Clevedon Tennis Club.

Clevedon Tennis Club held its annual open day at its Princes Road headquarters.

CLEVEDON Lawn Tennis Club held its annual open day on Sunday at its ground in Princes Road.

After a rather damp and drizzly start, the sun eventually broke through and an eager bunch of youngsters of all ages ventured onto the club’s four newly-refurbished artificial grass courts for a tennis coaching session with the club’s new director of coaching, Greg Spink and his team of coaches.

While the children were enjoying hitting balls and doing fun tennis drills, a cardio tennis session for adults was taking place on court four. Cardio tennis is the new fitness workout which is rapidly increasing in popularity.

A series of tennis drills, fitness exercises and fun team games accompanied by high tempo music, the aim being to keep moving, raise the heart rate, burn calories and improve overall fitness levels.

“If you’re a tennis player it will improve your game, make you faster on court and more agile, but it’s not about hitting an amazing forehand or incredible smash, it’s about getting to the ball and pushing yourself that little bit further.” said club coach Sidney Falconer who takes the Cardio classes.

The speed serve competition proved equally energetic as players were given the opportunity to have the speed of their serve measured. No-one quite managed to beat Ivo Karlovik’s record of 156mph but the eventual winner, Alex Stansfield, achieved an impressive 93mph.

Visitors also enjoyed the family activities which included a bouncy castle, face painting, table tennis, swingball and mini tennis. A barbecue and an amazing array of home-baked cakes, all donated by club members, enabled everyone to top up their energy levels and Six Ways Sports from Alexandra Road were on hand selling tennis clothing and accessories.

The afternoon saw the children back on court for a junior tournament which was followed by a fun competition in which players tried to knock down tennis ball cans to win prizes hidden underneath.

The adults also had a chance to win some goodies as they took on the club coaches in a game of champions trying to score points against the coaches and take their place as champions.

Club chairman, Richard Tempany brought the day to a close by making the prize draw which included prizes donated by club members and local business Campbell’s Landing. Tracey Cairns was the lucky winner in the club’s free-to-enter competition to win a year’s free membership.

Richard said: “It’s been a terrific day. I’m proud of our club, we have an enthusiastic coaching team, our members friendly and welcoming and our junior section is thriving. We’ve got something for everyone who wants to play tennis here whatever their age or ability.”

The event was supported by the West of England Sport Trust as part of its Community Games initiative; a programme which aims to inspire local groups and organisations to get involved and run community events which celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

As a result, the club was awarded a grant towards the open day which was generously donated by the Quartet Community Foundation, a charity which supports local community based charities and voluntary groups in the West Country.

The club’s next event takes place on July 14, the big cardio event will run from 2.30-6pm. The event is open to anyone interested in trying cardio tennis. Adults are invited to come along to one of three scheduled sessions and have a go for free.

The juniors are not being forgotten though, and will certainly want to check out the junior tennis week which runs during the first week of the holidays, July 23- 27, from 10am to 3pm each day. Three-day tennis camps will also be running throughout August.

For more information and to download booking forms, please visit the club’s website: www.clevedonltc.co.uk or e-mail: clevedonltc@btinternet.com