From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th October, The North East Visually Impaired Tennis Club (NEVITC) competed in the inaugural National Visually Impaired Tennis Championships held at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. The team of thirteen were made up of two blind tennis players, nine visually impaired players and two volunteers!
Medal winning performances were the intention of each and every individual and the lucky few were able to deliver their heroic performances to such a standard that they brought some richly deserved silverware back to the region.
David Deas (Newcastle) and his partner Christine Laurence (Brighton) won the visually impaired mixed doubles title and NEVITC Secretary Wendy Glasper with her partner, NEVITC Chairman Graeme Manwell, were runners up in the mixed visually impaired and sighted doubles event. A special award for player of the tournament was awarded to NEVITC player John Hawkins-Waterfall from Darlington. This award is presented to players who show outstanding performance and attitude, both on and off court.
The Club were only able to take such a large group of players to London due to the generous and continued support of The Adderstone Foundation whose involvement with the Club has grown over the past two years.
NEVITC Chairman and Northumberland Club Manager, Graeme Manwell said ‘the support, both moral and financial which we receive from The Adderstone Foundation has been invaluable. It has allowed us to book more practice courts, purchase the specially designed tennis sound balls from Japan and travel to different tournaments within the UK. The tennis is making a real difference to our players’ lives and I have watched this develop over the past year. Players have gained so much confidence, not just in their ability on the tennis court but with important life skills which are taken for granted by those who are not visually impaired, like hopping on a bus or train and travelling to a tennis Club for practice. I am very proud of what each and everyone of the players is achieving and it will only get better’.
Tennis for people who are blind and visually impaired is played on a reduced sized tennis court and uses soft foam tennis balls which have a rattle inside to aid coordination for the players. Totally blind players are allowed three bounces of the ball and visually impaired players are allowed two bounces, players are never allowed to volley.
The NEVITC will be holding their own national tournament, supported by The Adderstone Foundation, in May 2015 and are hoping to build on the success of last year’s event which attracted over forty players from around the Country.
For further information about visually impaired tennis in the North East, please email play@nevitc.org