Club out to promote tennis and upgrade facilities
The Queenstown Tennis Club’s newly appointed chair says tennis is more than a sport, it’s a life skill.
Llewellyn Aylesbury was elected the new chair at the Bergsig courts recently, with Gary Trethewey as vice-chair and Diane Coetzee as the re-elected secretary/treasurer.
Mtesh Mfenyane, Colleen Aylesbury, Roy Smit and Paul du Toit are additional members.
The club was previously based at the KSM site where there were several ground courts, before moving to Bergsig in 1995, where it now had six surfaced courts, Aylesbury said.
With spring around the corner, the team is set to consult the school calendars to determine the best dates for tournaments.
Aylesbury said: “We are hoping to host a mixed doubles tournament on September 24 and a Sunny Sam junior tournament sometime during the year.”
Chief among the club’s plans was to participate in the upcoming Post Retief and Old Selbornians tournaments.
He added there were tournaments tailormade for different age groups throughout the country. At present, the district had about five active clubs.
Aylesbury said he believed one of the reasons tennis was not such a popular sport in the province was because of the many different sporting activities to choose from.
“The love for tennis starts at a young age and tennis is unfortunately not actively promoted above any other sport in most schools.
“The lack of infrastructure and facilities also hinder the development of the sport,” he said.
If funds were limited, Aylesbury said, a school would rather build a rugby field for 30 athletes instead of a tennis court for four players.
He said for the sport to thrive, sports departments needed to promote tennis by developing infrastructure and coaching.
“We will continue to promote the sport and encourage people to come and enjoy an afternoon of fun and exercise. Schools can develop the youth through the continuation of the inter-schools and district tennis structures.”
Other plans were to strive to upgrade tennis facilities. Aylesbury extended a word of gratitude to those who had dedicated years to looking after the club’s facilities.