British tennis chief Roger Draper, has hailed the strength of the sport in Devon and Cornwall during a tour of some of the county’s clubs.
Draper, the Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), visited St Austell Tennis Club, St Agnes tennis Club, Esporta Devonshire in Plymouth and Ivybridge Tennis Club to see firsthand just how local clubs are helping to grow the game at all levels.
Speaking at St Austell Tennis Club, Roger Draper said:
“It was fantastic to see how all the clubs I visited are committed to ensuring that as many people as possible have the opportunity to get involved in tennis which is central to our vision for British tennis. It’s great to see these clubs at the sporting heart of the local community, thanks to the hard work of the members and committee.
“For example, it was interesting to hear how St Agnes offer Club has links with Newquay tennis club to enable members to make use of their indoor courts which will dramatically increase playing hours during the winter whilst St Austell run competitions every month for players of all levels and make sure that all sectors of the community can get involved in the club one way or another.
“They’re all doing a fantastic job of getting more kids competing, and more adults playing tennis, and they deserve every success.”
The visit, organised by the Devon and Cornwall LTA also saw Roger Draper meet some of the many players, coaches and volunteers who are the lifeblood of the sport. The facilities showed off their facilities whilst Draper also attended a mini tennis tournament at Ivybridge Tennis Centre at the weekend.
Ian Lovering, Tennis Coach at St Agnes tennis club said:
“In days gone by, you could just walk up and pick a court at our club. But now with all the coaching sessions and all the matches going on, having new mini tennis courts and new floodlights will give us a great opportunity to increase the number of people playing.
“This is a very exciting time for the club and for other clubs throughout the region and we’d encourage anybody who wants to get involved, no matter what their ability, to come down to the club and give it a go.”
The LTA can now point to some real improvements in grass roots tennis in Devon and Cornwall. 17 clubs have achieved ClubMark status with more currently working towards the prestigious accolade. There are currently 95 clubs with 9,209 affiliated club members with the number of regularly competing juniors on the rise. The LTA’s AEGON Parks programme which is being rolled out plans to create a number of ‘beacon’ sites whilst significant LTA facility investment is enabling more people to pick up a racket. In addition, juniors in the region have been receiving taster sessions through AEGON Schools Tennis during the last 12 months.
Jo-Anne Downing, Tennis Development Manager for Devon and Cornwall LTA said:
“We were delighted that Roger Draper came and spent the day visiting our clubs to show him the great progress that is being made. The future of Devon and Cornwall tennis looks positive but we understand there is some way to go. We’ve got some good coaches and some good clubs and we are making a real contribution to British tennis. Clubs like St Agnes, Ivybridge and Esporta Plymouth are all helping to ensure that British tennis is moving in the right direction and that’s exactly the kind of thing we’re working hard to see more of.