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Aviemore tennis players ready to make a racket all night





Showing off the plans are committee members Yvonne Birnie, Anna Barton and Margaret Thompson
Showing off the plans are committee members Yvonne Birnie, Anna Barton and Margaret Thompson

Members at Rothiemurchus and Aviemore Tennis Club hope to court success with a 24 hour Tennisathon at their Inverdruie home this weekend.

Rackets will start swinging at 12 noon on Saturday and there will be no let up until the same time next day.

The proceeds raised by the marathon efforts will go towards the target of £10,000 for the club’s ambitious Courts4All project.

Organisers are delighted with the response so far – with members signing up even for the one hour shifts through the dead of night.

Fortunately the club has floodlights!

Anna Barton, club committee member who sits on the project’s management team, said: "Members, friends, family and associates of the club will be aiming to keep at least one doubles game going throughout the 24 hour period.

"Up to three courts will be used and players and helpers have answered by the challenge by signing up for all hours.

"In fact we now only need some players for the 12 midnight to 1am shift and from 6am-8am. People don’t have to be a club member to participate and players of all standards are invited to take part."

The club has lined up a two-part project to upgrade the three existing courts to a an all-purpose polymeric surface and to build an extra court with a cover so the game can be played in all-weather.

There will be a fun session too for P7 and under youngsters on Sunday from 10am to 11am and all are welcome to attend and play.

The club has applied to the EU Leader fund, sportscotland and Tennis Scotland for funding for the fourth new court.

The plan is to realign the three existing courts and the new facility will be like that at Tomatin which has a stretched agricultural cover to protect players from the weather conditions. The club’s courts are only playable for a six to seven month period at present.

The Lawn Tennis Association and sportscotland earlier this year announced a ground-breaking £15 million joint-funding deal to start next year.

The aim, in partnership with Tennis Scotland, is to transform the game in Scotland by doubling the number of covered courts from 112 to 225 over the next five to 10 years.

For more details on the Tennisathon and project visit http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/aviemore-tennis or email tennis@ybirnie.co.uk .


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