Thornden Tennis Club enjoyed a visit from former Davis Cup players Danny Sapsford & Luke Milligan.
A total of 63 members both juniors and adults took part in a series of coaching sessions run by Danny and Luke who were happy to give tips and were very encouraging and enthusiastic.
After a service speed competition in which Magda Kornijczuk recorded a speed of 83 mph and Tom Vinnell 89 mph, Danny and Luke were joined by Paul Scullard (Director of Tennis, Thornden Tennis Club) and a surprise visitor, Dan Lobb (of tennis, Strictly, and tennis commentating fame) for an exhibition match. All three guest players are highly competitive and enjoyed teasing and comparing their wins and losses at Wimbledon, name-dropping a few other tennis stars as they played a fantastic and often hilarious exhibition match for an audience of club members and their families. (Somewhere along the way it was revealed that Luke was recently second in Over 40s Men’s World Cup). The match was won by someone but with the genuine fun and chaos around the event nobody really worried who that was.
Meanwhile friends, family and committee members enjoyed the sunshine, barbecue and cake sale enormously and the club raised a substantial sum towards essential maintenance works on the tennis courts and equipment.