I. Name and constitution

1. The name of the Club shall be “The Downs Lawn Tennis Club”, also known as “The Downs (Cheam) Lawn Tennis Club”.

2. The Club is a “Members Club” and its objects shall be to provide facilities for Lawn Tennis and other recreations which can be conveniently carried on therewith, and to promote social activities for the benefit of the Members.

3. The Club shall consist of the following classes of Members:

   1. Lawn Tennis Members

   2. Intermediate Tennis Members

   3. Junior Tennis Members

   4. ​Non Playing Social Members

4. Annual Membership shall date from 1st May.

5. Lawn Tennis Members shall be entitled to play Lawn Tennis during the year in which they have paid the appropriate subscription.

6. All Members shall be entitled to entry to the Club premises and to full use of the clubhouse throughout the year.

7. Junior Membership is available to children under 16 years. Intermediate Members shall be between the ages of 16 and 25 and be in full time education.  Both these Membership classes shall be entitled to play Lawn Tennis at such times as prescribed by the Lawn Tennis Committee.

8. Junior Members are eligible to apply for Intermediate Membership and will be required to satisfy the Lawn Tennis Committee as to their proficiency before acceptance. If admitted, they shall be liable to pay the appropriate subscriptions as laid down by Rule 29.

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II. Affiliation and laws of game

​  9 The Club shall be affiliated to the Surrey County Tennis Association.

10 The Laws of the Game shall be those of the Lawn Tennis Association.

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III. Management

11  The Management of the Club shall be by General and Lawn Tennis Committees. Five shall form a quorum for the General Committee and three for the Lawn Tennis Committee.  The Committees shall hold their meetings at such times as they deem necessary.

12. The General Committee shall consist of a Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Lawn Tennis Secretary, Social Secretary and Membership Secretary, who shall be the Officers of the Club, and not more than six nor less than four other Members of the Club. If the General Committee so determine, an Assistant Secretary and/or Assistant Treasurer (or alternatively an Assistant Secretary and Treasurer) may be appointed by them as an additional Officer or additional Officers of The Club, but not so as to increase the General Committee to more than twelve members.

13 The Lawn Tennis Committee shall consist of the Lawn Tennis Secretary, a Lawn Tennis Match Secretary and not more than six nor less than four other Members, all of whom shall be Lawn Tennis Members.

14 The Chairman or any other Member of the General Committee nominated by him/her shall be ex-officio an additional Member of the Lawn Tennis Committee. This Committee shall be at liberty to elect its own Chairman.

15 The voting at any meeting of any Committee shall be on a show of hands and the decision of the Chairman at the meeting as to the result of such voting shall be conclusive. If the voting for and against any resolution is equal, the Chairman shall have the second or casting vote.

16 Only full paying Senior Tennis or Non Playing Members shall be eligible for election to any Committee and entitled to attend General Meetings of the Club. Permanent or regular bar staff should at no time be voted onto or co-opted to the General Committee but if invited, may serve on a sub-committee in an advisory role without voting rights.

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IV. Powers of the committees

​17 The General Committee shall have full powers of Management of the Club and may make such regulations and by-laws as they may consider desirable in the interest of the Club, provided that they do not thereby alter the Rules of the Club. Any regulation or by-law so made shall be deemed to have been brought to the notice of the Members and shall come into force seven days after posting in the Club House and shall be binding on all Members of the Club.

18 The Lawn Tennis Committee shall manage the games of Lawn Tennis and take all steps they consider necessary for the furtherance of the game in connection with the Club, provided that matters of finance and general policy shall be reserved for the General Committee.

19 Any Committee shall have power to co-opt any Member/s of the Club to be Members of the Committee until the next Annual General Meeting, or for such shorter periods as the Committee may determine.

20 Any Committee may appoint Sub-Committees and may co-opt thereon Members of the Club who are not Members of that Committee. Such Sub-Committees shall have the powers and duties as may be delegated to them by the Committee by whom they have been appointed.

21 A meeting of any Committee shall be called by the Secretary of the Committee upon the requisition at any time of its Members or whenever the Secretary considers it expedient to do so.

22 Any member of the Committee who shall fail to attend four consecutive meetings of that Committee, without sufficient reason, may, on a resolution of the General Committee, be removed from the Committee concerned.

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V.  Election of officers and committees

​23 i The Officers of the Club and the Members of the General Committee shall be elected by the members present at the Annual General Meeting. The election of the Lawn Tennis Secretary and Members of the Lawn Tennis Committee shall be held at a separate meeting of the Lawn Tennis Members within a month before the Annual General Meeting. The results of this election shall be ratified at the AGM

  ii Proxy votes for election of Officers will be accepted from members who are abroad at the time of the Annual General Meeting and those who live a great distance from the Clubhouse.

  iii.    The Officers and Committee Members so elected shall hold office until the next Annual General Meeting, unless they have previously resigned or died or have been removed from office.  Any casual vacancy occurring during the year on any Committee may be filled by the Committee.

24 Nominations for Office or for Membership of any Committee shall be proposed by one Member and seconded by another and shall be notified to the General Secretary in writing at least seven days before the date of the Annual General Meeting. No candidate shall be nominated without his/her consent.

25 Retiring Officers and Members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election without the necessity of their being nominated before the Annual General Meeting.

26 Voting shall be done by ballot. The Candidates up to the number of vacancies who shall receive most votes shall be declared elected, and in the case of two or more candidates receiving an equal number of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

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VI. Election of members

​27 A candidate for election as a member of the Club shall complete the appropriate application form and pay the relevant fee. The General Committee may grant or refuse membership at its discretion without giving any reason for its decision.  In the event of a refusal of membership any subscription paid will be refunded in full.

28 Every Member shall be supplied with a copy of these rules and shall be bound thereby and by any amendment thereto.

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VII. Subscriptions

​29 The rates of subscriptions (and entrance fee if applicable) for the ensuing year from the 1st May, shall be agreed at the Annual General Meeting. The subscription for which any Member shall be liable in any year shall be that appropriate to his/her age on 1st May that year.  The entrance fee shall not be payable by applicants for Junior or Intermediate Membership or by existing Members wishing to change their class of membership.

30 The General Committee may accept Members in any class for part of the season on payment of such part of the appropriate subscription as may be determined by the General Committee.

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VIII. Payment of subscriptions

​31 Life Membership has been removed from 20th April 2017. Therefore only current life members will remain in place.

32 A Member not paying his/her subscription by the 31st May in any year shall be considered to have resigned from the Club and such Members wishing to re-join the Club will be treated as a new applicant in accordance with Rules 27 and 28.  The General Committee may, entirely at its discretion, waive Rules 27 and/or 28 if such Members pay his/her Subscription after the due date provided that a satisfactory reason is given for such late payment.

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IX. Change of membership

​33 Members wishing to change their class of Membership or to resign must give notice in writing to the General Secretary by the end of the year covered by their subscriptions. Resignation shall not give rise to a claim for a refund of a subscription or any part thereof.

34 The General Committee may request any Member to resign from the Club or, alternatively, may expel without refund of any part of the subscription, any Member of the Club if there shall be brought to the notice of the General Committee any action, on the part of the Member, whether inside or outside the Club premises which in the opinion of the General Committee is improper and likely to injure the good reputation of the Club or be an annoyance to other Members or interference with the proper conduct of the Club or an intentional breach of rules and regulations. Any information of any such matters coming to the knowledge of the General Secretary shall be reported forthwith to the General Committee and the Member in question shall be notified in writing that the matter will be considered at a specified meeting of the General Committee when he/she shall have the opportunity of being heard thereon.

35 It shall be at the discretion of the General Committee to give any Member whose expulsion they propose to consider, the opportunity of withdrawing from membership.

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X. Temporary members

36 i Members may introduce friends as Temporary Members upon the terms and conditions prescribed by the by-laws, provided that no Temporary Member is introduced more than six times in any one year.

 ii Every Temporary Member shall be the guest of, and be accompanied by, the Member introducing him/her, both of whom shall sign the visitor’s book immediately on entering the Club premises.

iii. In order to raise funds for the benefit of the Club and its Members, The General Committee may authorise the hiring out of the facilities and/or premises of the Club for private use, including the sale of intoxicating liquor for consumption on the premises.

iv In any event, the hiring out of the facilities and/or premises of the Club for private use, shall be subject to the constitution and rules of the Club (and relevant by-laws).

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XI. General meetings

​37 The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held in the month of April in each year upon a date and time of which not less than twenty one days notice shall be given.

Any member desirous of moving any resolution at the Annual General Meeting shall give notice thereof by written communication to the General Secretary not less than ten days before the date of such meeting.  A copy of such resolution, together with the name of the mover, shall be emailed to the club members and posted in the Clubhouse by the General Secretary for at least five days prior to the meeting.

38 A Special General Meeting may be called at any time for any purpose, either at the request of the General Committee or upon the requisition in writing of any ten Members of the Club, other than Junior members, stating the purpose for which the meeting is required. Within fourteen days of the receipt of such requisition, notice of a Special General Meeting shall be given to all Members of the Club stating the business to be transacted thereat and no business other than that of which notice has been so given shall be brought forward at such meeting.

39 At all General Meetings of the Club, the Chairman of the Club shall take the Chair. Every Member present entitled to vote shall have one vote upon every motion, and in the case of equality of votes, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

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XII. Audit of accounts

​40 The financial year of the Club shall end on the last day in December in each year, to which date the accounts of the Club shall be balanced. An audited statement of such accounts shall be presented at the next ensuing Annual General Meeting.

41 An independent firm of accountants shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to serve as Auditors for the ensuing year.

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XIII. Alteration of rules

​i These Rules, with the exception of Rule 46, may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting, providing that no such resolution shall be deemed to have been passed unless it is carried by a majority of at least two thirds of the Members present.

ii A dated copy of the Club Rules, maintained in pristine condition, shall be permanently exhibited in the Members Bar for viewing. Required alteration to the rules shall occur no later than ten weeks following such resolution(s) passed at any Annual or Special General Meeting.

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XIV. Trustees

43The Trustees shall be four in number and the property of the Club shall be vested in them. They shall deal with the property of the Club as directed by the General Committee (of which an entry in the minute book, duly signed by the Chairman, shall be conclusive evidence) and they shall be indemnified against risk and expenses out of Club property.

44 The Trustees are listed in Appendix (A) of these rules, and they shall hold office until resignation or death, unless removed from office by a resolution passed at a General Meeting. Any vacancy amongst the Trustees shall be filled by election by the Club in a General Meeting.

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XV. Borrowing powers

45 If at any time the Club in a General Meeting shall pass a resolution authorising the General Committee to borrow money, the General Committee shall thereupon be empowered to borrow for the purposes of the Club such amount of money, either at one time or from time to time, and at such rate of interest and in such form and manner, and upon such security as shall be specified in such resolution, and thereupon the Trustees shall, at the direction of the General Committee, make all such dispositions of the Club property or any part thereof and enter into such agreements in relation thereto as the General Committee may deem proper for giving security for such loans and interest provided that such borrowing by the Committee shall be on express terms charging with the repayment thereof the property and funds of the Club and shall expressly exclude any personal liabilities on the part of the Members of the Club.

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XVI. Dissolution of the club

46 If at any time the Club in a General Meeting shall pass a resolution for the dissolution of the Club the following procedure shall apply:

i   As soon as possible after the passing of such resolution for the dissolution of the Club the General Committee shall convene a special General Meeting of the Club.

ii   The date of such Special General Meeting shall be not less than one calendar month, and nor more than two calendar months after the date of the said General Meeting at which such resolution was passed.

iii.     At the said Special General Meeting the resolution to dissolve the Club shall be reconsidered and only those fully paid up Members of two or more consecutive years standing, Life Members and current Debenture Holders shall be entitled to vote on the said resolution.  Any such Members or Debenture Holders not able to attend shall be entitled to vote on the resolution by post.  A majority of not less than two thirds of such Members and Debenture Holders shall be required to pass the said resolution.

iv   In the event of the said resolution being passed the General Committee shall thereupon, or at such future date as shall be specified in the resolution, proceed to realise the property and other assets of the Club and discharge its debts and other liabilities.

v   Any remaining proceeds of the Club will then be divided so that each fully paid up Tennis or Non-playing Member over the age of majority (but not Junior Members) of two or more consecutive years standing shall be paid one equal share.

vi  On completion of such distribution (or discharge of liabilities) the Club shall then be dissolved.

vii.   This rule may only be cancelled or amended by a majority of not less than four-fifths at a Special General Meeting where, in addition to those attending all Members of two or more years standing, Life Members and current Debenture Holders who are unable to attend shall be entitled to a postal vote.

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XVII. Bar opening hours

47 The Club bars will be open for the sale of intoxicating liquor at the times published in the Members Bar. The opening times shall always conform to the permitted licensing hours prescribed by the enforcing authority.  Extensions to the licensing hours are permitted provided that an application for extended hours has been granted by the enforcing authority.

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Appendix A

Club Trustees:

Mr Gordon Gorsuch

Mr David Line

Mr Peter Kearsey

Mrs Linda Lovelock

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Revised 19th April 2023