s matches.

The tone for the competition was set in the first of the eight rounds of matches when the British men stormed ahead by 22-6. The lead was further enhanced when the ladies took to the courts for the first time, coming out on top by 19-10.

And so it continued, with the Games Club winning six rounds while the Los Gigantes ladies managed to win one round for their team.

When it came to individual honours, Geoff and Maxine received mementoes as highest individual men’s and ladies scorers at the traditional celebratory lunch in the clubhouse that followed. The food was washed down with plenty of wine and alongside great company.


Steely determination of the Finns wins the day

The Finnish team were cheered on by compatriot supporters.

HAVING recorded a comfortable victory in the first staging of a new inter-group tournament against a team of Finnish players last year, the Games Club were probably guilty of a too relaxed approach to this year’s fixture.

The steely determination of the men from Finland was evident even before the match started, as they arrived bright and early for a substantial practice session ahead of the 10am start.

The Brits – with several of the winning team against Los Gigantes unavailable – were much more casual in their approach.

And it showed as the Finns steamrollered their opponents by 13-4 in the first round of matches.

The next two rounds were equally disastrous for the Brits as the Finns continued to bulldoze the opposition with scores of 11-5 and 16-6 respectively.

In all, 16 half-hour doubles were played over six rounds and it wasn’t until the fourth round that the Brits were able to salvage some pride, winning it by 13-9.

Overall the Finns emerged triumphant with a winning score of 63-41.

Both teams were indebted to the lovely Ros, who ensured the smooth running of the tournament by doubling up as scorekeeper and timekeeper.

The British team were represented by George, Paco, Maxine, Nigel, Hardy, Ken, Robin, Monika and Rob, while the the Finnish team was made up of Kari, Seppo, Jussi, Timo, Tinde, Esko, Sakke and Pepe.

A big thank-you goes to Nigel, who came up with initial idea for the tournament, arranged the day’s activities and captained the British team.

It now looks set fair to become another fixture on the annual club calendar and which everyone will look forward to with relish in the years to come.

Max and Nigel begrudginly handed over the trophy, which will remain on display in a glass case in the club, at the lunch that followed.

The Finns suggested enlarging tournament to take up four courts and involving more players but tennis captain Maxine said: “We’ll have to think about that one. It’s always lovely to mix with other nationalities for competitions like this.

“Make no mistake, we will field a stronger team for sure next year and we will be looking to regain that trophy.”

The British Games Club and the Finnish teams line up ahead of the start of what is now set fair to become an annual tournament,

Filed Under: Tennis

Jim adds to growing tally of trophy triumphs

February 18, 2019

Former Bowls Captain Stuart Lorimer presents the Men’s Championship trophy to Jim Goodman.

REIGNING Club Champion Jim Goodman added the Men’s Championship to his growing tally of British Games Club bowls titles with a narrow victory over Ken Sheldon in a hard-fought final.

The meeting between the two was the latest in a long line of competition tussles in which honours have been shared pretty evenly over the last eight or so years.

The final was a tight affair, with the scores all square after the first seven ends. Jim then opened up a gap, which had grown to six shots heading into the 13th and penultimate end, at which point Ken struck back to cut the deficit to three shots with one end to play.

Ken built another three-shot lead with his first three woods to leave the final hanging on a knife’s edge before Jim drew dead to the jack to secure the victory.

The 2018/19 season is now very much in the home straight, with only the destination of two more trophies, the Club Championship and the Captain’s Salver, to be decided before our swallow members begin to drift back home for the summer.

The Games Club bowls season will end on April 29. The starting date of the 2019/2020 season has still to be decided.

Filed Under: Bowls

Come on guys, it’s time to get romantic

February 3, 2019

FOLLOWING ON from a successful Burns Night, the next event on the British Games Club social calendar takes place on Valentine’s Day.

But all you lovers and romantics need to get you skates on to make sure you don’t miss out on one of the best nights of the year.

The Hotel Teide Mar is the venue, Thursday, February 14 is the date and the evening will be enlivened by Dennis and his disco music, a big hit at the recent Burns Night.

The evening will kick off with a Cocktail and Canapes Reception at 8pm, followed by a hot and cold buffet with a different menu to that chosen for Burns Night.

Tickets are €25 for members and €30 for guests, to include red/white wine and water.

To reserve your seats, make sure you call Susan on 682 251 412 well in advance of the day itself.

Filed Under: News, Social events

Blue team shades a tight contest

January 21, 2019

A BRIGHT and early start was needed to accommodate all those entered into the Rejoyce/Merton Trophy tournament, an important annual event on the British Ganes Club calendar.

The early worms were on court for a 9am start to four hours of round-robin matches until 1pm, when the Blue team were declared winners of a tight contest.

Both the matches and the morning soon warmed up under clear blue skies and glorious sunshine and by the close only nine points covering the first to last team scores.

The winning Blue team of Lynne, Rob, Ursula, Ken, Geoff and Max are pictured with the trophy.

The tournament has been staged for some years after the trophy was initially started by long-time supporters of the tennis section, Reg and Joyce. Neither Reg nor Joyce are now with us but their memory lives through this annual contest.

Steph Merton’s name was added to the trophy three years ago after she stepped up to replace the original glass trophy when it was broken. Steph has since died and so this tournament now also serves a memorial to a much-loved member of the tennis section.

With the destination of the trophy sorted out members repaired to the clubhouse for lunch, ably prepared as always by Cheo’s clubhouse team.

With lunch over and the raffle drawn, there was just time for the special presentation of a pot plant and a pendant to be made by Club President Susan Dickinson on behalf of section members to Tennis Captain Maxine for her unstinting organisation of the section’s activities, so vital to ensuring the smooth running of playing sessions and its associated social activities.

The staging of the first tournament of the New Year marks the start of a busy few weeks for the tennis section, with the upcoming visit of our friends and rivals from Los Gigantes for the annual tournament looming large on the horizon.

This time round it’s the Games Club’s turn to host the event, on Sunday, February 3. It’s always a hard-fought contest so any support fellow Games Club members can muster will be much appreciated. Play will start at 10am and go on to 3pm, after which there will be a lunch in the clubhouse.

Games Club President Susan Dickinson presents tennis captain Maxine with a pot plant and a silver pendant, a thank-you gift from fellow members for her unstinting efforts to ensure the smooth running of the section. Looking on is vice-captain Victoria Nielsen.

Filed Under: Tennis

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