Players give new courts at Cross in Hand thumbs up

Tennis enthusiasts from the Heathfield area were celebrating on Saturday when three new state-of-the-art clay courts were unveiled at Cross in Hand Tennis Club.

The refurbished courts more than double the number of all-weather courts at the club and mean tennis can be played safely all year round.

Before the refurbishment work players and coaches had to make do with worn out, slippery astro courts which meant play was limited to the two existing clay courts for most of the year.

Club President and lifetime member Michael Eldridge cut the ribbon at the entrance to the new court watched by club members who came to the club to mark the occasion. This was followed by an exhibition match on the show court next to the club house involving top juniors Mikey Turek and George Morphew.

Club Chairman Tania Spooner also took the opportunity to present a lifetime membership to Joyce Eldridge in recognition of her services to the club.

The improvements to the courts were started during lockdown to take advantage of the period when the club was shut due to Covid 19. This meant very little playing time was lost and the courts are ready to enjoy for the rest of the summer.

Club Chairman Tania Spooner said: “The Committee worked incredibly hard to find a solution to improve the courts. It was much more complex than you could imagine as there was a need to invest in the sub base and improve drainage, which is especially important when you want to have an all year round facility – all of which of course benefits future generations as well as the current members.

“The new courts are just the start of improvements we want to make that will build on the club’s fantastic heritage and continue to transform the facilities, maintaining it as a wonderful community facility far into the future. We hope with these changes we can encourage more people to take up this wonderful and healthy sport.”

Future improvements include things like LED floodlights and a hitting wall. New members can join any time of the year. Membership is free for children aged five and under with fees rising to £400 for a family membership. Fees are pro-rated if you join part way through the year.

If you would like to help with fundraising for the club please donate through the Go Fund Me page or through the Easy Fundraising page. There are also opportunities for businesses to raise brand awareness by sponsoring banners around the new courts. Contact suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk for more information.