Devon LTA is delighted to announce the local heroes who are honoured as part of the Aegon British Tennis Awards.
David Williams, chairman of St Budeaux Tennis Club in Plymouth and long-time secretary of the Plymouth & District Tennis League was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award. David, now in his eighties, has been chairman for over 30 years and secretary of the league for almost as long. His passion and commitment have not dimmed over the years.
Gary Tovey of Ilfracombe Tennis Club has been named the Volunteer of the Year for 2015 for his commitment to the club, players and local community.
Other winners include Plympton Tennis Club who were awarded Devon Club of the Year. This comes on the back of a year which saw months of hard work and commitment by the committee and members come to fruition with the opening of newly resurfaced courts leading to a very successful Great British Tennis Weekend and providing the opportunity to carry through their plans to grow and develop the club.
The winners received their awards and prizes at the county awards ceremony on Wednesday 27th January at the Buckerell lodge Hotel, Exeter.
All the winners are now in the running to be awarded a national award, which could see them collect a £5,000 facility grant and a visit from a tennis legend.
David Vinall, outgoing Chairman of Devon LTA commented: “The standard of the nominees was really high and we’d like to congratulate all of the winners for their achievement. The judges had a tough job to select winners due to the great contribution made at tennis venues across the County. It is a pleasure to award those who put so much effort behind offering great tennis opportunities for all in Devon.”
The Aegon British Tennis Awards is a joint initiative between The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the Tennis Foundation, partner Aegon and 40 County/national tennis associations, including Devon LTA. The Awards recognise and champion the people who deliver tennis in communities across Great Britain.
The Devon winners are:
- Volunteer Award – Gary Tovey (Ilfracombe Tennis Club)
- Young Volunteer Award – Tom Slack (Exeter Golf & Country Club)
- Coach Award – Liam Storey (Exmouth Tennis & Fitness Centre)
- Club Award – Plympton Tennis Club
- Community Venue Award – Okehampton Tennis Club
- Education Award – Nick Gillard, School Games Organiser, Torbay Schools Sport Partnership
- Outstanding Achievement – David Williams (St Budeaux Tennis Club)
The winners now go through to a regional judging panel with regional winners announced in April. The national ceremony will be held in London in June 2016.
In addition the County makes its own Devon LTA awards for players and young coaches. The winners were:
10 & Under Player of the Year – Victoria Syms (Teignmouth Tennis Club)
Junior Player of the Year – Patrick Daykin (Exeter Tennis Centre)
Senior Player of the Year – Kate Brown
Young Coach of the Year – James Temple (Exeter Golf & Country Club)
You can read all the nominations here