With the eyes of the tennis world firmly fixed on the climax to what has been a truly sensational Wimbledon fortnight, the organisers of the game nationwide will be hoping that a large number of would-be players will be inspired by the performances of Andy Murray and Laura Robson. The Christchurch Park Patron is Wimbledon competitor Elena Baltacha, with the Christchurch Park Project providing a subsidised route into the great game of tennis.
All the great projects and initiatives need people to drive them home and to progress them, and as with other sports, tennis relies heavily in a large band of volunteers. Ipswich Sports Club Tennis Chairman Paul Sheldrake was the man whose hard work and foresight brought Christchurch Park tennis into being, securing vital support from the LTA and the Ipswich Borough Council, with coach Trevor Howard the Project Manager now determined to develop this superb opportunity. I caught up with Trevor recently and asked him a few questions about Christchurch Park tennis:-
Q: When did you hear about the Christchurch Park tennis initiative ?
Via a very good friend of mine, Chris Daynes, now head coach of Ipswich Sports Club.
Q: Why were you so keen to become involved ?
This project is about drawing people into a sport they would not usually consider. This great sport needs opening up to all, and I see Christchurch Park as the communal focal point for Ipswich. For me, I buy into people. The people involved in the programme, such as Paul Sheldrake, who envisioned the whole idea, started the project from scratch, raised £175,000 worth of funding and continues to drive it forward.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your coaching background.
On and off, I have coached for many years, including in the USA in the early 80’s, but it was not until 2008/9 that I formally undertook both the US and UK coaching badges.
Q: What are your main responsibilities in the Park ?
There is a small amount of marketing involved, but the main job is to enthuse, coach and encourage people into tennis.
Q: How do you see Christchurch Park Tennis developing ?
This is an interesting question.; the honest answer is that I do not know. I would like it to get bigger, to allow people to progress through a tennis journey. Much of this is dependent on the continued and valued support of the Ipsich Borough Council, the LTA and the Ipswich Sports Club.
Q: What is the real value of projects like Christchurch to the game of tennis?
It provides a subsidised route into the great game of tennis. It allows people to understand the basics of tennis, to meet like-minded people, and it is a cultural coming together, with all sorts of people mixing freely and happily.
Q: What do you most enjoy about working in the Park ?
Having a free hand is nice. Being supported by like-minded people is great, but most of all it’s the joy of seeing someone’s face when what we have been workin on, say a topspin serve, comes off !
Q: Will there be a Parks Tournament for juniors later this month ?
Regarding the tournament, the information is: SUF13SO334 – Ipswich Parks – 222nd-27th July
(http://www.lta.org.uk/Competitions/Competition/?ctn=1-QH9ZMV)
The social and recreational aspects of tennis should never be overlooked, but hopefully a few more stars will be unearthed from greater participation, like those youngsters who represented Suffolk in the nationwide Aegon 12U County Cup last weekend. The Girls’ squad of Sofia Khalyaeva, India Ball,
Catherine Whittle, Macy Hendin-Walker + Lottie Summers fought hard but didn’t trouble the scoreboard, even though they finished 2-2 v.Bedfordshire, just losing on a deciding match tie-break.
Our Boys’ team of Noah Cutting, Travis Ireland, Jake Davey + Adam Levey finished in a respectable 3rd position, going down to Cambridgeshire + Hertfordshire, but beating Bedfordshire + Norfolk.
Finally, there was a poignant ceremony at Roundwood Tennis Club last Saturday, and a real tribute to the need for dedicated volunteers to organise the clubs within our county. The late Peter Andreasen was a real inspiration at Roundwood, and it was a happy day for me when he knocked on my door as a teenager and asked me to join the club ! In a moving ceremony on the middle weekend of Wimbledon, his ashes were scattered by a tree near the club pavilion, and his spirit will surely live on at the venue where he gave so much to others for what seemed like all his life………..The spotlight will fall on Roundwood later in the Summer.