THE floodlights on the new third court were switched on at Wellington Tennis Club’s Monday session as nights are beginning to draw in.

The new LED lights, paid for by Sport England, were installed earlier in the month and mean there will be less sitting out at busy club sessions as 12 people can play at one time.

The lights are easy to use and the public will now be able to play on winter evenings – before they could not access switches to turn the lights on.

Chairman Sue Rackley said: “Although we have missed our competitive matches and in-house tournaments, we have all been playing a lot and adult and junior coaching sessions have been well attended. “

Cardio tennis will resume on Tuesday, September 8, and non-members can attend for £6 an hour – the aim is to keep moving and provide a fun cardiac workout in the fresh air. Participants do have to be a tennis player.

The club was recently chosen as a case study by the Lawn Tennis Association as an example of how a club has benefited from using the Clubspark online booking system. This enables the public to pay electronically and select a time that suits them to play as there is a lot more availability now with three courts. The club has seen a surge in public bookings and has raised nearly £1,000 in court fees in 2020.

The club’s updated website is at https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/Wellington

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In the picture (from left) are Liz Deem, Jo Angus, Mark Neusinger, William Spurway, Margaret Staker, Sue Rackley, Stan Rogers and Philippa Deem. Not in picture: Ian Davies.