Sunny Sunday June 30th saw the 5th annual Club Challenge tennis match take place, this year hosted by Thornden School Tennis Club
The event was set up 5 years ago by tennis coaches, Paul Scullard (Thornden), Roger Manvill (Avenue Havant), and Dave Gaterell of Steep TC. It’s aim is to help players aged 5-14-ish find their feet in the world of competitive tennis, by providing a team competition between the respective clubs, and then inviting two players from mini tennis red, orange and green, as well as two yellow balls players to represent each team.
This year saw new tennis club Wickham TC participate also.
For the third year in a row, Steep TC won the event after 4 hours of great competition in very warm temperatures.
‘This event is about introducing new players and their parents to the competitive world in a fun and safe environment, and is not all about winning – however I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t quietly pleased at the result,’ said Steep Head Coach Dave Gaterell.
‘A number of our players had never played a match outside of the club before, and it can be quite a scary experience – so I was very proud of the team’s efforts, and would have still been so, regardless of the result. I hope that this event has fuelled their enthusiasm and they may take up the opportunity to compete more often.’
Gaterell’s company Courtside Sports runs a year round program at Steep TC for all ages and abilities, and is about to start 6 weeks of summer tennis camps for juniors players.
‘Watching Murray’s triumph on the weekend was simply stunning, something I’ve been waiting to see for 30 years since I took an interest in the game. I hope a lot of young blood will pick up a racket as a result of that inspirational match, and we hope to see them at Steep TC!’
To apply for tennis camp, or to find out how to get into tennis this summer, contact Dave Gaterell on 07801 422228 / dave@cs-ta.com